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| Sheki Travel Guide Edit This The best resource for sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, what to do and see A view of Sheki landscape. A view of Sheki landscape. Sheki is one of the most ancient cities of Azerbaijan. It is mentioned as Shaki, Sheka, Shakki and others in a number of medieval sources. Sheki has been called Nukha for a long time. One of the ancient authors Ptolemy cited the settlement Niga among other Albanian cities. A. Bakikhanov wrote that Nukha is the same Nakhy and Naghy city judging from its location and it was considered one of the ancient cities of Shirvan. A.Y. Krymski also agreed on the version that Niga is the ancestor of Nukha. Yet, there were a number of opponents to the said version in the early 19th century. Academician V. Dorn considered that Niga was a city that located between Liberia and Alazan and that it can not be confused with Nukha. The connection between the word Nukha and the Niga settlement, famous since ancient times, is quite a disputable issue. The word Sheki originates from the name of the Saxon tribes that wandered from the north side of the Black Sea through Derbend passage and to the South Caucasus and from there to the Asia Minor in the 7th century B.C. They occupied the best lands in the South Caucasus and called the area Sakasena. Sheki was one of the areas occupied by Saxons. Sheki was one of the biggest cities of Alban states in the 1 century. The temple of ancient Albania was located there. In its administrative division the Caucasus Albania was composed 11 provinces. One of them was Sheki province that located in the northwest of Albania. Sheki had been one of the important political and economic cities before the Arabian invasion. As the result of the Arabian invasion Sheki was annexed to the third emirate arranged by Arabians on the territory of the country. An independent principality was established in Sheki in times of the weakened Arabian caliphate. The mountains around the city and at a height of 500-850 meters above sea level prevent the heating of the city. The mountain forests protect the city from floods and beautify the view Due to the richness of recreational establishments, the city differs from other regions of Azerbaijan. The resort and service centers as well as tourist bases established near Markhal, Soyugbulag, Gelersen-Gorersen tower increase the recreation capacities of the city. The mountain meadow, brown mountain forest, meadow-forest, gray brown soils are spread in the city. The oaks, beech-tree and hornbeam dominate the forests. The animal kingdom is characterized with its variety. The Kish and Gurchana rivers are the major rivers of Sheki. The branch of the river Ayrinchay, the full water Kish extends to 33 kilometers and covers an area of 265 square kilometers. It originates from the south slope of the Major Caucasus at a height of 2900 meters. It is one of the rivers with the strongest floods of Transcaucasia. It is called the Damarchyn in its upper flow. Part or or all of this text stems from the original article at: www.azerbaijan.com _________Sights Edit This Museums: Hadar Aliyev Museum - a museum about the former president, located across the street from the Sheki Olympic Complex. Historical places of note: Caravansarai (Caravan Saray) - This building was constructed by the Sheki Khans to house caravans as they passed on the silk route to and from China, one of 5 such way stops that existed in Azerbaijan during the 18th-19th centuries, and the biggest for the Silk Road within the transcaucasus region. It still serves as a place for travellers to stay and eat, and also as a place where one can admire the beautiful architectural works and the way that this building fits in so well with the area around the Xan Saray. Juma Mosque (Juma Mescid) - Right next to the Chelebi Xan restaurant. It is a picturesque mosque with a 40m spire where the call to prayer is cried from. This mosque was built from 1745-1750 and was decorated exquisite geometric designs. Xan Palace (Xan Saray) - Sheki was the center of the Sheki Khanate from the 17th-19th century. Kahn Hussein constructed the Xan Saray, its gardens, and fortifications during this time. The Xan Palace served as the summer palace of the Sheki Khans. Parts of the Xan Sary have been restored with funds from the World Bank in 2002. Admission to