Get the export certificate before you buy a carpet
- Baku, Azerbaijan
- Posted on
- 1 photo
Photo: Vikas Shetty · Unsplash License · Unsplash
About this trap
Carpets, samovars, copperware and paintings need an export certificate to leave Azerbaijan. Ask the dealer to supply it, or arrange it through the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum, and settle this before you pay, not at the airport. Many private dealers work near the museum and some sell from their homes, so be wary if a shop sends you on to a home or an unofficial seller. Export paperwork can be bureaucratic even for new carpets.
Where
Get the export certificate before you buy a carpetCarpet shops in the Old City and around the Carpet Museum
Open in Google Maps(opens in a new tab)More Tips & Traps in Baku
12 posts from Local Friends and travelers who know the city.
TrapPhotography & ViewsAsk before photographing memorials, mosques and bases
Baku, AzerbaijanBe discreet when photographing mosques, churches and commemoration sites such as the Alley of Martyrs, and ask permission if you are unsure. Military bases and installations are sensitive, and visitors have been detained and questioned for trying to photograph them. Photographing anything strategic is also illegal…
TipEventsTime a visit for the Uzeyir Hajibayli music festival
Baku, AzerbaijanEach September an international music festival named after the composer Uzeyir Hajibayli takes over Baku's concert and lecture calendar. The Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the Culture Ministry have organized it since 2009, and the 2025 edition, the 17th, ran from 18 to 28 September. Past programs have included…
PF TipEventsPlan around the Baku Jazz Festival
Baku, AzerbaijanBaku's international jazz festival was founded and is organized by the local saxophonist Rain Sultanov, and its 2026 edition, billed as its 20th year, ran from early to mid October. Earlier editions were held in April and June, so the month has moved over the years. Check the festival's official website for current…
TipMusic & NightlifeCatch a mugham evening at the Mugham Center
Baku, AzerbaijanThe International Mugham Center on Baku Boulevard was designed around the shape of the tar, the lute at the heart of mugham, and its 350-seat hall hosts concerts by mugham masters and mugham evenings. It is still an active venue, with a concert there as recently as October 2026. Look at the program a few days ahead…
TrapSleepPlan the last stretch to an Old City hotel on foot
Baku, AzerbaijanVehicle access inside the Icherisheher walls is limited and the alleys are cobbled, so a taxi may drop you at the edge and a rolling suitcase will bounce the rest of the way. Pack light, ask your hotel beforehand where to be dropped and whether staff can meet you, and consider arriving by metro, since Icherisheher…
RA TipSport & OutdoorsRent a city bike through the Apar app
Baku, AzerbaijanBaku's first bike-sharing service started in August 2024 and runs through the Apar app: scan the QR code on a station board to unlock a bike. Around 50 stations sit on central streets, including one in front of Icherisheher metro station. Bike lanes are patchy, shared with pedestrians and sometimes cars, and some end…
TipNature & WellnessBook a traditional hammam in the Old City
Baku, AzerbaijanAgha Mikayil, on Kichik Gala street, is Baku's oldest working hammam, built in the 18th century. A traditional visit means a soak in warm water, time in the steam room, a full scrub and tea with friends afterward. Women are admitted on Mondays and Fridays and men on the other days, so check the schedule and call ahead…
TipArt & CulturePeek at thousands of tiny books in the Old City
Baku, AzerbaijanThe Museum of Miniature Books sits inside the Old City walls on Gala street, and its own site says admission is free. Its numbered showcases run from Azerbaijani editions and micro-books to world classics, and in 2014 almost three thousand of its books were entered in the Guinness Book of Records. Allow half an hour…
Know Baku well?
Share a tip, or warn travelers about a trap. It only takes a few minutes.