Azerbaijan's other natural treasure - its sunny, sandy beaches!

/By AzerNews/

By Amina Nazarli

Like most people, summer and heat will inspire you to head to the beach, cool off and relax as your mind unwinds from every day's troubles and worries.

As it happens, Azerbaijan is home to the world's largest ever lake - the Caspian Sea. An idyllic place, the Caspian Sea shores are not just Azerbaijanis' favorite place, tourists from all over the world have flocked to the area, keen on enjoying some of nature's most striking landscapes.

With its 825 km coastline, Azerbaijan has many beaches - from its border with Russia down to Iran, the country has much to offer sun lovers.

The Caspian Sea is different from all others as it salt content is not as pronounced. Tourists will be happy to know as well that Azerbaijan's beaches are all sand and no pebbles.

Baku's beaches usually come to life early June when residents of the capital and neighboring regions began making the most of the hot weather, enjoying a respite from the heat. Should the weather allow it, some beach enthusiasts have been known to begin the sun-season as early as May.

Whether people are looking to show off the latest swimwear fashion or get together with friends, many are keen to identify which beaches are the cleanest.

As part of its annual checks the Azerbaijani ecology and natural resources ministry announced on June 1, the results of its monitoring activities.

Laboratory analyzes confirmed that the beaches of Novkhani, Pirshagi, Nardaran, Bilgah, Zagulba, Buzovna Mardakan and Shuvalan are suitable for swimming.

Research showed that the number of intestinal E.coli bacteria remains minimal in these beaches in comparison with 2007.

These beaches have cleaning devices, meeting international standards, installed to purify the water from different bacterias. “Results of research showed that the contamination levels at these beaches are normal,” the ministry reported.

However, microbiological contamination has been recorded in Sumgayit’s beaches, Shikh and Sahil beaches.

The ministry said that wastewater discharged into the sea in these areas are not cleaned and neutralized in accordance with established norms and standards. This has led the amount of pathogenic E.coli to exceed acceptable norms there.

In this regard, swimming in these beaches has been prohibited, in accordance with the sanitary-epidemiological security law.

With the opening of the summer season the emergency situation ministry, state water rescue service and medical assistance teams have taken up their duties on the capital’s legal beaches. Each year these institutions have helped coordinate the rescue of people.

The state water rescue service of the emergency situations ministry in general have some 42 rescue points to ensure the safety of all citizens and tourists. 24 points alone are operating in Baku’s and Absheron Peninsula’s beaches 24 hours a day.

Beaches use warning signs both in Azerbaijani and English along the coast. “Posters and signs have been installed in areas along the coast to identify places where it is dangerous to swim and where it is not,” Javanshir Hashimov, the representative of the emergency situation ministry told Anspress.

Beaches in Baku are divided into free and paid. If you want to enjoy a rest you should probably choose paid beaches as they provide visitors with several advantages, for example: parasols and sunbeds, drinks and food.

There are many aqua parks and other entertainment facilities at the Novkhani, Shikhov, Bilgah beaches, including multiple attractions such as bar, tennis court, skating rink and other entertainments.

Dalga Beach-Aqua Park which covers a total area of 68,000 square meters has also joined to the number of these aqua parks this May. Located in Mardakan this entertainment center is the largest aqua park in Azerbaijan for its territory.

The Baku Trade and Services Department announced that entrance to beaches is free under the law, which took effect from 2011. “Charging the public an entrance fee is illegal,” the department said. “Visitors will pay only for provided services including shower, umbrellas, scooters, and etc.”

The law also covers private beaches. Private beaches should let visitors enter the area for free, even if they do not want to use their services, the department added.