the interior of the Xan Saray costs 80 qapick. Outside the walls of the Xan Saray there are places that would make a great picnic spot in the spring and summer. There are also various museums, parks, and a nice tea house on the palace grounds. Silk Factory (Ipek Kombinat)- Sheki is on the Silk Road and it is famous for its various silken products. There is a silk factory located about 15 minutes walk from the center of town. There is a store adjoining the factory and they sell some silk items at a less expensive price than what they sell them for in Sheki's bazaar. _________History Edit This Coucasian Albanian Kish church IV-V c Coucasian Albanian Kish church IV-V c Sheki is one of the most ancient cities of Azerbaijan. It is mentioned as Shaki, Sheka, Shakki and others in a number of medieval sources. Sheki has been called Nukha for a long time. One of the ancient authors Ptolemy cited the settlement Niga among other Albanian cities. A. Bakikhanov wrote that Nukha is the same Nakhy and Naghy city judging from its location and it was considered one of the ancient cities of Shirvan. A.Y. Krymski also agreed on the version that Niga is the ancestor of Nukha. Yet, there were a number of opponents to the said version in the early 19th century. Academician V. Dorn considered that Niga was a city that located between Liberia and Alazan and that it can not be confused with Nukha. The connection between the word Nukha and the Niga settlement, famous since ancient times, is quite a disputable issue. The word Sheki originates from the name of the Saxon tribes that wandered from the north side of the Black Sea through Derbend passage and to the South Caucasus and from there to the Asia Minor in the 7th century B.C. They occupied the best lands in the South Caucasus and called the area Sakasena. Sheki was one of the areas occupied by Saxons. Sheki was one of the biggest cities of Alban states in the 1 century. The temple of ancient Albania was located there. In its administrative division the Caucasus Albania was composed 11 provinces. One of them was Sheki province that located in the northwest of Albania. Sheki had been one of the important political and economic cities before the Arabian invasion. As the result of the Arabian invasion Sheki was annexed to the third emirate arranged by Arabians on the territory of the country. An independent principality was established in Sheki in times of the weakened Arabian caliphate. After the collapse of the Hulakis in the first half of the 14th century, Sheki gained independence immediately after the state of Shirvanshahs, and the Orlat dynasty came into power. Shah Tahmasib put an end to the independence of Sheki in 1551 and annexed it to the Sefevi state. Sheki khanate that established in 1743 was the strongest feudal state among the khanates of Azerbaijan. As a result of the flood in the river Kish Sheki was in fact completely ruined, the part of the city population died, others were resettled to other places and some of them settled on the area of the present-day city. Sheki khanate became the vassal of Russia in accordance with the Kurekchay contract of 1805. The area was fully annexed to Russia by the peace agreement of Gulistan in 1813. The khan ruling system of Sheki was abolished in 1819 and Sheki province was established instead. Sheki gaza was established within the Caspian province in 1840. The gaza was included into the Shamakhy province in 1846 and it was called Nukha. The Tsarist government divided the city into two quarters (Sheki and Gyshlag) for the better regulation of the city in the second half of the 19th century. At that period the area of Gyshlag was not united with the city. The tower, its surrounding, trade and industrial enterprises were considered the center of the city and divided into two parts: the upper or trade parts and the lower part. The parts around the city were Yukharybash, Gendjelibashy and Nukha-Gyshlag. The Yukharybash was established from the tower to the east in the late 18-early 19th centuries. Due to the expansion of Sheki, the tsarist government created two more administrative quarters in the city and the city thus was divided not into two parts but into four parts in 1860-1865. The first quarter included the tower and its surroundings, the second part comprised the city suburbs and its population was mainly engaged in agriculture. The third quarter included the