Monkey's Tale

Ganja is not often on most tourists’ itineraries and admittedly, there aren’t a lot of big sites to see. It’s a nice city though, and we found it interesting to experience life in a typical Azerbaijani community. Here are some of the things you’ll see when you visit the city of Ganja, including the nearby Goygol Lake.

A Little History on Ganja

Like many cities in this region, Ganja was the site of many battles. As a result, they had a variety of foreign rulers, including the Arabs, Persians and Turks. Javad Khan, ruler of a Turkic tribe, was the leader of Ganja when the city was conquered by the Russian Empire in the early 1800s. On the battlefield, Khan apparently said to the Russians, ‘You will only win Ganja by stepping over my dead body’. Unfortunately, his prediction came true. Javad Khan was killed in the battle, and the Russians were victorious. As a result, Azerbaijan’s last khan has become a hero to the city. Later, Ganja was included in the Soviet Union’s realm.

With this long history though, most of the buildings in the small historic centre only date back as far as the Russian era, but we still enjoyed exploring it.

Javad Khan Pedestrian Street

The historic centre is mostly concentrated around the pedestrianized Javad Khan Street (also spelled Cavad Xan). It’s a nice walkway lined with tall shade trees standing in front of 19th and 20th century red brick buildings. Most of the buildings today are home to clothing shops, restaurants, pharmacies and other stores. It is a popular local shopping street.

Sheikh Bahauddin Complex

One of the only remains from the city’s time before the Russians is the 17th century Sheikh Bahauddin Complex. Its impressive gated entrance is flanked by double minarets which give it a unique look. Sheikh Bahauddin was interested in astronomy, so he included this passion into the design of the gates. As the sheikh requested, is was built so that at noon, there would be no shadow across the front of the gate and minarets. We were a couple hours early, so there was a bit of shadow.    

The gate between the double minarets leads to the 17th century Juma Mosque (Shah Abbas Mosque). Built from red brick, it is quite a small building considering the size of its domed roof. There used to be a madrasa (school) on this site as well, but it no longer exists.

Both the mosque and the gate have the same Shebeke style stained glass that we first saw in Sheki. They are about the only things that add colour to the mosque’s interior, other than the blue trim around the base of the ceiling.  You can read about this stained glass in our post Discover the Mountain City of Sheki.

The complex also has a bathhouse called Chokek Hamam. When you see its multiple rounded domes, you will know right away that it was a bathhouse. The building is in very good condition, but it was closed, so we couldn’t see inside.

In the same yard is Javed Khan Mausoleum (Cavad Xan Türbəsil). The original 19th century tomb was demolished by the Soviets. The one we see today was built in 2005 and is a very nice addition to the park. The rest of the complex is now filled with large shade trees, making it quite peaceful.

Across the street is Shah Abbas Caravansarai. It was built in the same complex as the mosque, but is now separated from it by the busy Ataturk Street. After staying in a lovely old caravanserai in Sheki, we were a little disappointed that this one was not open. In fact, it’s on a tree-lined street, so we could barely get a good look at it.

It was apparently open as a museum for a while, but it was locked and empty when we attempted to visit.

Ganja State Philharmonic

Next door to the old mosque is the Ganja State Philharmonic. Its classic façade with large statues on its balcony makes it instantly recognizable as a theatre. Decorated fountains in front make it appear even more regal. While the building may look old, it was actually only opened in 2017 and was built on the site of the former palace.

Ganja is definitely different than Baku. It has several grand, old Russian buildings that would make you think you’re in a capital city. But then, it also has broken down public buses. This mixture of styles gives the city a unique personality.

There are also many beggars on the streets, which we didn’t witness anywhere else in Azerbaijan. They are said to be victims of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which occurred not far from Ganja.

Khan Bagy Park

There are a few nice, treed parks in the city. Many were further away than walking distance, so we didn’t bother to try to see them. Khan Bagy Park though, is located in the downtown area and we did enjoy walking between its tall sycamore trees. In addition to the lovely trees, it has one of the last remaining sections of the 16th century Ganja Fortress.

Alexander Nevsky Church

The 13th century Russian prince, Alexander Nevsky, has a few churches named after him in former Russian territories. We visited one in Sofia, Bulgaria. Ganja’s 19th century Russian Orthodox building was built in Byzantine style. The red brick church is located in a tight spot surrounded by buildings, making it was difficult to get a full view of the large building.

