Copper workshops
Hand-hammered wares.
Gulustan — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Radosław Botev — CC BY 3.0 pl · Interfase — Public domain · Sofiya Az — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Rəcəb Yaxşı — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Irana521 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Zohrab Javad — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Nazimsamadov — CC BY-SA 3.0
An old mountain village at about 1,200 metres in Ismayilli district, on the southern slopes of the Greater Caucasus, one of the oldest settlements in Azerbaijan and its best-known craft village. Its roughly 860 residents speak Tat, an Iranian language, alongside Azerbaijani. Since the Middle Ages Lahij has been famous for its craftsmen, among them coppersmiths, blacksmiths, carpenters, carpet weavers, engravers, tanners and shoemakers, whose work is displayed in many museums. Its best-known craft today is hammered copper, worked into pots and trays in small workshops. The village's lanes are paved with river stones and wind between stone and timber houses built with techniques that resist earthquakes, small mosques, and shops selling copper, carpets and curios. It is said to have a centuries-old drainage system. Wandering is free. The road up is a narrow mountain road beside a river, so going by car with a local driver is easiest. It makes a stop between Baku and Gabala, and spring to autumn is the best time.
Hand-hammered wares.
Paved with river stones.
A unique heritage.
Ismayilli district, on the southern slopes of the Greater Caucasus
Hammered copper pots and trays, carpets and wooden crafts from the small workshops and shops in the village lanes.