tannery. It comprised other art spheres, including dying. The documents do not provide any information on the fourth quarter. It is evident that the quarter comprised the head street occupied by merchants and art workers and its surroundings. Nukha was included into Baku province in 1859 and Yelizavetpol province in 1868. The Soviet government was established in Sheki on May 5, 1920. A number of alterations were introduced into the administrative area of the Azerbaijan SSR in 1930 and the Nukh region was created. The region was abolished on January 4, 1963. It was transferred to the Vartashen region and Nukha city was created within the country. Independent region of Nukha was restored in 1965 and it was called Sheki in 1968. Sheki is located at a height of 500-850 meters above sea level. The height of the snowy peaks of the Major Caucasus reaches 3000-3500 meters in some places. The residuals of the Jurassic, Cretaceous period in the mountains and the Neogenic and Anthropogenic remnants are found on the foothills. The annual volume of sunny hours is 2350 hours. The summer months account for 40% of the sunny hours. Through a year the volume of solar radiation is 122 kcal per a square cm. The climate of the city is influenced with cyclones and anticyclones and different air masses and local type winds. The arctic and temperate air masses entering the area in the winters cause the warm weather in the city. The mountain winds form in the city in summers. That is due to the difference in the pressure between the mountains and valleys. The Major Caucasus prevent the cold winds from entering the territory from the North. Therefore, the average temperature in winter totals 0.5 C in January. The average annual temperature equals 12 C in Sheki. It hesitates between 20-25 C in July and August. The strong winds (the speed exceeding 15 M/cm) are seldom observed in the region, the annual number of windy days totals just 10-12 days. The disastrous weather with the wind blowing at least 1 meters in a second is often observed in Sheki. The annual volume of precipitation is 730 mm with May, June, September and October accounting for the most part of it. The precipitation is the lowest in August (35 mm), January (29 mm) and February (36 mm). The precipitation totals 775 mm in the village Kish and over 1000 mm in the Khan plateau. The region is characterized with the floods, storms, hail and other natural disasters. The flood is often observed in Sheki. The basin of the Kish River originating near in the west part of the city is one of the areas with the strongest floods in the world. As the cone of the river Kish in the place called Guruchay are covered with sand, stones and mud accumulated from the mountains, its central part is relatively higher than that of the Dodu quarter. Storms and hails are interrelated with each other. The strong heating and evaporation in the mountains in summer are one of the major components of hails in Sheki. The biggest hailstones in the world were registered in Sheki in 1850. The event was reflected in a magazine of the Ministry of Internal Affairs issued in Tbilisi. The magazine stated that the hailstones 10 kg in weight broke the reed of 7 layers. The annual number of the hail days totals 1.4 that is 14 times in 10 years. The mountains around the city and at a height of 500-850 meters above sea level prevent the heating of the city. The mountain forests protect the city from floods and beautify the view Due to the richness of recreational establishments, the city differs from other regions of Azerbaijan. The resort and service centers as well as tourist bases established near Markhal, Soyugbulag, Gelersen-Gorersen tower increase the recreation capacities of the city. The mountain meadow, brown mountain forest, meadow-forest, gray brown soils are spread in the city. The oaks, beech-tree and hornbeam dominate the forests. The animal kingdom is characterized with its variety. The Kish and Gurchana rivers are the major rivers of Sheki. The branch of the river Ayrinchay, the full water Kish extends to 33 kilometers and covers an area of 265 square kilometers. It originates from the south slope of the Major Caucasus at a height of 2900 meters. It is one of the rivers with the strongest floods of Transcaucasia. It is called the Damarchyn in its upper flow. Contributors April 19, 2006 change by azerbaijan08 (2 points) _________Practical