Mount Bazardüzü
4,466 m
Russia, Azerbaijan
Also known as Bazardüzü dağı, Базардюзю, +5Also known as
Bazardüzü dağı · Базардюзю · Bazardüzü · Μπαζάρ-Ντιουζιού · Monte Bazardüzü · ბაზარდუზუ · Киченсув
- Elevation
- 4,466 m
- Prominence
- 2,454 m
- Difficulty
- 1/10
- Easy walk
- Best Season
- Jul–Aug
- Routes
- 2
Routes
2Sources differ: Non-technical (tour operators); no formal grade published for this side (mountainguide.az, caucasusquest.com)
The usual route for visitors: a 4x4 drive from Khinalig to about 2,860 m, a short walk to a tented base camp at about 3,250–3,300 m, then a 1,150–1,200 m summit day up scree slopes of dark slate to the south-east ridge and over snow to the top. Technically easy, but a border-zone permit and an accredited local guide are required.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- 31.1 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +4,466 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 4,466 m
- Time Up
- 18h 46m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 12h 49m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
Most ascents start in Khinalig (Xınalıq), a mountain village about 5 hours' drive from Baku. A rough 4x4 track leads to the high pastures at about 2,860 m (operators call the drop-off Shahyaylaghi), from where a 4 km walk of 1½–3½ hours reaches the base camp in the Yatyqdere area at about 3,250–3,300 m. Some operators add a second, lower camp and an acclimatisation walk to about 3,400 m; others climb in two days from Baku, which leaves little time to acclimatise. Summit day starts at about 04:00. The route climbs about 4 km and 1,150–1,200 m, first on scree and rubble of dark, slate-like rock at around 30°, then up to the south-east ridge and along it, over snow and remnants of glacier ice in the upper part, to the summit, which has no marker. Operators give 5–7 hours up and 2½–4 hours back to base camp, followed by the walk out to the vehicles. There are no fixed ropes, huts or waymarks. Weather is the main difficulty: summer thunderstorms, wind and whiteouts are common, and fresh snow can fall on the upper slopes in any month. Crampons and an ice axe are carried by most guided groups; whether they are needed depends on the snow.
Start
Khinalig0 m
- No practical public transport to the trailhead; buses run from Baku to Quba, then hired transport to Khinalig and a 4x4 beyond. Guided groups provide transport from Baku.
Waypoints
- Trailhead: Khinalig0 m
Village start; 4x4 transfer beyond
- Summit: Mount Bazardüzü4,466 m
Key Passages
- 4x4 track from Khinalig to the high pastures
- Long scree slopes of dark slate (about 30°)
- South-east ridge and upper snowfields
Equipment
0/9 packedDownloads
Route confidence 55%Overview
The highest point of Azerbaijan and of Dagestan (4,466 m), on the main ridge of the eastern Greater Caucasus. A non-technical but high and remote climb over scree and snow, done from tented camps with a mandatory local guide and a border-zone permit.
Bazardüzü ('market square' in Azerbaijani, after the trade fairs once held in the valley below) rises on the watershed of the Greater Caucasus, with the Russia–Azerbaijan border running over its summit. It is the highest mountain of Azerbaijan and of the Russian republic of Dagestan, and its prominence of about 2,450 m makes it one of the most prominent peaks in the Caucasus. Russia's southernmost point lies about 7 km south-west of the summit.
The mountain is built of dark slate and shale, with small glaciers and permanent snowfields on its northern side; the Tikhitsar glacier is the southernmost glacier in Russia. From Azerbaijan the usual route climbs long scree slopes and the south-east ridge from a tented base camp at about 3,250–3,300 m above Khinalig; from Dagestan the classic line is the north-east ridge from Kurush, graded Russian 1B.
Neither route is technically hard, but a 1,200 m summit day to almost 4,500 m, often after little acclimatisation, and sudden storms make it more serious than it looks. The paperwork is the other obstacle: the summit area is a border zone on both sides, and climbing is possible only with a permit and, in Azerbaijan, an accredited guide.
Climbing Notes
Fitness matters more than technique: expect a 04:00 start and 8–11 hours for the round trip from base camp on loose scree, often in wind. Most organised trips from Baku take two to four days; the longer itineraries with an acclimatisation hike and a night or two above 3,000 m give a much better chance of success than the two-day versions. Experience of walking on snow with crampons is useful, as the upper slopes often hold snow and old ice.
In Azerbaijan you must climb with a licensed local guiding company, which applies for the State Border Service permit (passport details 15–20 days in advance, earlier through some operators) and registers the group with Shahdag National Park and the Ministry of Emergency Situations; documents are checked at the park gate. Pack for cold, wet weather even in July. From Russia, an FSB border-zone permit is needed for the Kurush route; the UK and many other governments advise against all travel to Russia.
History
The first recorded ascent was made in May 1849 by the Russian military topographer Sergey Timofeevich Alexandrov, who climbed the north-east ridge from the Kurush pass and built a triangulation marker on the summit. English Wikipedia also credits G. P. Baker and G. Yeld with an ascent in 1890.
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
- Winter; temperatures can fall below -40 °C
- Feb
- Winter
- Mar
- Winter; avalanche risk
- Apr
- Deep snow; access tracks closed
- May
- Spring snow and avalanche risk
- Jun
- Season opens; much snow higher up
- Jul
- Best season; afternoon thunderstorms common
- Aug
- Best season; least snow on the upper slopes
- Sep
- Often stable but colder; first snowfalls
- Oct
- Autumn snow; avalanche risk
- Nov
- Winter
- Dec
- Winter
Access & Permits
- Permits
- Azerbaijan State Border Service permit (border zone)Required
The high mountain area of Shahdag National Park on the Russian border may only be entered with a permit from the State Border Service. Guiding companies submit the climbers' passport details 15–20 days in advance (some ask for 30 days) together with registrations with the Ministry of Emergency Situations and Shahdag National Park.
mountainguide.az - Accredited mountain guide (Azerbaijan)Required
Ascents from the Azerbaijani side must be accompanied by an accredited local guide; independent climbing is not permitted.
countryhighpoints.com - FSB border-zone permit (Russia)Required
Needed for the Kurush (Dagestan) approach; the whole massif lies in the 5 km border zone. Applications via Gosuslugi take 15–30 days; border patrols check documents.
dagtravel.ru
- Fees
- Guided climbs from Baku are sold as packages (transport, 4x4, camp, guide and permit handling)
- Rules
- Border zone on both sides of the summit: do not cross the ridge onto the other country's territory
- The UK FCDO advises against all travel to Russia, which rules out the Dagestan approach for many visitors
- Getting There
Quba (Azerbaijan); Khinalig is the nearest village
Baku (GYD)
- Baku to Khinalig via Quba by road, about 5 hours
- 4x4 track from Khinalig to the high pastures at about 2,860 m, then on foot to base camp
- Russian side: road to Kurush (Dokuzparinsky District, Dagestan)
Hazards
- Altitude
- Weather
- Rockfall
- Remoteness
- Avalanche