Azerbaijan, along with Armenia and Georgia, are the republics of the Caucasus, the capital Baku is located on the Caspian Sea. The invitation to the festival in Azerbaijan was complicated by the visa requirement, the tickets were bought literally at the last minute and it was not possible to fly together.

The information stated that the festival was taking place in the foothills of the Caucasus, in reality it was a place about 400 km away from Baku. A delegate welcomed us at the airport and a car brought us to the Olympic House not far from the festival site, which was held at an altitude of about 1,600 m. The expedition from Turnov had a more complicated and adventurous journey, they chose a flight via Istanbul, but at that moment the airport was closed due to a strong storm, so they landed in Antalya, where they did not have time to pick up their suitcase due to time constraints, they would have missed the next flight, then they also took part of the journey by alternative transport, by train, and the journey took two days.

Minima Husinec
Dana Kubíčková
Marie Kukačková
Zuzana Nedvědová

All Stars majorettes of TJ Sokol Turnov
Michaela Kopková
Matěj Krejčí

Mona Náchod
Marta Budinová
Irena Vrbová

ČFMS
Marta Pavelková

The common symbol of the eight states that form the basis of the festival is life in a yurt, the yurt is its dominant feature. The festival blends history with the present. From life in a yurt to modern, contemporary art, both in culture and in crafts and various games.

We were present at the opening ceremony, the majorettes attracted attention with their unconventional concept of movement, they became the center of attention and a subject for photography, where their photo ended up is hard to guess.

After a two-day stay in the mountains, we walked together through the capital city of Baku, admired the sea, architecture, the old town and above all the cuisine in an Azerbaijani restaurant, it was a great experience that completed the knowledge of a new culture for us.