Naftalan city

Naftalan is a small resort town in western Azerbaijan, built over a medicinal oil field with no equivalent anywhere else. Where it is, how to reach it, what to see in the town and where to go around it — all on one page.

Where Naftalan is

Naftalan lies in western Azerbaijan, on the plain at the foot of the Lesser Caucasus. It is 320 kilometres from Baku, only 50 from Ganja and about 40 from Mingachevir. On the map, look for it along the road between Ganja and Yevlakh, surrounded by the Goranboy district: administratively the town does not belong to that district, but is a city of republican subordination in its own right.

The town has no airport of its own — people do search for a "Naftalan airport", and there is none. The nearest is Ganja International Airport (KVD), about 60 kilometres away. Heydar Aliyev Airport in Baku (GYD) is served by many more cities, and the drive from there takes around four hours.

The history of the town

Using the black, non-burning oil of this ground as a remedy goes back centuries: local people rubbed it on for skin complaints and aching joints. The industrial story begins at the end of the nineteenth century. As the account has come down, a German engineer drilled a well here in the 1890s, and what came up would not burn — it holds practically no petrol fractions. Instead of fuel he turned to ointment, which was exported to Germany; that is when the word "naftalan" reached European pharmacies.

The modern resort has operated since 1933. On 28 April 1967 the town was granted the status of a city of republican subordination. Around 10,000 people live in Naftalan today — one of the smallest cities in the country, with an economy resting almost entirely on the resort.

Why naftalan oil is different

The difference is in the composition: the share of naphthenic hydrocarbons is high, and the light fractions that make a fuel are all but absent. That is why this oil does not burn and is not extracted to be burned. An industrial deposit of this type exists only here — the whole history of the town rests on that single fact.

The oil used in treatment is specially prepared, warmed to a set temperature for the bath, and the session is run under the eye of a medical worker. Whether it suits you is for a doctor to say after an examination: naftalan has its indications and its contraindications.

What to see in Naftalan

The town is small and can be walked in a day. At its centre stands the Naftalan History Museum, whose display follows the road from the wooden bathhouses of the nineteenth century to the resort of today. The part most often talked about is the collection of crutches and walking sticks left behind by guests who recovered; among visitors it is simply "the museum of crutches".

The second stop is Heydar Aliyev Park — shaded avenues, fountains and benches, the easiest place for a quiet walk after a treatment. Beyond that, the town itself is worth noticing: Naftalan was laid out as a resort town, so the streets are wide, the greenery plentiful and the traffic light.

Excursions from Naftalan

Day trips from the town are easy. Ganja is 50 kilometres away — the country's second city, with its old quarter, the Shah Abbas mosque and the Nizami mausoleum. Lake Goygol is 75 kilometres: a turquoise mountain lake at 1,550 metres in the Lesser Caucasus. Mingachevir is 40 kilometres, a city spread over both banks of the Kura and its reservoir. The Murovdag range is 90 kilometres, with alpine meadows and air that stays cool in summer; that road is a mountain serpentine, so it takes a full day.

Climate and when to come

Naftalan's climate is dry and mild: hot, sunny summers, soft winters and little rain. The most comfortable months for walking and excursions are April to June and September to October. Treatment has no season — the procedures take place in enclosed medical wings, so a winter course runs in full, and winter is the quietest time of the year here.

Getting to Naftalan

The shortest way in is Ganja airport (KVD): 60 kilometres, about an hour on the road. From Baku, people either drive the four hours or take the fast train to Ganja and cover the last 50 kilometres by car. Buses run as well. Hotels usually arrange transfers from the airport and the station — sending your arrival details in advance is all it takes.

More about the oil itself — its composition, how it acts, the forms it is used in and the contraindications — is on the naftalan oil page.

The whole history of the town rests on one substance — what it is, how it acts and the forms it is used in are covered in naftalan oil. If you have a question about staying, write to us.