A carpet hangs in a doorway in Icherisheher, its red and blue knots bright against the pale stone, and the small shops nearby add ceramics and textiles to the display. Down on the seafront, the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum takes the craft literally, in a building designed to look like a rolled carpet.
Beyond the old walls, Nizami Street fills with shoppers and Baku Boulevard follows the Caspian for a long walk by the water. Summers are hot and dry, winters are cool, and the wind blows in every season. A Local Friend translates the tea house menu, finds the shortcut through the lanes and senses when the evening calls for music instead of museums.
