ARN’s Natasha Thomas reports on the sights, sounds and flavours of Azerbaijan.

A Little Piece of the Soviet Union in Baku

Very often when you go off the beaten track while traveling, you discover gems that become the highlight of your trip.

In my case, I didn’t have to go very far.

Right in the heart of Baku’s commercial district, very close to the famed fountain square is a pub called ‘Back in the USSR’.

Its proprietor Alex loves, reminisces and celebrates everything that represents the Soviet Union.

He emphasizes to me that he does not miss communism – understandably, because that doesn’t exactly go with the ‘capitalist’ concept of a money making pub – but he misses being part of the great Soviet Union.

And it’s evident in his tariff structure for drinks with each priced at 2.50 Manat – approximately AED 11.

Every wall in this tavern is scattered with soviet memorabilia – from Yuri Gagarin, the first man who went to space to the father of Marxism, Karl Marx and even looking westward with pictures of Che Guevera and Fidel Castro.

But what you will probably and most definitely notice first is the reverence to the color red.

Alex is a fan of classic Indian movies from the 1950s – which is surprising typical of this region – and he can rattle off names of old Bollywood actors far better than I can.

He tells me he’s particularly fond of Raj Kapoor and Nargis.

I think I managed to impress Alex with my Indian heritage and my Russian name. But what was the icing on the cake for him was the fact that I knew the names of more than half the people on his walls.

So much so, that he gave me a badge off his red army hat and a mug of Baku Pilsen – a beer that is no longer produced in the country.

From the looks of it, he’s not happy about that either.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have anything to give Alex.

But if I ever make a trip back to the Azeri capital, I’ll definitely be taking posters of Raj Kapoor and Nargis and hopefully they’ll find a spot on the eclectic walls of this establishment.

The red army may have retreated long back but its march can still be heard in the walls of this little basement tavern in the heart of Baku.

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