Azerbaijan: Land of Sea, Wind, and Fire

"A celebration of Azerbaijan's rarely visited cultural treasures, this luxurious volume unveils this land's many marvels-from medieval palaces along the Silk Road to Zaha Hadid's visionary architecture, from its vibrant rugs to its exquisite jewelry. This inspiring book with its sumptuous embellishments is an immersive voyage through the rugged Caucasus to the Caspian Sea, including miniature mud volcanoes, a wealth of subtropical nature preserves, orchards, and tea plantations. It provides a window into Azerbaijan's two-thousand-year tradition of Caucasian rugs; light-as-air silk kelaghayi (scarves); intricate embroideries; musical instruments, some inlaid with mother-of-pearl; and delicately incised copperware, along with its great legacy of poetry and magisterial illuminated manuscripts.Following a sweeping view of Azerbaijan's land and history, this tome creatively unfolds in four chapters: Earth, Water, Wind, and Fire, each element giving shape to its indelible identity. For lovers of design and global culture, Azerbaijan offers a captivating window into one of the Silk Roads' richest civilizations"--