Sheki in a trip to the Caucasus

Located on the picturesque slopes of the Greater Caucasus, Sheki and the whole region are among the most interesting and beautiful places of Azerbaijan. The city has a beautiful sight with the backdrop of snow-capped peaks.
The ancient settlement of Sheki was disposed in the southern part of today’s town, in the valley of Kishchay and was destroyed in 772 by the mud flow.
Throughout the long history it was subjected to repeated damage, for which reason, the vast majority of remained architectural monuments are only of XVI-XIX centuries.

The modern Shaki is surrounded by colorful nature, bordered on the north by plateau Han and mountains, rich in flora and fauna. Here in the forests grow many wild fruit trees and medicinal plants.
In the Middle Ages Sheki was the place of masters of sericulture and well developed trade, as lying at the crossroads of the Silk Road and through the city passed the caravan routes linking the countries of the Middle and the Far East with the West.

At the famous Sheki bazaar traded grain, silk, ceramics, gold jewelry and many other things. However, special popularity had the local silk. Merchants from all over Europe and Asia came here for local silk, which is distinguished by a special tenderness, clarity and skin gold thread. Also famous were the carpets of great beauty woven in Sheki.

To this day, preserved in Sheki traditions and ancient crafts and like in old times, it is still the largest center of silk production in the Caucasus.

Every year here is the festival silk and at the Caravanserai reproduced the scheme of the ancient Sheki bazaar where exhibited the silk fabrics and scarves made by local craftsmen. During the festival in the Palace of Khans of the XVIII century made multiple programs with the participation of artists.
Tourists and visitors love to walk through the old streets of the city, where even the street names are preserved as in ancient times, and indicate a particular name of an ancient craft, like for example, Duluzchulvar – production of ceramic or Zargarlar – jewelry craftsmanship.

Discover the exciting details of life of the ancient city during your unique tour of the Caucasus!

As many other regions, Sheki is characterized by its original and rich cuisine and an abundance of sweets that apparently defines good humor and cheerful disposition of locals. It is difficult to resist the temptation to try such famous sweets as girmabadam, zilviya, baklava and another made from rice flour and nuts.

A special attraction of the city is the Palace of Khan, surrounded by huge plane trees, powerful branches of which create a pleasant warmth and protection from the summer heat. An interesting fact is that the palace was built without a single nail, and for its construction were used the special anti-seismic belt thanks of which the Palace can withstand a fairly frequent earthquakes.