Many towns have them – rolling mountains and hospitable locals. But few are as majestic as Xinaliq in Azerbaijan. Travel photographer Oliviero Olivieri was lucky enough to go and capture it. Here, he shares some of his favourite images and stories
“It took us about five hours to get from Baku (by the Caspian Sea) to Xinaliq (in the middle of the mountains). We had stopped for a break just outside the city, at this first big flat open plain, by a rural kebab shop, more a stall in the middle of the road. Suddenly, we heard the red train from Russia. It sped across the landscape so fast.”
“Initially we were in two minds over whether or not to go to Xinaliq. We were told that the road was actually still in the process of being built, and no one knew for sure if it was even finished yet. Let’s go anyway, I thought. This is of course the reason why Xinaliq has remained so isolated and genuine. As you can see the road is quite discouraging!”
“The light was magnificent, the air nice and crisp and the clouds looked as if they were running after each other. I stopped and thought for a moment, Xinaliq must be close.”
“As we approached the village we saw the sheep, as if they were welcoming us.”
“You can see the back of a house and the classic picturesque washing line here by the wall. I liked the contrast of colours between the houses and the clothes. All those colourful sweaters and pants next to the monocrome of the houses.”
“This is the precise location where one can have a viewof the entire village, sitting alone up in the middle of the mountains. Washing is drying under the beautiful afternoon sun. What struck me was the two hens: one white and one red, just peacefully strolling around.”
“We parked the car, at the bottom of the village. Walking out, it felt cold in the shade but nice under the sun. I started walking around frantically becuase I wanted to see everything, it all looked so remote and interesting. I stopped in front of this little boy. He was curious to see a stranger, and I spoke with him. I need to understand before I photograph. He wanted to introduce me to all his family. Eventually I took a photo with all of his siblings just outside the door of the house.”
“The lady was looking out of the window, while her mum was inside the house making traditional flat bread. The bread is cooked inside a wood-burning oven and tastes wonderful. When I took the picture she was shy at first, I sensed that. I wanted her to feel comfortable, so I broke the ice, chatting with her, then, as you can see, she posed for me.”
“Three men sitting under the sun, smoking. I guess I liked Xinaliq a lot because I come from a small village in Sardinia, where life is similar and people are proud and very hospitable. They like to share what they have Although Sardinia is miles away from Xinaliq, I found a lot of similarities. In other words, it felt like home.”
Photography courtesy of Oliviero Olivieri
