Nestled in the mountains of northern Azerbaijan, near the district center of Guba, lies a unique place—an authentic Jewish town known as Red Sloboda, where all the residents are mountain Jews, often referred to as “Tats.” They arrived in this region over 1,500 years ago, migrating from Persia, and have since made this land their home. Remarkably, they have not assimilated with the local population and have preserved their language, Judeo-Tat, which bears a distant resemblance to Persian. It goes without saying that the mountain Jews are culturally distinct from the Jews we are familiar with in Europe, the United States, or Russia. Some even consider them descendants of the Khazars, a theory that holds its own merit.
The community is extremely insular and approaches outsiders with caution, even if you share their faith. They are incredibly kind, sociable, and hospitable, but maintain a distance, making it nearly impossible for outsiders to be considered “one of their own.” To be accepted, one must be born a “mountain Jew”—there is simply no other way. Interestingly, Azerbaijanis regard mountain Jews with great respect, a sentiment that is well-founded: they have coexisted peacefully for one and a half millennia.
Before the collapse of the USSR, Red Sloboda was home to around 15,000 mountain Jews (with a total population of approximately 150,000). Today, that number has dwindled to just over 3,000. The majority left Azerbaijan between 1990 and 1993, during the peak of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict. Although the conflict did not directly affect the Jewish community, they nonetheless felt a sense of vulnerability and uncertainty about the future. Today, many mountain Jews reside primarily in Israel, the United States, and Moscow. Notably, the Azerbaijani authorities encouraged Jews to stay from the very beginning, promising them protection. The late Heydar Aliyev regarded mountain Jews as an integral part of the Azerbaijani people and its history. In the 1990s, he urged mountain Jews to return, and even initiated a program to help restore the mountain Jewish community in the country.
The Jewish town begins just across the river, separated from Quba by the pedestrian Hudyalchay Bridge (1894), a striking structure that combines an archaic appearance with impressive dimensions—14 spans, 275 meters in length, and 8 meters in width. Although it could easily accommodate modern vehicles, the Hudyalchay Bridge remains strictly pedestrian, as no roads lead to its entrance from the Quba side. For Krasnaya Sloboda, it serves as a grand gateway, almost like a border between two distinct worlds.
Azerbaijanis rarely visit the Jewish town, and the Jews themselves only venture into Quba occasionally, perhaps to pass through or shop at the supermarket. This is not due to animosity or hostility but rather a reflection of local traditions. Two different peoples, two communities, living in peaceful coexistence along the riverbanks for a millennium and a half.
The contrast between the two parts of this essentially single city is immediately apparent. After the aging, peeling buildings of Azerbaijani Guba, everything in Red Sloboda appears significantly more affluent.
It is noteworthy that many signs are in Russian. This is not merely a remnant of the Soviet era. As previously mentioned, the Tats speak their own language, Judeo-Tat, and although they are fluent in Azerbaijani, Russian remains the language of interethnic communication.
Few places in the Caucasus maintain and care for Soviet monuments dedicated to the Great Patriotic War. However, the mountain Jews are well aware of the sacrifices made by their ancestors, who fought valiantly to ensure that fascists never reached these lands. Tens of thousands of mountain Jews fought and perished on the front lines.
At first glance, it may be difficult to perceive these colorful men as Jews. They could easily be mistaken for Azerbaijanis, just like those on the other side of the river, also engaged in a game of backgammon. However, upon closer inspection, their differences become apparent—in both appearance and mannerisms, as well as language.
In Red Sloboda, there are 11(!) synagogues, but today only 2 are operational.
The local youth, who can hardly be called “provincial,” are tech-savvy, toying with the latest smartphone models and effortlessly switching between their native Farsi, English, Russian, and Azerbaijani. Impressive!
Yet, the heart of the town lies in its luxurious villas. There are few old streets left, but let’s be honest—the old streets are far more intriguing.
Krasnaya Sloboda is one of the most extraordinary places in the Caucasus. It is rarely included in tourist itineraries, but if you are a curious traveler, you must visit. There are no other purely Jewish towns in the world, aside from Israel.
Of course, the village’s population is unlikely to return to the previous figure of 15,000, as it was during the Soviet era. However, as the locals themselves say, it hasn’t significantly decreased, thanks to the influx of dozens of young families with children returning from Russia and even Israel.
Interestingly, among the Mountain Jews, there are many well-known oligarchs listed in Forbes: Vagit Alekperov, Suleyman Kerimov, Gavril Yumashov, Zakhar Iliyev, God Nisanov, Telman Ismailov, and many others. It goes without saying that they did not amass their fortunes in Krasnaya Sloboda!
