Sheki is regarded as one of Azerbaijan’s loveliest towns being nestled in surrounding green forests with a backdrop of the snow capped Caucasus mountains.
The township of around 70 000 people with its dappling of old ochre brick homes and tiled roofs has much to offer apart from spectacular mountain scenery with a famous palace and many other antiquities on offer. In 2019 the old heart of the township was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Sheki was originally established somewhat higher up the valley at the location now called Kish. That town was destroyed by floods in 1716 but Khan Haci Celebi build a new fortress at Nukha (called Sheki since the 1960s). Then an even more catastrophic flood in 1772 occurred but the city withstood the onslaught and was subsequently declared the Royal Capital of this region of Azerbaijan.
Our initial tourist destination in Sheki was the Xan Sarayi or Khan’s Palace.
Sheki Khan's Palace
Group outside Sheki Khan's Palace
This ornate 1762 palace has six large rooms on two levels and each is decorated with amazing murals that are bathed in dazzling coloured light shining through intricately designed stained glass windows imported from Venice.
This building served as the Sheki Khan’s administrative palace and is now the only remaining one of around forty royal structures within the fortress compound. The external façade of the palace combines ‘silvered stalactite vaulting’ with dark blue, turquoise and ochre geometrical patterns and the walled rose garden in front has two huge plane trees planted in 1530. There was a former mosque in the lower section of the fortress that now serves as the Museum of Folk and Applied Arts.
Museum of Folk & Applied Arts
The local handcraft shops nearby are housed in the former fortress jail. Among the numerous tourist nick-nacks on sale was a chain-stitch embroidered picture of a duck orchid (caleana) and we subsequently learnt that the orchid is the regional floral emblem although we’ve seen no actual orchids so far.
Caleana orchid (regional floral emblem) embroidery, Museum of Folk & Applied Arts
We then drove to the nearby village of Kish to visit the Albanian Church. The name Albania refers to a former northern Azerbaijani Christian nation and has nothing to do with the Adriatic country.
Albanian Church, Kish
Inside Albanian Church, Kish
This first century Christian church entails a brilliantly renovated round-towered temple which now serves as a museum. Numerous artefacts, some dating around 2000 BCE are on display as are glass covered excavated open graves showing skeletons from the Bronze Age.
Some of the skeletal bones suggest very tall (2m plus) people existed at that time which led Thor Heyerdahl to hypothesise that the so-called god Odin was the person in Norwegian mythology who came to Northern Europe from a place called Azer!
Skeleton, Albanian Church, Kish
The gardens around this 1st century church had a number of exquisite irises and tulips presently in flower.
Irises, Albanian Church, Kish
Guelder rose, Albanian Church, Kish,
Irises, Albanian Church, Kish
Tulip, Albanian Church, Kish
We then spent an hour in the local bazaar which covered a very large area and was filled with busy merchants and customers seeking out desired fruits, vegetables, meats, shoes, clothes and general household items.
Bazaar, Sheki
Bazaar, Sheki
We had a deal of fun with photographing the market people as some, mostly older women were quite shy whereas others, mostly younger men were desperately keen to be photographed.
We then headed back up towards the Khan’s Palace to visit the town’s famous caravanserai. This 18th century structure has an imposing wooden gateway leading to a high dome through to a twin level arcade of sturdy arches that enclose a central courtyard.
The gardens nearby were neatly maintained with apple and walnut trees and numerous roses many now in bud.
A short walk up a side street brought us to the local madrassah which serves as both a mosque and an educational facility specialising in Islamic religious knowledge for primary and early secondary students.
To end our day’s visit to Sheki we wandered down the street outside the caravanserai where small roadside shops offered the usual trinkets in addition to a colourful range of sugary confectionery and a comprehensive selection of nuts.
Tomorrow we head for the border and cross over to Georgia where we will have a new guide, bus and driver.