Hidden Journeys Project offers to see Baku from above

By AzerNews

Baku, which sits at the crossroads of Europe, Asia and the Middle East, was specially chosen by the Royal Geographical Society (together with the Institute of British Geographers) to feature on the latest flight path to be mapped for their Hidden Journeys Project.

The Hidden Journeys Project aims to enliven the flying experience by providing interactive guides to air travellers about the parts of the world they fly over from departure to arrival (www.hiddenjourneys.co.uk).

The latest guide to be released covers the flight path from Frankfurt to the Azerbaijani capital Baku, providing an insight into the diverse geology, wildlife and history of Europe as the flight crosses from the heart of Western Europe to the continent's eastern-most point.

The journey between the skyscraper cities of Frankfurt and Baku is shown as a cross-section of the diversity of Europe's landscapes and cultures: from mountains to plains, rivers to seas, and ancient cities to modern metropolises.

This flight path features the diversity of wildlife found in Europe, from the fish in the Dnieper River to the algae in the Sea of Azov and the last populations of European wolves and bears in the Carpathian Mountains.

Baku: the blend of East and West

Baku lies on the southern edge of the Absheron Peninsula, a fiery landscape known for its mud volcanoes and constantly burning gas and oil seeps.

These unusual phenomena are the visible indicators of the vast deposits of oil and natural gas that are hidden deep beneath the peninsula.

Mud volcanoes are channels for the release of high-pressured natural gas trapped underground; as this gas escapes to the surface, it drags large quantities of sediment and sometimes oil with it.

In the Absheron Peninsula, many gas and oil seeps have been set alight and burned for centuries permeating the long history and complex culture of Azerbaijan, a country whose name means "The Land of Fire" and holds the largest concentration of gas seeps in the world.

The layout of Baku is fairly rectangular, with only the oldest part of the city (Icheri Sheher) comprising a series of crooked and narrow streets and walls. The city is famous for its numerous historical monuments like the Maiden Tower, Shirvanshahs' Palace, and the ancient Ateshgah Fire Temple.

Modern Baku boasts many industrial centers, with oil and gas extraction and petro-chemical, machine-engineering and metalworking industries all prevalent within the city's boundaries. The suburbs of the city are the centers of oil extraction where the businesses of railway transportation, machine-building and construction are also located. In the outskirts of the city, there are various mud volcanoes and Baku's boundaries include a health resort in the Absheron Peninsula with coastal beaches.

The recent resurgence of Azerbaijan's oil industry has spurred ambitious development projects in Baku, with a view to bring this city to the forefront of the world's wealthiest and most innovative metropolises.

Modern architectural masterpieces include the Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center, a brand new home and performance center for Baku's art collection.

Perhaps the most unusual shape in Baku's skyline to date is the sinuous trifecta of skyscrapers known as the Flame Towers; these three steel and glass monoliths stand 80 stories high; their flame shapes were inspired by the city's famous fire temples.

Their organic shape gives the towers a sense of movement which is emphasized when night falls; the towers are covered with LED screens that depict the movement of fire, visible from across the city.

Seeing the Earth from the air

The Hidden Journeys Project is the Royal Geographical Society's public engagement program to turn the international flying experience into a fascinating exploration of the people, places and environments below.

The project allows you to interact with the parts of the earth beneath certain flight paths, each of which can be explored at three different altitudes, illustrated with inspiring photographs, paintings and informed descriptions of what you can recognize from the air.

Hidden Journeys is currently working towards incorporating its geo-entertainment content onto moving maps that are already widely available to passengers as part of the in-flight entertainment on board aircraft.

Many of these maps provide information about position, speed and time to arrival, but offer little in terms of enabling the passenger to learn and engage with the parts of the world they are flying over. In the future, thousands of people could learn about the fascinating parts of the Earth that they fly over in real time.