AZ
Sheki
A Silk Road town in the Caucasus foothills, with a painted khan’s palace and caravanserais
A Silk Road town in the Caucasus foothills, with a painted khan’s palace and caravanserais
This 18th-century summer palace is covered in painted murals and has façades of shebeke, intricate stained glass set in wooden lattice without nails or glue.
Photography is not allowed inside.
Photo: Interfase, CC BY-SA 4.0
This large 18th–19th-century merchants’ inn, built around an arcaded courtyard, now operates as a hotel; visitors can usually look round.
Photo: Matti Blume, CC BY-SA 4.0
In the village of Kish, about 5km north, this restored church is linked to Caucasian Albania, an ancient Christian kingdom of the region, and houses a small museum.
Photo: Petar Milošević, CC BY-SA 4.0
Cobbled lanes are lined with old houses and workshops making shebeke panels, copperware and silk scarves (kelaghayi).
Photo: Adam Jones, CC BY-SA 2.0
The two-storey arcades of the caravanserai are among the most photographed spots in town.
Photo: shankar s., CC BY 2.0
Sheki’s signature dish is piti, a lamb and chickpea stew baked in individual clay pots. Try Sheki halva, a layered sweet of rice-flour lattice, nuts and syrup, with black tea.
Teahouses and restaurants around the centre serve kebabs, dolma and fresh bread.
Sheki is around 300km north-west of Baku, roughly five hours by road. Buses and shared taxis run from Baku.
The centre is walkable; take a taxi to Kish.
Azerbaijan uses the manat (AZN).
Two days for the town and Kish.
Visit the Khan’s Palace, the caravanserai and craft workshops, then try piti for dinner.
Visit the church at Kish and walk in the surrounding hills.
Buy Sheki halva fresh.
No photos inside.
Cheap for short trips.
Bring layers for the mountains.
Quick answers for planning time in Sheki.
Yes, its historic centre and the Palace of the Sheki Khans were inscribed in 2019.
Around 300km, about five hours by road.
Stained glass set in a wooden lattice assembled without nails or glue.
Piti stew and Sheki halva.
May to June or September to October.
Planning a wider trip? Our Azerbaijan travel guide covers getting there, costs, when to go and more.