CITY OF CONTRASTS

On the banks of the Caspian Sea, the Azerbaijani capital of Baku is morphing into the Paris of central Asia, boasting luxe hotels, a Formula One Season, and a multicultural population. VISHWAVEER SINGH visits the city to find out what the fuss is all about.

WHEN I LANDED IN BAKU, the capital of Azerbaijan, a former Soviet country, an Islamic nation positioned right above Iran, I thought it would be riddled with Ladas (the Russian car once symbolic of its self-reliance), decrepit old buildings, grey skies, and subpar infrastructure. It's the quintessential cliched tourist perspective-one that I found to be completely untrue during my week-long stay.

A modern metropolis greeted me; instead of the Ladas, there were shining German sedans, sparkly Lamborghinis and Ferraris on the wide modern roads of the city, against the backdrop of gleaming new skyscrapers and public infrastructure that could compete with the likes of London and Vienna. How this budding capital on the banks of the Caspian Sea has remained unnoticed by Indian travellers remains a mystery.

At the heart of Baku lies the Old City, a maze of tiny streets with buildings from a bygone era and quaint mosques sitting next to modern day restaurants and bars. Meandering through the cobblestoned streets, I felt like I'd been transported to King's Landing from Game of Thrones. Only a dragon was needed to complete the fantasy. In its stead, however, one could view Baku's Flame Towers (shaped like flames as a nod to the country's nickname, The Land of Fire), looming over the city's skyline, and a reminder of its new turn to a more evolved future.