{"id":16701,"date":"2023-06-07T16:49:20","date_gmt":"2023-06-07T16:49:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/visitsilkroad.org\/staging\/?post_type=destination&#038;p=16701"},"modified":"2024-06-06T01:42:04","modified_gmt":"2024-06-05T17:42:04","slug":"alinja-castle","status":"publish","type":"destination","link":"https:\/\/visitsilkroad.org\/destination\/alinja-castle\/","title":{"rendered":"Alinja Castle"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/api.mapbox.com\/styles\/v1\/visitsilkroad\/clvl3cel701dq01phev10aq9m\/static\/pin-s+ff0000(46.0782362,38.4286408)\/46.0782362,38.4286408,12.5,0\/725x300?access_token=pk.eyJ1IjoidmlzaXRzaWxrcm9hZCIsImEiOiJjbHV2YWEzbDMwMWRvMmpvYXd1NzRkNDcwIn0.iA4-BEz1MfIrSQRk3uxVkw\">\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Getting There<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Alinja Castle sits at the top of Mount Alinja in the Julfa region of Nakhchivan. The steps leading steeply up to it start from the Gazanchi-Beyahmed road, which you can reach by car or taxi from Nakhchivan city, about 30km away. Local minibuses from Nakhchivan city also pass 1km from the steps en route to the village of Khanegah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What to Expect<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Reaching the castle via the stone staircase takes about 45 minutes and requires reasonable fitness. Once there, what you\u2019ll see are the crenellated walls and general layout of the medieval castle, rebuilt as close as possible to its original appearance. There isn\u2019t a great deal to see and do so it\u2019s really the views that make the climb worthwhile, which means it\u2019s important to come at an opportune time &#8211; early in the morning or before sunset and in spring or autumn. <\/p>\n\n\n<style>.kb-gallery-id-16701_c5b019-3e.kb-gallery-ul.kb-gallery-type-fluidcarousel .kt-blocks-carousel figure .kb-gal-image-radius, .kb-gallery-id-16701_c5b019-3e.kb-gallery-ul.kb-gallery-type-fluidcarousel .kt-blocks-carousel figure .kb-gal-image-radius img{height:300px;}.kb-gallery-id-16701_c5b019-3e .kadence-blocks-gallery-item .kb-gal-image-radius{border-radius:0px 0px 0px 0px;;}<\/style><div class=\"kb-gallery-wrap-id-16701_c5b019-3e alignnone wp-block-kadence-advancedgallery\"><div class=\"kb-gallery-ul kb-gallery-non-static kb-gallery-type-fluidcarousel kb-gallery-id-16701_c5b019-3e kb-gallery-caption-style-bottom-hover kb-gallery-filter-none\" data-image-filter=\"none\" data-lightbox-caption=\"true\"><div class=\"kt-blocks-carousel kt-carousel-container-dotstyle-dark\"><div class=\"kt-blocks-carousel-init kb-blocks-fluid-carousel kt-carousel-arrowstyle-whiteondark kt-carousel-dotstyle-dark\" data-slider-anim-speed=\"400\" data-slider-scroll=\"1\" data-slider-arrows=\"true\" data-slider-dots=\"true\" data-slider-hover-pause=\"false\" data-slider-auto=\"\" data-slider-speed=\"7000\" data-slider-type=\"fluidcarousel\" data-slider-center-mode=\"true\" data-slider-gap=\"10px\" data-slider-gap-tablet=\"10px\" data-slider-gap-mobile=\"10px\"><div class=\"kb-slide-item kb-gallery-carousel-item\"><div class=\"kadence-blocks-gallery-item\"><div class=\"kadence-blocks-gallery-item-inner\"><figure class=\"kb-gallery-figure kb-gallery-item-has-link kadence-blocks-gallery-item-hide-caption\" \"><a href=\"https:\/\/visitsilkroad.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Alinja-castle2.jpg\" class=\"kb-gallery-item-link\"  ><div class=\"kb-gal-image-radius\"><div class=\"kb-gallery-image-contain\" ><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/visitsilkroad.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Alinja-castle2.jpg\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" alt=\"\" data-full-image=\"https:\/\/visitsilkroad.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Alinja-castle2.jpg\" data-light-image=\"https:\/\/visitsilkroad.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Alinja-castle2.jpg\" data-id=\"18417\" class=\"wp-image-18417 skip-lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/visitsilkroad.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Alinja-castle2.jpg 600w, https:\/\/visitsilkroad.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Alinja-castle2-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/div><\/div><\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"kb-slide-item kb-gallery-carousel-item\"><div class=\"kadence-blocks-gallery-item\"><div class=\"kadence-blocks-gallery-item-inner\"><figure class=\"kb-gallery-figure kb-gallery-item-has-link kadence-blocks-gallery-item-hide-caption\" \"><a href=\"https:\/\/visitsilkroad.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Alinja-castle1.jpg\" class=\"kb-gallery-item-link\"  ><div class=\"kb-gal-image-radius\"><div class=\"kb-gallery-image-contain\" ><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/visitsilkroad.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Alinja-castle1.jpg\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" alt=\"\" data-full-image=\"https:\/\/visitsilkroad.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Alinja-castle1.jpg\" data-light-image=\"https:\/\/visitsilkroad.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Alinja-castle1.jpg\" data-id=\"18416\" class=\"wp-image-18416 skip-lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/visitsilkroad.