Khinaliq Azerbaijan is certainly not a popular tourist destination. This small Caucasian country, a former Soviet republic, is rarely mentioned by the media, and even when this happens, it is often about the harsh dictatorship. Most people will have trouble answering the question, what is Azerbaijan known for? That being said. However, some amazing hidden gems in this country make visiting Azerbaijan absolutely worth it. Among those places to see in Azerbaijan, the one that shines the brightest is undoubtedly the ancestral village of Xinaliq, one of the top Azerbaijan destinations. Khinaliq Names  Xinaliq (also spelled Khinalug, Khinalugh, or Khinalig) is a remote and picturesque village situated in the northeast of the country, on a bare and rough mountaintop, surrounded by grassland and the high peaks of the Greater Caucasus. With an altitude of 2,350 m, Khinalug is the highest settlement in Europe and one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the whole world; its origins indeed date back as far as 5,000 years ago. The houses of Xinaliq are almost entirely made out of stone. The dry walls built with flint from the nearby stream are topped by flat roofs, which serve as terraces for the houses above. Needless to say, this is one of the most beautiful places in Azerbaijan. For many years, until very recently, the people of Xinaliq had to survive only on what this bleak land provided them: stones for building, animals for food and clothing, and manure for heating. Indeed many walls made out of compressed and dried dung bricks are scattered around the village, often used as fences. This dung is used as fuel for the stoves to keep the dwellers warm during the harsh and long winters (but don’t worry, they don’t stink), and an ecological and economical way to light a fire in a place where even wood is very scarce.