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Ivanovka — A Molokan Village in the Ismayilli Hills

How did a village with a Russian name end up in the Caucasus? Meet the Molokans of Ivanovka and their way of life.

Ivanovka — A Molokan Village in the Ismayilli Hills
© Asif Masimov / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Ivanovka is a village in the Ismayilli district at the foot of the Caucasus. It was founded in the 19th century by Russian Molokans, a religious community resettled to the Caucasus from central Russia.

Ivanovka village
© Asif Masimov / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Who the Molokans are

Molokans are Christians who rejected many rites of the Orthodox Church. They are known for hard work, sober living and close-knit communities. Descendants of the first settlers still live here, though the village is now multi-ethnic.

What Ivanovka is known for

  • A famous collective farm that kept working after the USSR collapsed.
  • Molokan food: borscht, noodles, pies and honey.
  • Wooden houses with carved window frames and tidy yards.
  • A scenic reservoir nearby with mountain views.
Ismayilli landscape
© Aykhan Zayedzadeh / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0

Getting there

Ivanovka is about 200 km from Baku and pairs well with Ismayilli and Lahij — see our Ismayilli and Lahij tour.

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