Painted in bright turquoise with white trim, the interior is quite different from the white mosque we saw earlier. We were surprised to learn that there is a large enough congregation to still hold service on Saturdays and Sundays.

You can read about the church in Sofia in our post Sofia – Bulgaria’s Capital.

Bottle House

A private house in a quiet Ganja neighbourhood attracts a lot of attention due to its unusual design. Its outer walls are decorated in a mosaic made of over 50,000 bottles and coloured stones from Sochi, Russia. Under the eave is a memorial for the artist’s brother, who went missing during WWII. The building is dedicated to him and to all soldiers who lost their lives in the war.

Imam-zadeh Mausoleum

Nine kilometres from the city centre is the most elaborate building in Ganja. When we first saw the two minarets adorned with glazed bricks, we were reminded of the wonderful architecture in Uzbekistan. Between them, the main entrance is decorated with calligraphy and colourful geometric designs. You can read about Uzbekistan here.

The mausoleum was built for Sheikh Ibragim. He was born in the 6th century, and was a descendant of the Prophet Ali. That makes this a very sacred pilgrimage site. Imam-zadeh translates in English to ‘Son of the Prophet’.

The main building was originally built in the 14th century, but was completely renovated in the 2000s. Inside this remodelled mausoleum is an old metal tomb from 737AD. It is further enclosed in a small brick house with a turquoise dome. Because of the brick building, you can barely see the metallic tomb. If you look up, you have an interesting view that includes the 8th century dome under the newly remodelled ceiling.

There are two large prayer rooms on either side of the tomb. One for men and another for women. Both have colourful domed ceilings and tiled mihrabs (prayer niche).

Before you leave, don’t forget to climb the stairs to see the old tomb and its dome from above. As well you can get a closer look at the pretty ceiling of the larger mausoleum.

Across from the tomb is a long building with multiple domes. A covered walkway runs the length of the building that is not only practical, it is also picturesque. This building provides sleeping quarters for religious pilgrims.

Nizami Ganjavi Mausoleum & Museum

Ganja was home to two famous writers, and the city has done well to keep their words alive. On the edge of the city, is a memorial and museum for Azerbaijan’s beloved 13th century writer. Nizami Ganjavi is considered the greatest romantic poet in Persian literature. He was born and lived his entire life in Ganja. His most famous poem was Khamsa (Quintet), a collection of five narrative, epic poems. If you remember, the main pedestrian street in Baku is called Nizami, after this poet.

To read more about Baku, Azerbaijan’s capital visit our post Explore The Modern Architecture of Baku.

Across the park from the mausoleum is the Nizami Ganjavi Museum. It includes works from Nizami as well as for Ganja born 19th century writer and philosopher, Mirza Shafi Vazeh. He authored many famous quotes. One popular one was Sing such songs as if the day when death comes to touch your cheek is still far away. But live and love as if death is at your doorstep.

His words were made famous by his German student Friedrich Martin von Bodenstedt. The student translated Vazeh’s poems into German and subsequently became wealthy and famous from these publications. Vazeh however, never received international accolades for his work.

Goygol National Park

A great day trip from Ganja is to Goygol Lake. It’s a beautiful drive that travels through bucolic lands before climbing the foothills of the Lesser Caucasus. From a hilltop viewpoint, we looked out over rolling green hills and the rocky mountains behind. The summit of Kapaz Mountain stands above them all, but for us, it hid behind a layer of cloud.

Once we reached the lake, the clouds set in. Goygol translates to Blue Lake in English but due to the cloud cover, the water appeared green. Although it is a pretty lake, there were no mountain views for us. In good conditions, you can see Mount Kapaz hovering above. The mountain is responsible for creating this lake. In 1139, an earthquake caused massive rockslides on Mount Kapaz. Huge boulders tumbled down from the mountain, eventually blocking the Akhsu River and creating the lake.

At 1620m (5,300ft), temperatures are a bit cooler at the lake than in Ganja, making it a popular day trip. There are a few restaurants, tea shops and hotels along the lakeshore as well as on the drive.

The president has a villa at Goygol. It is the highest building in the picture below. The lake is stocked with trout, but fishing is not allowed, except for the president, of course.

