Land and climate
A peninsula in the wind
Absheron is dry steppe and semi-desert, open to the Caspian on all sides. The climate is arid and windy: winds blow over the peninsula almost constantly, shaping its character, its relief and even the lean of its trees.
Rain is scarce, the summer hot and the winter mild. The vegetation is sparse — wormwood, saltworts, rare groves; yet it is this very harshness that creates the peninsula’s austere, particular beauty.
And still this land is not empty: salt lakes, sandy beaches, mud volcanoes and green gardens make it rich and varied in its own way.
Winds
The northern khazri and the southern gilavar are Absheron’s two main winds. The khazri sweeps in sharply and brings cool air, the gilavar blows softly and warm. The wind here is an almost constant companion.
The Caspian
The largest enclosed body of water in the world surrounds the peninsula on three sides, shaping the climate, the fishing, the leisure and the whole way of life.
Lake Masazir
This salt lake near Baku is famous for the pink colour of its water and for salt extraction. Other salt lakes also glisten in the hollows of Absheron.
Figs and saffron
Absheron figs, grapes, olives and rare saffron are the pride of local farming, which survives thanks to hard work and wells.
Sand and shore
Sandy beaches and dunes stretch along the coast — in summer the favourite resting places of Baku and the whole country.
National park
At the tip of the peninsula lies the Absheron National Park, home to Caspian seals, gazelles, foxes and many migratory birds.
From aboveGeography
Between steppe and sea
From above, Absheron looks like a wedge of land cutting into the Caspian, dotted with villages, roads, lakes and oil fields. It is one of the most settled and recognisable places in Azerbaijan.
Nature and people are intertwined here more closely than anywhere else: steppe sits beside drilling rigs, a salt lake beside the dachas, and a beach beside an old village.
The elements
What makes Absheron’s nature remarkable
Mud volcanoes
Azerbaijan is the world capital of mud volcanoes, and many of them lie near Absheron. They throw out cold clay and gas, which sometimes catches fire.
Salt lakes
Masazir, Boyukshor and other lakes yield salt and unusual landscapes — from pink water to white crusts of salt.
The Caspian shore
Hundreds of kilometres of sandy beaches, capes and bays; at Cape Shah lies the protected nature of the national park.