Daily life on streets of Baku: From street vendors to artists

Permanent inhabitants of Baku streets

JAMnews introduces permanent inhabitants of Baku’s streets: street vendors, parking attendants, street performers, and street cleaners…

Street vendors

Street vendors usually work several hours a day. They sell their goods at lower prices than in stores and other retail outlets, trying to attract customers.

However, obtaining official permission for this is not so easy.

“Street trading is a major source of bribes, and the authorities don’t want to miss this opportunity. Therefore, very few people can obtain such a permit. However, if you insist, it is possible to work with an individual entrepreneur number (IEN),” said Afeddin Mamedov, a workers’ rights advocate currently in detention, in an interview with JAMnews.

Birthday at the bazaar: stories of street vendors in Baku

Street vendors in Baku are persecuted for not knowing the finer points of the law pertaining to their activities – and subjected to bribe-seeking by police.

Street performers

Street performers working in Baku are selected through a competition as part of the “Street Performers” project by the Baku-Absheron Regional Tourism Department of the State Tourism Agency.

They are allowed to perform freely in designated areas that have been agreed upon with the Executive Power of Baku and the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Amid the 2024 COP29 climate conference to be held in Azerbaijan, the “Street Artists” project has been reorganized based on improved rules resulting from the collaborative efforts of the Working Group established by the State Tourism Agency, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Culture, and the Executive Power of Baku.

Parking attendants

Parking attendants are indispensable residents of Baku’s central streets.

Although the Azerbaijan Land Transport Agency (AYNA) launched the “Azparking” mobile app in August 2023, central streets have not been able to say goodbye to these residents.

In this regard, official authorities remain silent.

Street cleaners

Street cleaners, those who strive to keep the city clean, also seek a good attitude in Baku.

СThe death of these workers while on duty is almost a regular occurrence.

Some of them have lost their lives as a result of accidents while cleaning the roadways.