Information Edit This The city of Sheki has a population of about 63,000. It is situated in northern Azerbaijan on the southern part of the Greater Caucasus mountain range, 325km (200 miles) from the capital city Baku. Sheki is located at an altitude of 500m (1,640 ft). The terrain of the city contains slopes that may make it difficult for elderly people to navigate, but this can be partially mitigated through the use of taxis and marshrutka. The southern part of the region of Sheki is located on rolling foothills while the northern part of the region of Sheki is covered by the Greater Caucasus. Climate Winter - cold, but the snow is only heavy during January and February Spring - beautiful with the once brown mountains turning green from the rain Summer - mild, about what you would expect from a town like Innsbruck or Estes Park, Colorado Fall - quite warm during the day, but at night it gets a bit chilly, so pack a jacket and a thick blanket __________Getting Around Edit This Get around By taxi Taxis charge 40-60 qapick and are quite convenient if you know where you want to go within the city. Addresses are quite useless in Azerbaijan as many roads have recently been renamed, so it's better to choose a landmark you know of such as a school, hotel, or historic place, and direct the taxi driver there. By bus or marshrutka Buses and marshrutka operate 07:00-20:00, charge 10 qapick, and go to many different locations throughout the city. Routes: 1a - Silk factory; ziyarit; radio tower; post office; hospital; bus terminal; gushlek drug store; Pavilion; Olympic Complex 3a - New Bazaar; radio tower; silk factory; teacher's school; Xan Saray; Genceli Mehel; Caravansary; post office 4 - New Bazaar; K/T Axundov; hospital; bus terminal; gas office; Pavilion 5 - New Bazaar; bus terminal; Old Bazaar; silk factory; Qrensh Zavod; Bagbanlar Street 6 - Oxud Village 7 - Olympic Complex; bus terminal; hospital; theater; Old Bazaar; silk factory; university; Dodu 8 - New Bazaar; bus terminal; hospital; near Number 10 School; silk factory; Dodu 9 - silk factory; bus terminal; Olympic Complex 11 - New Bazaar; bus terminal; Old Bazaar; Caravansary; Xan Sarayi; children's hospital; Olympic Complex 14 - New Bazaar; Gushlek drug store; Pavilion; Number 11 School 15 - Kish; Dodu; New Bazaar 17 - 1st Region; children's hospital; Xan Saray; Caravansary; Old Bazaar; bus terminal; New Bazaar 18 - bus terminal; Guyumler; Sarabski Kuche; asphalt mill; New Bazaar 22 - Olympic Complex; bus terminal; hospital; theater; Old Bazaar; Caravansary; Xan Saray; children's hospital ________Getting There Edit This By taxi Until the airport begins operating again, the fastest between Baku and Sheki is by taxi - it takes about 5 hours and costs AZN40; if you share the ride with other people it will cost around AZN10 each. By train The train station has a somewhat inconvenient location about 5km from the city center. There are night trains that run from Baku-Balakan and make a stop in Sheki. There is also a Balakan-Baku train that passes through Sheki. Passengers must produce their passports in order to buy tickets. It would be wise to purchase a ticket for the luxury carriage in advance. You can contact Mr. Xemlet at 0506725538 to make advanced reservations. The basic carriage (plaskard) costs 2.60 AZN and the luxury carriage (coupe) costs 3.60 AZN. Make sure that you receive all of your change from the ticket counter, as often they try to short change foreigners. Train departure times from the Sheki terminal: Baku every night at 10:00 Train departure times to the Sheki terminal: From Baku May 24th station every night at 10:20 From Balakan every night at 8:00 From Zaqatala every night at 9:00 By bus or marshrutka By Bus This is one of the more tedious ways to get to Sheki, taking nearly 7 hours, because the mountain pass used by cars and marshrutkas is impossible for a large bus. Although slower, buses are more comfortable than marshrutka. The fare is AZN4.5. By Marshrutka Marshrutka or minibus runs between many of the major cities to the Sheki bus station (avtovagzal), and take 6 hours from/to Baku. Use your discretion when riding the marshrutka as the condition of both vehicles and drivers varies. The fare is AZN4.5. The Sheki bus terminal ticket counter opens 06:30-17:00 + 20:00-midnight (holidays 10:30-11:30) and can be contacted on 0177-4-46-17. The ticket vendors at the terminal