Main image: Tərxan Paşazadə, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Getting There
The Cek village is located 38 km from the center of Guba. First, you will need to get to Guba city. That is possible via bus, departing from the International Bus Center in Baku, by car or taxi. From Guba, you should take an off-roader car in order to get to the Cek village.
What to Expect
Cek village is situated on 40’th kilometer of the Guba-Khinalig Road, on the left side of the bay of Agkchay river. The people of the village have their own “Cek” language, and ethnic group of people are called “Cek people”. It is believed that they are one of the 26 shrines of Caucasian Albania. Cek village is one of the main villages located on the “Khinalig Koc Yolu”. Part of the villagers have a nomadic way of life.
One of the oldest mosques of Azerbaijan, one of the Abu Muslim’s Mosque is located in this village. The other two mosques are located in Khinalig and Griz villages. Abu Muslim Mosque was constructed in the VIII century.
There are also two hiking routes, coming through the village, Cek – Griz 4.6 km long is light one and Cek – Alik 2 km is a moderate hiking route.
History
The village known as the Kukash mound was discovered in the Kukash area of the Jek village. The main thing that distinguishes Jek cuisine from Azerbaijani cuisine is that there are specially prepared kitchen samples. Among the examples of special cuisine belonging to Jek people, national dishes such as “curum”, “kilaj”, “chama-fu”, “sargil-afar” and “bogortc-halva” are famous.
Facilities Available
- Hiking
- Guide services
- Mealing