By air
Heydar Aliyev International Airport (GYD), ~5 h by road
Europe · Azerbaijan
Sheki, Azerbaijan
A Silk Road town with a painted khan's palace
Getting there
Best time to visit
May to June and September to October — green hills and mild days
Don't miss
The Palace of Shaki Khans
The Upper Caravanserai
Kish church
Things to do
Touring the khan's palace
Staying in a caravanserai
Buying silk and halva
Hikes in the foothills
Where to eat
Sources: Photo: Ludvig14 · CC BY-SA 4.0
What to pack
Comfortable shoes, light layers, rain jacket
A quieter corner
The walk to the ruins of Gelersen-Gorersen fortress in the hills nearby
Questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Sheki?
May to June and September to October — green hills and mild days. What to pack: Comfortable shoes, light layers, rain jacket.
How do I get to Sheki?
Fly into Heydar Aliyev International Airport (GYD), ~5 h by road.
What is there to do in Sheki?
Touring the khan's palace, staying in a caravanserai, buying silk and halva, hikes in the foothills. A quieter find: The walk to the ruins of Gelersen-Gorersen fortress in the hills nearby.
What should I eat in Sheki?
Sheki halva layered with nuts and syrup, piti lamb and chickpea stew cooked in clay pots.
About Sheki
- Mountains
- Forest
Where it is
Sheki is a historic town in the foothills of the Greater Caucasus in north-west Azerbaijan.
History
Sheki was an important stop on the Silk Road and a centre of silk production. In the 18th century it became the seat of the Sheki Khanate, whose khans built the richly painted palace that still stands. The historic centre with the Khan's Palace was listed by UNESCO in 2019.
People
Sheki's people speak Azerbaijani with a distinct local accent and are known across the country for their humour, their halva and their skills in silk and stained-glass crafts.
Known for
- The painted Palace of Shaki Khans
- Sheki halva
- Silk weaving
- Old caravanserais
Did you know?
The windows of the khan's palace are made of shebeke, wooden lattice set with coloured glass and traditionally assembled without nails or glue.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.