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They donâ€™t know Azerbaijan â€“ REPORT - PHOTOSESSION

They donâ€™t know Azerbaijan â€“ <font color=red> REPORT - PHOTOSESSION</font>

03 March 2010 08:49 (UTC +04:00)

Sydney. Elmin Ibrahimov â€“ APA. When we are speaking about Australia first of all we imagine an emblem with the pictures of kangaroo and camel-bird or bushfires we see on television, but reality is different and it needs to see everything with own eyes. This is a large, culturally and economically developed country seems to be forgotten by other part of the world. Australia is far from the world policy which prevents it to be popular in the world.

It needs to make excursion to the history of Sydney to form first impression about this city.

City of criminals

In 18th century, when the crimes became easy source of earning and there was no white space in Great Britain, under instruction from the British government, a convict settlement was founded by Admiral Arthur Phillip, who arrived at Botany Bay with a fleet of 11 ships on 18 January 1788. This site was soon determined to be unsuitable for habitation, owing to poor soil and a lack of reliable fresh water. Phillip subsequently founded the colony one inlet further up the coast, at Sydney Cove on Port Jackson on 26 January 1788. He named it after the British Home Secretary, Thomas Townshend, Lord Sydney, in recognition of Sydneyâ€™s role in issuing the charter authorizing Phillip to establish a colony. The original name was intended to be Albion until Phillip decided upon Sydney.

Totally 160 000 prisoners were sent to Australia in 80 years and they were the most part of the continentâ€™s population. The prisoners were used as labor forces in gold mines and frequent arrivals of gold diggers put an end to the deportation of criminals. Since than respectable aristocrats has begun to move to Australia. Now Australia is one of the countries with lowest indexes of criminality.

Nature and technology tandem

When I saw Dubai I thought that the man can create wonders at the expense of modern technology and rich financial resources. There is only inefficiency in Dubai â€“ lack of natural beauty. Everything was changed and reconstructed by man. But everything is different in Sydney. The city was constructed in the endless forests. Natural forests are saved there as the national parks. There are modern buildings on one side and not-devastated forests on other.

They donâ€™t know Azerbaijan

When the people ask me where I am from I should use at least three sentences to answer them. I should explain that Azerbaijan was one of the republics of former USSR and I should speak about the Caspian Sea and our big neighbors. When they ask me did Azerbaijan participate at the World or European Cups, I am forced to say â€œyes, it did, but you, probably, didnâ€™t give attentionâ€. I took interest in price of postal services to Azerbaijan, but I had to spell the name of my country and to show it on map and they told me that it is in D category, a group of countries, which demand most expensive and long-term postal services. I couldnâ€™t send SMS to Azerbaijan and should use Skype, Facebook and Google Talk.

High cost of living

Agricultural goods are expensive in Australia. Natural resources and agriculture take 7-7.5 % of GDP, industry - 26.2%, services - 70%. Average yearly salary is very high in Australia: about 66.9 thousand dollars.

Sydneyâ€™s sights

The Rocks are situated in Sydneyâ€™s city centre on the western side of Circular Quay, and was the area of the first European settlement in 1788. Before the 1820â€™s it was full of convicts and prostitutes, although this has changed from slums to three-story houses. It was later overtaken by warehouses and the maritime industry, later again demolished due to the plague and then the Harbour Bridge Construction. Since the 1970â€™s it has developed into a tourist area, full of cobbled streets, pretty buildings, gorgeous little shops and a lively nightlife filled with pubs and restaurants.
A symbol and the most famous place in Sydney is Opera House. Sydney Opera House was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site on 28 June 2007 and is one of the 20th centuryâ€™s most distinctive buildings and one of the most famous performing arts centres in the world. The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a steel through arch bridge across Sydney Harbour that carries rail, vehicular and pedestrian traffic between the Sydney central business district (CBD) and the North Shore. One can see as if the entire city above this steel arch bridge. Even you may climb to the very top arch of the bridge. It is not so expensive, just 6 dollars, with elevatorâ€¦

At the same time, forest stretched along the ocean shore gives special beauty and coolness to the city.

Azerbaijanis in Sydney

Though Armenians have the biggest Diaspora in Australia, there are few Azerbaijanis here. Some students and families. But there are a lot our compatriots from South Azerbaijan in Sydney and they function there. At the same time, Turkish speaking nations-our southern compatriots, Turkish Turks, Uigurs live in the Obern (Auburn) part of the Sydney. Even sometimes you feel yourself as if in Turkey. Names of Shops, clothes of peoples, attitudeâ€¦ But there is one main business- trade. It seems that we can do it well. There would be a concert one of the southern singer on my walking day in Sydney. Azerbaijanian student studying in Canberra Abbas Abbasov praised to me that singer. And we attended the event in the elite concert hall in the center of Sydney with one family form South Azerbaijan shown great hospitality to us. I was obliged to give APA card, because I hadnâ€™t another document on me. Organizers were glad when they knew that I am from Azerbaijan. You know, Azadlig Radiosu use the APA information here, and APA one of the information sources of Turkish speaking nations here. About 160 persons were attended the concert began at 9.00 in the evening. Bahram Shukrullahzadeh was invited to the stage. Folk and Classic music sung with peculiar beauty and Azerbaijani dialect gave special pleasure. Praises proved its value. Indeed, clearness and kindred of the voice obliged to listen quietly. I met with the singer during concert interval. He was very happy when I said that I came from Baku, represent APA and will write about this concert.

We talked about himself and his activity. His mother is from Baku, lived in Tehran and then move to Australia. Bahram noted that he engaged in art as a professional, skilled singer about 22 years. He also spoke about problems. Musician problemsâ€¦There arenâ€™t any professionals involved in folk musician instruments, that is why he hasnâ€™t achieve to record disk within these years. His great wish is to organize concert program in Baku. He intends to visit Baku this year.
Really, to give concert - is real right of a singer protecting Azerbaijani music in foreign countryâ€¦

After the concert it was very late and I spent the night near the family participated with us at the concert. We visited one southern family. There were some of their relatives too. Conversation lasted till 3 oâ€™clock in the night. We spoke all about Azerbaijan. They denounced Baku airport and traffic police. I agreed with some issues. I said that Baku had become one of the beautiful capitals in Europe. No matter, whether, they believed or not. But I believe it will be so!!!