AZ · Shaki-Zagatala · 41.19°N 47.17°E

sheki

Stained-glass palace windows, old caravanserais and slow-cooked piti in the foothills.

Best time
May–June and September–October are best for the hilly lanes. Summer is cooler and greener than Baku; winter brings cold mornings and some snow.
How long
2 days
Getting there
Fly with one stop to Baku, usually via Dubai, Doha or Istanbul, about 12–15 hours all in. Sheki is about 5 hours north-west of Baku by road.
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AZ · Shaki-Zagatalasheki41.19°N 47.17°Egowherelah.com
Dear group chat,Stained-glass palace windows, old caravanserais and slow-cooked piti in the foothills.— gowherelahTo: whoever’s drivingShekiAZ, Shaki-Zagatala
KLsheki
≈ 6,874 km from KL, as the crow flies
Şəki şəhəri ümumi görünüş. çaykənarı

Photo: Sefer azeri · CC0

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Photos: Wikimedia Commons, credited on each.

Sheki was a Silk Road silk town in the foothills of the Caucasus, and still has the caravanserais, craft workshops and steep lanes to show for it. The khans' palace is the main sight, but an overnight stay leaves time for tea and a proper bowl of piti.

Makan

  1. PitiLamb and chickpeas slow-cooked in a small clay pot, eaten in two stages.Map ↗
  2. Sheki halvaLayers of rice-flour lacework, hazelnuts and syrup, cut into diamonds.Map ↗
  3. QutabHerb-filled flatbreads, a lighter lunch.Map ↗

Things to do

  1. Palace of the Shaki KhansAn 18th-century palace of painted rooms and shebeke windows: coloured glass set in wooden lattice without nails or glue.Map ↗
  2. Upper CaravanseraiA two-storey 18th-century travellers' inn around a big stone courtyard.Map ↗
  3. Old townCobbled lanes of workshops making shebeke, silk scarves and copperware.Map ↗
  4. KishA village a few kilometres up the valley, with a restored ancient church from the days of Caucasian Albania.Map ↗

Good to know

  • Eat piti in order: tear bread into a bowl and pour the broth over it, then eat the lamb and chickpeas.
  • Photography isn't allowed inside the palace.
  • Meat in local restaurants is halal as a rule, though alcohol is widely served.

Last checked October 2026. Things change, so check opening times, fees and transport before you go.