Baku is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, a Caspian Sea port where a walled medieval Old City, Belle Epoque oil-boom mansions and the glass-and-steel Flame Towers share one crescent-shaped bay. Visitors come for the UNESCO-listed Icheri Sheher, the Heydar Aliyev Center, a seafront boulevard, mud volcanoes and rock art at Gobustan, and a tea-and-plov food culture at very low prices.
Cultural orientation
Essential context for travellers.
Azerbaijan is a secular, majority-Muslim country with a relaxed attitude; Baku is cosmopolitan, but modest dress is expected at mosques and in smaller towns outside the capital
Tea (chay) is the national social ritual: it is served in small pear-shaped armudu glasses, often with jam or sweets, and a host will keep refilling the glass until the guest places a hand over it or leaves the spoon across the top
Learn a few Azerbaijani words: salam (hello), sag ol (thank you) and chox dadlidir (very tasty); locals respond warmly to any effort in Azerbaijani, and Russian is understood by many people over 30
Mugham, the classical modal music of Azerbaijan, is on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list (proclaimed 2003, inscribed 2008); hear it live at the Baku Mugham Centre on the Seaside Boulevard or in Old City restaurants with live ashiq and mugham evenings
Novruz, the spring equinox new year festival (around 20-21 March, with public holidays running about 19-24 March), is the main national celebration, with bonfires, wheat sprouts (samani), pakhlava and shakarbura pastries and street concerts at the Seaside Boulevard and in Old City
Remove shoes when entering a home or a mosque, and bring a small gift such as sweets, chocolate or fruit when invited for a meal
Dress smartly for the evening: Baku restaurants, theatres and bars lean dressy, and trainers and sportswear are less common in upscale venues
Alcohol is legal and widely sold in Baku in bars, restaurants and shops; drinking in the street or in public parks is frowned on, and public drunkenness can lead to a fine or police attention
Do's and don'ts
Quick guide to local norms.
Do
- Cover shoulders and knees at mosques such as the Heydar Mosque and Juma Mosque; women should cover their hair (scarves are usually lent at the door)
- Accept tea or a small snack when offered in a shop, carpet showroom or home; refusing everything repeatedly can seem curt
- Say salam to shop staff and drivers when you enter
- Carry small AZN notes (1, 5, 10 manat) for the metro card top-up, markets, taxis and tips
- Visit the Azerbaijan Carpet Museum and the Heydar Aliyev Center to understand the national craft and modern identity
- Book Baku Mugham Centre, Opera and Ballet Theatre and Philharmonia tickets a few days ahead through iticket.az or the venue box office
- Keep a printed or phone copy of your passport and e-visa page when walking around; police occasionally check documents
Don't
- Do not wear shorts, sleeveless tops or a bare midriff inside mosques, and do not step on prayer carpets in shoes
- Do not photograph military sites, government buildings, police or people praying; photography near the presidential and ministry buildings can be stopped by guards
- Do not raise the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the 2020 and 2023 wars or relations with Armenia casually; these topics are deeply sensitive and political
- Do not take photographs of women or families without asking first
- Do not point your finger or the sole of your foot at someone when sitting on a floor cushion in a home or tea house
- Do not buy carpets, caviar or antiques without a receipt and the export paperwork described under shopping; customs at Heydar Aliyev Airport (GYD) can seize items without a permit
Etiquette by setting
How to navigate everyday situations.
- Greetings
- A handshake is standard between men; men and women who do not know each other well may greet with a nod or a hand on the chest unless the woman offers her hand. Friends and relatives kiss on the cheek. Say 'salam' (hello) and 'sag ol' (thanks or goodbye). Elders are greeted first and addressed with respect, often with 'muellim' (teacher or sir) or 'xanim' (madam).
- Dining
- Meals begin with tea and bread, salads and herbs, followed by kebabs, plov and dolma. Dishes are shared and the host presses guests to eat more; leave a little food on the plate to show you are full. Toasts are common at a table with alcohol, and a guest is expected to raise a glass at least once. Plov at a celebration is served with the lid presented at the table.
- Dress
- Baku is fashionable and smart casual works in restaurants and theatres. For mosques, cover shoulders and knees, and women should cover their hair; scarves and robes are often provided at the Heydar Mosque and Bibi-Heybat Mosque.
- Gifts
- When invited to a home, bring sweets, chocolate, pastries or fruit; flowers are welcome in odd numbers for celebrations and even numbers are for funerals. Alcohol is not usually expected from a guest.
- Business
- Business is relationship-based; meetings usually begin with tea and small talk. English is common among younger professionals; Russian and Turkish are also widely used. Carry business cards and dress formally.
- Tipping
- Restaurants often add a service charge of 10 to 15 percent to the bill, so check it; if none is added, leave 10 percent. For taxis and Bolt rides round up the fare; give AZN 2-5 (approx $1-3) to hammam attendants and guides.
Useful phrases
A few words go a long way.
Salam
Hello
sah-LAHM
Sag ol / Hele ki
Goodbye
sah-OL / heh-LEH-kee
Sag ol / Tesekkur edirem
Thank you
sah-OL / teh-shek-KOOR eh-dee-REM
Zehmet olmasa / Bagislayin
Please / Excuse me
zeh-MET ol-mah-SAH / bah-guh-SLAH-yun
Beli / He
Yes
beh-LEE / heh
Xeyr / Yox
No
kheyr / yokh
Sagligina
Cheers
sah-LUH-guh-nah
Nece manatdir?
How much does it cost?
neh-JEH mah-naht-DUR
Ingilis dilinde danisirsiniz?
Do you speak English?
in-gee-LEES dee-lin-DEH dah-nuh-shur-suh-NUZ
Hesab, zehmet olmasa
The bill, please
heh-SAHB zeh-MET ol-mah-SAH
Chox dadlidir
Delicious
chokh dahd-luh-DUR
Tualet haradadir?
Where is the toilet?
too-ah-LET hah-RAH-dah-dur
Religion & spirituality
Understanding faith in Baku.
Main: Azerbaijan is a secular state with a Muslim majority (roughly 96 percent of the population identifies as Muslim, about two thirds Shia and one third Sunni). Baku also has Russian Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Jewish and Molokan communities, and religious freedom is protected by the constitution.
Sites: Heydar Mosque (Heydar Aliyev Avenue), Juma Mosque and Mohammed Mosque (Old City), Taza Pir Mosque (Old City area), Bibi-Heybat Mosque (Bibi-Heybat district), Cathedral of the Holy Myrrhbearers (Russian Orthodox, Baku centre), the Six Domed Synagogue (Jewish community, Baku centre) and the Lutheran Church of the Saviour (Baku centre).
Holy Days: Novruz (around 20-21 March) is a secular spring festival; Ramadan Bayrami (Eid al-Fitr) and Gurban Bayrami (Eid al-Adha) are public holidays whose dates move about 11 days earlier each year; Ashura is observed by Shia communities. During Ramadan many Baku restaurants stay open but daytime eating in public is done with discretion.
Conversations: Religion is practised moderately in Baku and visitors are not expected to pray. Be respectful, remove shoes at mosque doors, and do not joke about Islam, the Quran or clergy.