Babadağ
3,629 m
Azerbaijan
Also known as Babadag, Monte Babadag, +3Also known as
Babadag · Monte Babadag · ბაბადაღი · Babadag (munte) · Бабадаг
- Elevation
- 3,629 m
- Prominence
- 558 m
- Difficulty
- 3/10
- Mountain hike
- Best Season
- Jul–Aug
- Routes
- 1
Routes
1The main pilgrims' and tourists' route: 4x4 from the craft village of Lahij in Ismayilli district up rough tracks to the Gurbangah camp and sacrificial site, then a steep path with several false summits and loose, sharp shale to the shrine of Hazrat Baba on the summit. Usually a two-day trip with a night in tents at Gurbangah.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 31.3 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +3,629 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 3,629 m
- Time Up
- 16h 01m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 11h 27m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From Lahij (Lahıc), about 3 hours' drive from Baku, 4x4 vehicles such as UAZ jeeps climb rough tracks north to Gurbangah, a camp and sacrificial site below the mountain where pilgrims traditionally slaughter a goat before the ascent. Nights there are cold even in August. From Gurbangah a steep, well-trodden pilgrims' path climbs to the summit ridge. There are several false summits, and higher up the ground is loose, sharp shale with some narrow, exposed ridge sections where a slip would be serious. Along the way pilgrims visit the grave of Hazrat Baba's mother, throw a stone into the 'Devil's Gorge' and drink from the Musa bulağı (Moses' spring). The summit carries a small stone shrine, revered as the grave of Hazrat Baba, where people tie strips of cloth. A 2023 party took 3–4 hours to descend from the summit to Gurbangah; a local ranger on horseback manages it in about 1½ hours. Descend the same way. In the pilgrimage season, roughly mid-July to mid-September, many people are on the path; outside it the summit is snowbound for most of the year. Two routes from the north start from Quba district: via Yerfi, Söhüb and Qarxun, or via Yerfi and Dərk to Dədəgünəş, where horses can be hired to ride to the top.
Start
Lahij0 m
- No public transport to Gurbangah; a 4x4 must be hired from Lahij or arranged through an operator
- Parking at the trailhead
Waypoints
- Trailhead: Lahij0 m
Village; 4x4 transfer from here
- Summit: Babadağ3,629 m
Shrine of Hazrat Baba
Key Passages
- Steep path with several false summits
- Loose shale and narrow ridge sections near the top
- Summit shrine of Hazrat Baba
Equipment
0/7 packedDownloads
Route confidence 45%Overview
Azerbaijan's highest place of pilgrimage: a 3,629 m shale summit on the Quba–Ismayilli boundary, crowned by the shrine of Hazrat Baba. Thousands of pilgrims climb it each summer by a steep path from the Gurbangah camp above Lahij.
Babadağ ('Grandfather Mountain') stands on the main ridge of the eastern Greater Caucasus on the boundary between Quba and Ismayilli districts; sources disagree on which district the summit belongs to. It is a bare, steep peak of loose, sharp shale with wide views, and its summit is snow-covered for nine to ten months of the year.
Its significance is religious rather than mountaineering. The summit holds a small stone shrine revered as the grave of Hazrat Baba, a hermit and friend of God of legend, and since 2001 the mountain has been protected by the state as a monument of national historical and cultural importance. Believers hold that climbing it seven times equals the merit of the Hajj, or earns the title Hazrat. From about mid-July, for roughly two months, large numbers of pilgrims, many of them young, make the ascent, stopping at a series of sites along the way: the sacrificial site of Gurbangah, the grave of Hazrat Baba's mother, the Devil's Gorge and the Musa bulağı spring.
The most used approach is from the south, from the craft village of Lahij by 4x4 to Gurbangah and then on foot. Two northern routes start from Yerfi in Quba district. The path is steep with several false summits and is not technical, but the loose shale and short narrow ridge sections near the top demand care, especially when descending.
Climbing Notes
Fitness for a long, steep day at up to 3,600 m is the main requirement, with a night at the Gurbangah camp. There are no technical sections, but the shale is loose and sharp; good boots and poles help, and the descent is the hardest part. Bring warm clothing for the cold nights and the summit, and a tent unless travelling with an operator.
Visit in the pilgrimage season (mid-July to mid-September) for the most reliable conditions, and respect the shrine and the customs of pilgrims. Most foreign visitors go with an operator, who arranges the 4x4 transfer from Lahij and any registration with Shahdag National Park, whose territory includes much of the Quba mountain area.
History
The shrine is traditionally the grave of Hazrat Baba; a local writer estimates from the legends that he lived about 2,500 years ago, but nothing is documented. By decision of the Cabinet of Ministers of 2 August 2001 the mountain is protected as a monument of national historical and cultural significance. In 1975 a site at Dədəgünəş above the village of Dərk was set aside for a tourist reception building.
Season
Best Jul–Aug- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Not advisable
- April: Not advisable
- May: Not advisable
- June: Possible
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Good
- October: Not advisable
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Snowbound
- Feb
- Snowbound
- Mar
- Snowbound
- Apr
- Snowbound
- May
- Snow on the upper mountain; tracks difficult
- Jun
- Snow patches; some pilgrims start in late June
- Jul
- Pilgrimage season from mid-July
- Aug
- Pilgrimage season; busy path
- Sep
- Season ends mid to late September depending on weather
- Oct
- Snow returns
- Nov
- Snowbound
- Dec
- Snowbound
Access & Permits
- Fees
- Private 4x4 transfer from Lahij to Gurbangah
- Rules
- Protected monument of national historical and cultural significance: respect the shrine and pilgrims
- Parts of the area lie within Shahdag National Park; operators may register groups with the park
- Getting There
Ismayilli (south side, via Lahij); Quba (north side, via Yerfi)
Baku Heydar Aliyev (GYD)
- By road from Baku to Ismayilli and Lahij, then 4x4 (typically UAZ jeeps) on rough tracks to Gurbangah
- North side: road from Quba to Yerfi, then rough tracks to Qarxun or to Dədəgünəş above Dərk; horses can be hired in Dərk
Hazards
- Weather
- Exposure
- Rockfall