Places that you will visit during the Sheki tour:
Shamakhi Juma Mosque: On the way to Sheki, you will stop to see the most ancient mosque that was built in the Caucasus.
Historical Museum
House of Hand Crafts: where you can buy original handmade works for a very reasonable price.
The Sheki tour will start with taking you off from your hotel or any desired place.
Excursion to Sheki is a Sheki tour of the picturesque places in one of the old cities of the South Caucasus, where various handicraft production was concentrated, where beautiful silk products were produced and a brisk trade was developed. The city is rich in history and many monuments of the cultural heritage of Azerbaijan.
Sheki tour excursion program in the city of Sheki:
Sheki’s pearl is the Palace of the Sheki Khans, built in the 18th century without a single nail. The unique in its beauty the two-story building of the palace amazes with the magnificence of its decoration, both external and internal. The facade of the palace is richly painted with plot drawings depicting hunting and war scenes, as well as intricate geometric and floral patterns.
In front of the palace, at one time a marvelous garden was divided; sixteen tall Italian poplars arranged symmetrically divided it into four alleys. On the sides of this garden – when the outbuildings were located, in which the court, the Khan’s wives lived, their servants followed them a big terrace of one and a half human height. A small two-story building used to be part of a vast complex and was the summer residence of the Sheki Khans. The entire palace is painted with beautifully preserved drawings, in the center of the building there is a large, stunningly beautiful stained-glass window made of multicolor glass mosaic. The palace is under the protection of UNESCO and is among the most valuable architectural monuments of Azerbaijan.
Near the palace, remains of the fortress wall are preserved.
You will see the Caravanserai, one of the attractions of Sheki during the Sheki tour. Caravanserais were built in the form of locks with a closed courtyard, with one gate, which closed in case of danger, resulting in an impregnable fortress. The complex consists of two caravanserais, called “Yukhary” (Upper) and “Ashagy” (Lower). Their construction dates back to the XVIII-XIX centuries. Part of the caravanserai is now used as a hotel.
Then you walk along the streets of the city, admire the panorama of the city from the mountainous part. You will get acquainted with the manufacture of stained-glass windows “shebeke,” visit craft workshops and pastry shops with Sheki sweets. There is also Sheki Bazar where you can find high-quality honey, nuts, and dried fruits, which are must-try items for any traveler.
Transfer to the village of Kish (12 km). Visit the ancient Albanian Christian church (I-IV centuries) in our Sheki tour. The village of Kish is beautiful for its extraordinary nature, traditions, and rich past. It is proud of its main attraction – the ancient Christian temple. The construction of the temple went from the I-IV century, and it was rebuilt until the XII century. The temple has value not only as an architectural monument but also has an outstanding historical significance. The excavations confirmed that this is the most ancient temple in the Caucasus in the I century laid by the apostle Elisha.
Sheki tour was fun, bear in mind its further away from Gabala about an hour so make sure to keep that in mind. But in all it was fun especially how the windows of the Sheki palace was made and built. It was fun and informative tour.
Sheki is a beautiful town in Azerbaijan and should not be missed. I loved everything about this small town and views were picturesque. Our tour guide Jamal & his driver were great and Jamal even made sure to help us with ordering the vegetarian food by translating our requirements to hotel staff and recommending few dishes. Overall Sheki tour is something every person visiting Azerbaijan for the first time should have on their itenarary.
We took an amazing private 2 day tour that covered sites in Shamakhi, Gabala, and Sheki. We stayed overnight in Gabala. The tour was arranged by Guided Azerbaijan and was a great mixture of nature (Gabala) and cultural sites (Shamakhi & Sheki). We had a great guide, Ulya, and driver, that took full care of us, explained very clearly the sites, and took us safely and promptly from place to place, from the pick up at the hotel until the drop off back at the hotel after the tour. They arranged the itinerary so we would use the time most efficiently, and see the sights at the right time of day where the light was the best and we were lucky to have very good weather. We asked to stop frequently to take great pictures, and enjoyed the views and discussions in the car. Also the choices for lunch during the tour were excellent. Would highly recommend this 2 day tour and both Ulya the guide and the driver !!
We had a fantastic 2 day tour with Cemaleddin as our guide and Nazir as our driver. They were both super nice and everything went smoothly. We highly recommend Sheki. It is a lovely town and we went shopping at the market.