Enroute Silk Road

Discover Sheki, Azerbaijan’s Silk Road town, new on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Sheki, on the Silk Road path through northwest Azerbaijan, was an international centre for silk production. Today, it’s one of Azerbaijan’s most picturesque towns, filled with cobbled streets and medieval architecture: a fresh, bucolic retreat in contrast to the more arid south. The majestic architectural monument, Sheki Khans’ Palace, takes a special place among the country’s historical and architectural attractions. This cultural site is also one of the rare pearls of Azerbaijani painting and folk applied art.

Set at the foot of the Greater Caucasus Mountains and divided in two by the Gurjana River, Sheki Palace was built in 1762 by Huseyn Khan, surrounded by scores of charming chinar trees within the Khan’s fortress at the top of this appealing Silk Road city. The city itself was an important destination on the Great Silk Road, the ancient web of trade routes linking the East and West.