Xınalıq and the transhumance route: a living tradition on the UNESCO list

Xınalıq is one of the highest permanently inhabited settlements in Azerbaijan — roughly 2,200 metres, inside Shahdag National Park. But it is not the altitude that makes it special.

What sets it apart

Language. The people of Xınalıq speak their own language, Ketsh. It belongs to the Northeast Caucasian family and is spoken only in this village. There are a few thousand speakers and no parallel community anywhere else.

Architecture. The houses are built in terraces up the slope: one roof serves as the next house's yard. There is little wood and a great deal of stone, because there is no forest at this altitude. Historically dried dung was used as fuel, and that tradition is still visible.

The transhumance route. Village life is built around the spring and autumn migration: in summer the flocks are taken up to the high pastures, in winter down to the lowlands. This route has followed the same line for centuries.

It is precisely this combination — "Xınalıq and the Köç Yolu, a semi-nomadic cultural landscape" — that has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list. What is protected is not a building but an ongoing way of life.

What it offers as a route

Xınalıq is a gateway for hikers:

• From here you go up to Shahyaylag and on to Bazardüzü, Tufandağ, and the Heydar Aliyev and Atatürk peaks.
• Trails lead to the neighbouring villages — Qrız, Qalaxudat, Cek, Alik, Haput — each with its own language or dialect.
• From the village itself, short walks reach the gorge and a number of viewpoints.

Practical information

• The road. The road from Quba to Xınalıq is paved and passable in an ordinary car, but it is a mountain road: narrow, with steep drops, and icy in winter. Above the village, up to Shahyaylag, only 4x4s make it.
• Staying. There are family guesthouses in the village. The format is simple: eating with the family, a clean room, hot water sometimes limited.
• Altitude. 2,200 metres causes no trouble for most people, but breathing may feel slightly heavier on the first night — that is normal.
• A question of respect. The village is not a museum but a place where people live. Ask before photographing houses and people.
• When. June–October is the best window. In winter the road can close.

What to buy

Hand-knitted woollen socks and shawls are made in Xınalıq. Buying them is the most direct way of leaving money in the village — unlike a souvenir shop, the income goes to the maker.

Routes in the region: Qalaxudat–Qrız hike, the Eh trail, Qrız, the Heydar Aliyev and Atatürk peaks, the Tufandağ summit hike.