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The number 15 minibus leaves every hour on the hour from the bottom of the hill in the village of Kiş and will take you right into the main bazaar in the city of Sheki just 8 kilometers away. If you live in Kiş, or any of the small villages scattered along these western slopes of the Caucasus Mountains, the Sheki bazaar is where you will go to shop for groceries or buy new clothes or just enjoy a fresh, hot peroşkis while visiting friends. And the first things you will learn when you arrive in Azerbaijan are just this simple: a minibus is the best way to get around, and the nearest bazaar to wherever you are is the best place to be.

The small Azerbaijani city of Quba rests comfortably to the east of the Caucasus mountains, sitting right at their base, right where they begin to unwind and settle down to the shores of the Caspian Sea. Within the city of Quba itself, and resting just as comfortably, this man is enjoying his own moment of peace, unwinding like the mountains around him, taking every in and nothing for granted.

There are lots of barbershops in Sheki, but not like this one. This man continues to run his business from an old, stand-alone, steel box building that usually considered an easy-assembly structure for remote locations or tight quarters. But there’s something about the way he’s fixed up his space that makes for the perfect place for a shave and a haircut. (And for only 2 dollars.) If you’re interested, he’s on Mirza Fatali Axundov Street, just past Aliahmed Sweets.

A small gathering for a big occasion: This is the second year into the pandemic and we’re all still cautions and on guard, but this small gathering is big enough to lift everyone’s spirits.

Here, 30 minutes outside of Sheki on the family farm, this young man is celebrating his 16th birthday. His mother has prepared more food than anyone could ever hope to eat, baked more sweets than anyone should, and danced at least one song with or for every single person who has come to celebrate this day.

Seventy years ago, at the age of 16, this man began apprenticing with an elderly tailor who owned a shop just down the street from here. The elderly tailor soon retired, and this man took over the business, eventually moving to this location in the late 1960’s where he has been mastering his craft ever since.

Now, at 86, having learned so much about being a tailor, he comes to work every morning full of hope that an enthusiastic and determined young man will walk through the door and ask to become his apprentice.

This man’s drink stand is known to everyone in Baku as “Sərin Sular” (“Cool Waters”), and is located in one of the few remaining old neighbourhoods in Azerbaijan’s capital city. He knows it’s just a matter of time before the buildings around him are all taken down and replaced with new ones, and his drink stand along with them. But until then, he’s keeping the place as well stocked and spotless as it was when he first opened it. As far as he’s concerned, the neighbourhood has been good to him, and he’ll serve it until the end.

This fine man runs a small appliance repair shop just off the main street in Sheki. His shop is a stand-alone booth built right by the sidewalk, and when the sun begins to set, his work-light shines bright enough to make the whole shop glow, lighting the way for everyone walking home in the darkness of night.

Truth is, he doesn’t really have enough repair work to keep him here this late, but along with being a good at repairs, he has begun to feel a little like the town’s lighthouse keeper and, over time, staying late to help guide the way has just kind of become part of the job.