AZ
Sheki
A Silk Road town of khan's palaces and stained glass
A Silk Road town of khan's palaces and stained glass
This exquisite 18th-century summer palace is a masterpiece of Azerbaijani art, its walls covered in vivid frescoes and its windows filled with shebeke, intricate stained glass set in wooden lattices without a single nail.
💡 Photography inside is limited; savour the shebeke windows in person.
A grand 18th-century caravanserai of stone arches and courtyards, once a Silk Road merchants’ inn and now a characterful hotel you can stay in or simply admire.
💡 Even non-guests can wander the atmospheric courtyard.
Sheki’s UNESCO-listed historic centre climbs the hillside in cobbled lanes of stone houses, mosques and craft workshops, backed by the wooded Caucasus slopes.
💡 Wander up to the fortress walls for views over the roofs.
In the village of Kish just above town stands a beautifully restored round-domed Caucasian Albanian church, one of the region’s oldest Christian sites.
💡 A short taxi ride up; combine with a walk in the village.
Sheki is famed for its layered saffron-and-nut halva and for traditional crafts, from shebeke stained glass to silk and tin-work, sold in the old bazaar and workshops.
💡 Watch a shebeke craftsman at work and buy fresh halva.
Sheki’s kitchen is a highlight of Azerbaijani cuisine. Try piti, a slow-cooked mutton and chickpea stew served in a clay pot, alongside kebabs, dolma and fresh mountain herbs. The town is above all famous for Sheki halva, a rich layered sweet of rice flour, nuts and syrup. Teahouses serve amber tea with local jams, and the caravanserai makes an atmospheric spot for dinner.
Tour the Palace of the Sheki Khans and its shebeke windows, explore the caravanserai and old-town lanes, and sample fresh halva.
Visit the ancient Kish church above town, watch a shebeke craftsman at work, and enjoy a slow piti lunch.
Sheki is a scenic few hours from Baku by bus or car; consider staying overnight rather than rushing a day trip.
The signature mutton stew is slow-cooked; some restaurants need it ordered in advance.
Cards are less accepted here than in Baku; bring manat for guesthouses and crafts.
Get the famous layered halva fresh from a town workshop rather than pre-packaged.
Flame-Tower Baku, the rock art of Gobustan, Silk Road Sheki, mountain-resort Gabala and the high Caucasus of Quba — five sides of Azerbaijan.