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Sheki's craft shops

One of the most ancient cities in Azerbaijan, Sheki  is known as a city of fine architecture, sericulture and traditional crafts. Sheki was one of the strongholds of Azerbaijani segment of the ancient Silk Roads. It is a multi-ethnic city with well-preserved architectural monuments that are closely related to the development of traditional crafts, such as shebeke (wooden-framed stained glass) and pottery. On the historic trading street named after legendary local writer Mirza Fatali Akhundzade, step into small boutiques and admire the authentic craftsmanship, whether it be witnessing patterns being printed onto the colourful kelaghayi headscarves traditionally worn by Azerbaijani women or decorating clothes and cushions with intricate floral designs using a technique known as takalduz embroidery. Meet talented artisans making pots, papags (a national hat), miniature caskets and national instruments whose skills have been passed down through generations. In the Sheki Fortress, call into the shebeke workshop to see spectacular mosaics being painstakingly composed of thousands of tiny pieces of stained glass held together in wooden lattices of all shapes and sizes.