speak Russian, Turkish, and Azeri. Bus/marshrutka departure times from the Sheki terminal: Balakan - 10:10, 14:00 Baku - every hour (AZN4) Berda - 9:00, 11:30, 16:30 Bulaq - 6:30, 10:00 Gence - 8:00, 8:30, 13:30 (AZN1.8) Kulduk - 13:00, 17:00 A Küngut - 7:00, 13:00, 17:00 B Küngut - 9:00, 15:00 Mingeçevir - 6:50, 9:40, 13:00, 16:00 (AZN1) Naftalan - 15:10 Oguz - 7:20, 10:30, 11:40, 13:20, 15:00, 16:00 Qayabas - 14:00 Qebele - 6:50, 14:00 Sorsu - 7:00, 13:00, 16:00 Yevlax - 10:30 Zaqatala - 7:00, 9:00, 11:00, 11:40, 15:00, 16:30 Bus/marshrutka departure times to the Sheki terminal: Baku - 9:40, 12:20, 17:30, 22:15 (AZN4) Gence - 1:45 (AZN1.8) ____________Day Trips Edit This Kish (Kis) - this town is about 5km from Sheki (about AZN4 by taxi). It's a bumpy ride on the narrow cobblestone roads, but well worth it to visit the beautiful Albanian church, fabled to have been started by the first century apostle Eliseus, who converted the site from a pagan temple to an apostolic church. The sites around the church were excavated from 2000 until 2002, and the remains of bodies found within the present church walls, which date back to the 5th century, are on display in the church courtyard. Hiking There is a great deal of hiking throughout the northern region of Azerbaijan, and Sheki has many mountain trails on which hiking is very enjoyable. Sheki-Kish-"Gelersen-Gorersen" fortress-Sheki -22km (10km by car, 12km hiking); 6 hours. This path takes you from Kish's Albanian church to the "Gelersen-Gorersen fortress" via the Kish river and through pine groves with a plethora of varieties of mushrooms growing in the underbrush. Walking to the fortress takes about two hours; once there you can explore the different views of the Kish River from the peaks of the mountains. Sheki-Ortazeyzit-Bashzeyzit-Quzuyolu-Xanyaylagi-Markhal-Sheki - 46km (32km with a car, 14km hiking); 13 hours. This route meanders by two ancient Albanian churches, continues up a long path to the Khanyaylaghi peak, and on to the Markhal recreation areas, where you can have dinner. From this area you can travel to Sheki by car. Sheki-Bashkyungyut-Bideiz-Sheki - 55.5km (48.5km with a car, 7km hiking); 11 hours. After travelling to Bashkyungyut and visiting the ruins of the Albanian Church on the edge of the village, continue up the path and you can see two Albanian monuments situated 5km from each other. Opon reaching Bideiz village, you can return via car to Sheki. Sheki-Oraban-Bashkeldek-Keshnazar-Gyurgala-Sheki - 82km (78km with a car, 4km hiking); 12 hours. This road passes through a valley by the name of Keshnazar, where it opens to a very beautiful panorama. Rest at "The Hunter's House" cabin then hike to the ancient fortress at the peak of the big steep mountains. After walking around, you can return to Sheki. Theater and cinema Drama Theater (one block up the street from the hospital, on the left hand side of the road) - plays are performed in Azeri, but it still can be interesting to see an Azerbaijani interpretation. The theatre also hosts other events. There is a çay xana just outside where you can go while waiting for the play to start or after it concludes. Chingiz Club (on the road up to the Xan Saray) is a new movie theater/museum where most weeks two movies are shown. Usually one is a dubbed American/European film, the other from either Turkey or Azerbaijan. The entire theater can be rented for 40 AZN. Guided tours The Association of Family Recreation and Tourism in Sheki: tel:0177-4-23-49 or 612-65-64. This organization has a variety of package tours. __________Things to do Edit This Itineraries A weekend in Sheki: Friday Arrive in the evening, check in to a hotel Try a bowl of Piti and Russian salad at the Chelebi Xan Walk up to the çay xana near the Xan Saray and get a piece of halva with a pot of tea Saturday Breakfast at the Turkish café next to Istanbul Restoran Walk through the bazaar and look at the various local handicrafts Buy a picnic lunch to eat in Kish Catch a cab up to Kish and walk around the monastery and eat lunch; pay the cab and tell him to return in 2 hours (you decide) Take the cab to the Xan Saray and tour the grounds Walk to the Caravansarai and enjoy a dinner in the ancient grounds On the way back, look at the various handicrafts on the road from the Caravansarai Sunday Breakfast in the Sheki Saray Tour the Juma Mosque Depart for your next destination |