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Alinja-castle1.jpg 600w, https:\/\/visitsilkroad.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Alinja-castle1-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/div><\/div><\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"kb-slide-item kb-gallery-carousel-item\"><div class=\"kadence-blocks-gallery-item\"><div class=\"kadence-blocks-gallery-item-inner\"><figure class=\"kb-gallery-figure kb-gallery-item-has-link kadence-blocks-gallery-item-hide-caption\" \"><a href=\"https:\/\/visitsilkroad.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Alinja-castle3.jpg\" class=\"kb-gallery-item-link\"  ><div class=\"kb-gal-image-radius\"><div class=\"kb-gallery-image-contain\" ><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/visitsilkroad.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Alinja-castle3.jpg\" width=\"600\" height=\"399\" alt=\"\" data-full-image=\"https:\/\/visitsilkroad.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Alinja-castle3.jpg\" data-light-image=\"https:\/\/visitsilkroad.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Alinja-castle3.jpg\" data-id=\"18415\" class=\"wp-image-18415 skip-lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/visitsilkroad.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Alinja-castle3.jpg 600w, https:\/\/visitsilkroad.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/Alinja-castle3-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/div><\/div><\/a><\/figure><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p>The views encompass Mount Ilandag, a symbol of the Nakhchivan region, and the Martian landscape rolling towards the Aras river. At the bottom of the mountain there is also a small mosque-like museum containing items found during archeological excavations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">History<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Alinja\u2019s history is long and complex. It may have existed for up to 2,000 years and changed hands many times. Azerbaijani historians highlight its importance in the 12th century under the Eldiguzids, who used it to house their treasury. Famously the fortress resisted Turco-Mongol conqueror Timur\u2019s attempts to capture it for 14 years (1387-1401), and it gained the reputation of being invincible. It is thought to have been destroyed under the Safavid Empire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Facilities<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Public toilets<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Accessibility<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Taxis<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Public transportation<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Guided tours<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Museum<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sometimes called \u201cthe Machu Picchu of Azerbaijan\u201d, Alinja Castle is a restored medieval fortress perched atop a craggy mountain in the heart of Nakhchivan. You\u2019ll need strong legs and lungs to reach it via 1600 steps zigzagging up the mountainside, but once there you\u2019ll be rewarded with some of the most spectacular views in all of Azerbaijan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":18413,"parent":0,"template":"","destination_type":[17],"location":[19,129],"site_type":[164],"featured":[175],"class_list":["post-16701","destination","type-destination","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","destination_type-site","location-azerbaijan","location-nakhchivan","site_type-archaeological-ancient-monuments","featured-featured"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/visitsilkroad.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/destination\/16701"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/visitsilkroad.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/destination"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/visitsilkroad.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/destination"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/visitsilkroad.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/destination\/16701\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20133,"href":"https:\/\/visitsilkroad.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/destination\/16701\/revisions\/20133"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visitsilkroad.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18413"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/visitsilkroad.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16701"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"destination_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visitsilkroad.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/destination_type?post=16701"},{"taxonomy":"location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visitsilkroad.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/location?post=16701"},{"taxonomy":"site_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visitsilkroad.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/site_type?post=16701"},{"taxonomy":"featured","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visitsilkroad.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/featured?post=16701"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}