# Stalin's Azerbaijani Prison, Where Water Burns Like Fire > We explore an unusual corner of southern Azerbaijan: tea gardens, lighthouses and Stalin's prison, where water bursts into flame. Here's the secret behind it. - URL: https://langandtrip.com.ua/en/article/azerbaydzhanska-vyaznytsya-stalina/ - Language: en - Published: 2023-12-04 - Categories: Hiking, Culture, Historic Sites, Museums, Tours, Azerbaijan --- If an artist were to paint a map of Azerbaijan, its southernmost stretch would be covered in green tea gardens and citrus bushes, with a coastline dotted by picturesque lighthouses. Lankaran, set on the shore of the Caspian Sea, is a remarkable region that keeps its own special secrets. And a new road connects it to the capital, Baku, in just two hours. The drive is short, yet as you roll south through green fields toward Lankaran and the coast, the rhythm of life feels different from the rest of the country. At a construction site, seemingly oblivious to the summer heat, work is in full swing; fruit and vegetable sellers along the roadside wave their arms energetically to draw drivers to their colorful stalls; and a worker in a field burns dry grass, sending white plumes of smoke rising into the sky. Azerbaijani tea culture was born in Lankaran, and the region proudly shows off its distinctive traditions. Along the roadside you will often spot silvery, pyramid-shaped foil packages filled to the brim with fragrant tea; almost as often you will find little storefronts selling Levengi chicken, a local delicacy, and vast gardens bursting with every kind of citrus imaginable. Against all this lush greenery, the area's signature tiny red-brick houses stand out, always draped in ivy that twists up both sides of the walls. The people of Lankaran, famous for their friendliness and hospitality, are usually happy to treat you to tea and patiently explain how to reach the three most fascinating corners of this charming region. ## A Lighthouse Without a Sea ![](/storage/image/prev/Azerbaijan-1-Lightjous-1024x576.jpg) The symbol of Lankaran, the Lankaran Lighthouse, was built in the 18th century. Surrounded by small houses, the structure stands quite far from the sea, which seems strange until you realize that the level of the Caspian has shifted over the years. That is why it has been nicknamed the "breathing Caspian." A secret underground tunnel connects the lighthouse to the Zindan Tower. This abandoned building was constructed as part of the Lankaran fortress and was the most important element of the city's defensive system. It is easy to miss without a carefully drawn map. The old round building, tucked away just past a small bridge that leads into the city center, is hidden by huge acacias and fig trees; only the upper tower is visible, with branches poking out of its broken windows. In the pre-Soviet years, up until the early 20th century, the Zindan Tower was used as a prison, and the old building seems to have changed little since it supposedly held captive one of the most ruthless rulers in world history: Ioseb dze Jughashvili, better known as Joseph Stalin. As the legend goes, Stalin was detained here as a young revolutionary and escaped through the underground tunnel with the help of Mammad Amin Rasulzade, founder of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic. He reached the lighthouse and sailed across the Caspian Sea. Sadly, the building, now fallen into decay, is no longer open to visitors. Its walls keep their secrets, and for now you can only glimpse it through a dense wall of fig trees that block the entire view of the site. ## A Spring Where Water Burns ![](/storage/image/prev/Azerbaijan-2-water-burn-1024x683.jpg) In the small village of Archivan, near the border with Iran, there is a very unusual natural phenomenon: Yanar Bulag, which translates as "Burning Spring." Here methane gas escapes from a water-fed spring, and it can be set alight. At the entrance to the village stands a modest marker whose dome shelters the fountain, where villagers stop by with jugs and invite travelers to fill their bottles with water. Most of them simply come to collect the fresh, icy water, which is perfectly safe to drink despite its unusual flammable properties. In a hollow beneath the spring, a pile of watermelons is kept cool and refreshing. In color and smell the water is completely ordinary, but when ignited it burns for 5 to 10 seconds. ## A Park Where Leopards Roam The onward drive winds past villages hidden among the trees, endless fields stretching toward the mountains on the horizon, large blue beehives and a vanilla sunset. The hot summer air hums until the shade of Hirkan National Park sets in. Home to the endangered Persian leopard, ancient ironwood trees and picturesque ponds (favorite spots for fishing, picnics and afternoon tea), the park is a wonderful place for hiking and cooling off after a hot and eventful day. The deep forest, beside a cool river, is completely free of city noise, surrounded only by the soothing murmur of the river and the wind rustling through the branches.