Zarnava - Mushkamir trail

Difficulty level: medium difficult
Duration: 3 hours
Distance: 7 km
Ascend: 380 m
Descend: 780 m

While driving to historic Lahij town (Lahıc) many people think of what is behind those steep cliffs surrounding the road. One may be surprised to learn that in fact those cliffs are not impassable and you can reach behind-the-cliffs Zarnava and Mushkamir villages on foot!
Zarnava village (Zərnava) is located in the piedmont of Niyaldag mountain range (Niyaldağ) and surrounded by forests. Sitting at 1360 metres above sea level, the village is settled by tat people, an ethnic group speaking a local Iranian language. Life in the village is traditional and villagers are engaged in animal husbandry and charcoal making. There are no paved roads leading to the village and one must cross the Girdiman stream (Girdiman) in off-road cars to reach it. There is a famous suspension bridge for pedestrians (asma körpü) over the Girdiman stream and the proposed hiking trail starts at this point by crossing this bridge.
Mushkamir village (Müşkəmir) is another settlement with a traditional lifestyle on the hiking trail after Zarnava. Sitting at 1180 metres above sea level, the village is located in the piedmont of Niyaldag mountain range and surrounded by forests. It is also settled by tat people. The main economic activity is animal husbandry. There are no direct roads leading to the village, but a major road is passing nearby. Unfortunately, the area is being depopulated and currently the village hosts only a few families.
The end point of the trail is Gandov village (Gəndov) located on the main road leading from Ismayilli city (İsmayıllı) to Lahij. There are around 20 families living in this settlement.