Mention lemons in Azerbaijan and the response will be Lankaran, the name of a town in the southern semi-tropical region of Azerbaijan. Lankaran is the home of Azerbaijan’s lemon growing industry. It’s also the home of Azerbaijan’s wonderful Lankaran tea, which grows in plantations near the town. Flamingoes? Yes, they are here too, in the Gizil Agac Reserve. Beaches, ancient iron-wood forests and the glorious Talysh mountain scenery also beckon, making Lankaran a popular retreat from Baku.

People also go to enjoy the legendary Talysh hospitality which includes the tea drinking and also feasting on local treats including the renowned lavangi – chicken or fish with a nutty stuffing. Lankaran is at its best between May and October, but you can go all year round. There are some brilliant places to stay including the all-new, seaside Qafqaz Sahil Resort Hotel where you will be cosy in winter or cool in summer. The upstairs rooms are huge (suites), but the downstairs ground floor rooms are perfect for couples and have the advantage of patio doors opening out onto a terrace – lovely in summer. The resort’s cottages are amongst the very best of the new family accommodation options springing up in Azerbaijan. They are attractive, smart and very clean and I happily recommend them. You can eat in the hotel restaurant, or the staff will bring food to your cottage. In season the resort’s beach area offers beach pavilions and fun games and attractions, as well as the turquoise Caspian Sea, all accessed directly from the hotel via a purpose-built railway bridge.

Trains here are a slow, infrequent business and I’ve captured a few on camera over the years, perfect for Thomas the Tank Engine fans, and the train station in town is photogenic too. Military tanks are no stranger to Lankaran (Hazi Aslanov from Lankaran was a famous Tank Commander in Soviet times) but these days you’re unlikely to see one, although a military presence gives the town an almost inexplicably traditional and orderly feel, or maybe that’s due to the town planning, with its wide streets. An other form of transport you might spot is an occasional aeroplane – the local airport is now open and there are regular flights to Baku and Moscow.

Bizarre and bazaar
Look out for Lankaran’s Mayak – the landmark round white tower, which is actually a lighthouse. It is in the centre of the town as a result of the changing levels of the Caspian Sea. Initially a strategic defence tower, the Mayak has also been a prison and was once a home to the Communist Government Party. Find its (red brick) twin on the outskirts of Lankaran – the two towers are connected by a secret underground passageway, supposedly used by Stalin. Only the white Mayak has a lighthouse on top. Luckily most of Lankaran is still low level, no Baku style high rise buildings here, and so the lighthouse is still visible to ships. The Lankaran bazaar is full of colour and is a busy place, well recommended for not only the top quality fruit and vegetables but I also enjoy browsing the everyday kitchenalia. Here you’ll find attractive, newly- made metal Azerbaijani trays, serving dishes and pots and pans and so on which make interesting and useful souvenirs. Get them home and they look wonderful – no regrets. I like the home of the last Talysh Khan’s son, currently a local museum. The first multi-storied house here, it had a French architect and is very pleasant inside with some pretty coloured windows. Look out for some off-beat exhibits – see if you can spot the oak megaphone which a child would sing into and then use to gather money. The paintings here depict local life, which in the case of Lankaran is all about growing and harvesting, especially tea and lemons.