This lake has only recently been reopened to tourists because of its proximity to the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region (called Artsakh in Armenia). Territorial and ethnic conflicts between Azerbaijan and Armenia over this disputed land began in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Peace was attained for a while until fighting resumed in 2016, again in 2020 and recently in 2023. The most recent peace deal (August 2025) may affect access to the lake, so check with local sources before attempting to visit.

Tip – If you visit, you will need to show your passport. Park fees are 3 AZN per person and 1 AZN per car. We couldn’t find tours from Ganja to the lake, so hired a taxi for the return trip which included a stop at the lake.

Naftalan

We had intended to visit what we thought was a spa city, not far from Ganja. It turns out that Naftalan does not have pampering spas as we thought. Instead, it has many health resorts left over from Soviet times. People with musculoskeletal, gynecological, dermatological and urological conditions attend these medical sanitoriums for at least a week to receive treatment by physicians, pharmacists, physiotherapists, massage therapists and others.

The main draw is the Naftalan oil baths. This crude oil has been used for centuries to help cure many health problems. Naftalan oil baths were popular with historical figures such as Alexander the Great, Marco Polo, as well as many Roman and Viking invaders.

We tried to book an afternoon appointment on a day trip from Ganja, but soon realized that these sanitoriums weren’t interested in day-trippers. Visits begin with a day-long physician assessment, including ultrasounds and blood tests, followed by days of treatments. A few sanitoriums allow 2-day treatments, but most require a minimum stay of 7 days. After reading that Naftalan oil is considered carcinogenic, we weren’t as disappointed that we couldn’t get an appointment.

How to get to Ganja

Marshrutkas leave from the International Bus Terminal in Baku (4 hours). They depart every hour between 7 am and 11pm. You can find the schedule and bus tickets here.   You can also take the train from Baku. Trains leave at 8 am and 6pm. If you’re in Sheki, marshrutkas leave 4 times a day (3 hours).

You can find Ganja and Lake Goygol in the centre of the image below. Click on the map to be directed to an interactive map.

Getting to Red Bridge (Krasny Most) border from Ganja

Getting to the Georgian border and on to Tbilisi from Ganja is possible if you don’t have your own car, but does involve three modes of transportation. The first step is to take a marshrutka from Ganja to the city of Qazax.

The marshrutka station in Ganja is marked on Google Maps as ‘Bus to Qazax’, but is also called West Bus Station (not the International Bus station where you likely arrived from Sheki or Baku). Marshrutkas wait near the highway. We arrived at 8:40am and ours left by 8:45 with only 10 people on board. The drive takes 2 hours. 

Once you arrive in Qazax, marshrutkas leave from the bus station (Avtovagzal) destined for Red Bridge (Krasny Most) on the Georgian border. We only waited 19 minutes for ours to fill up. The drive took just over 1 hour to border.

Once we arrived at the Azerbaijani border office, it was so quiet we could hear crickets chirping. Land crossings into Azerbaijan are not allowed except for transport trucks. This means that the only foot or car traffic at the border is leaving. Because only those with international passports are allowed to exit by land, there is not much traffic at all. In fact, there was a long line of transport trucks but no other people. When we arrived, the Azerbaijan border guards were having tea in a back room, and the x-ray machines were turned off. They quickly busied themselves to assist what might have been their only customers of the day. If you needed a visa to enter Azerbaijan, you will need to show it to the border agents. On the Georgian side, things seemed more organized and they were ready for the arrival of travellers.

Things to keep in mine – There were a few shops open on the Azerbaijani side, but none on Georgian side of the border. The Georgian ATM didn’t accept international cards, which seems odd at an international border. There were plenty of taxis on the Georgian side who will stop at an ATM or money exchange as they drive you to Tbilisi. We were actually able to pay our Georgian taxi in Azerbaijani Manat.

Where to stay and eat

There are not many accommodations in Ganja, but you can find a few in the city’s downtown. You will likely want to stay near the pedestrian street Javad Khan so you are close to restaurants and the sites.

Tip – When you search for Ganja online, make sure to type Ganja, Azerbaijan. Otherwise you’ll get articles and advertisements for marijuana.

Click on the link to see our Travel Tips for Azerbaijan

To read more of our adventures in Azerbaijan, click here.

Coming Next – A Guide To Tbilisi’s Historic Centre

For pictures from other blogs go to Gallery at monkeystale.ca

To read about more of our adventures go to Destinations.

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