North-Western Route: Shaki

THE SHAKI DISTRICT lies on the picturesque southern slopes of the Greater Caucasus range.

Many monuments of early medieval architecture have survived in the vicinity of Shaki: fortresses, watchtowers, churches and the ruins of monasteries from the period of Caucasian Albania. The most interesting among them are the monuments in the villages of BIDEYIZ, BASH KUNGUT, ORTA ZEYZID and, of course, the church in the village of KISH (2nd–4th centuries), erected by St. Elisæus - it is considered the earliest Christian structure on the territory of the CIS. The church has now been restored and turned into a museum.

THE CITY OF SHAKI is the main city of the Shaki-Zagatala region and one of the oldest and most beautiful cities of Azerbaijan; it is believed to have been founded in the 1st millennium BC. The city is mentioned in Arabic, Turkish, Georgian, Russian and European written sources.

Scholars suppose the city took its name from the Saka tribes who lived here. Shaki lies on the route of the Great Silk Road. Ptolemy mentions Shaki as Niga, and modern scholars identify it with the ancient city of Nukha. Old-timers still call Shaki Nukha, after the village of Nukha, located next to Shaki, which was destroyed by a mudflow in 1772; its inhabitants moved to the surviving Nukha.

During the spread of Christianity, Shaki was one of the religious centres of Albania. During the Arab-Khazar wars (7th–9th centuries), the city became an arena of military clashes and conflicts. When the Arab Caliphate weakened, a principality was established here, which became part of the Shirvanshah state (11th century).

During the reign of the Ilkhanid dynasty (late 14th century), Shaki entered a period of prosperity, and the city became the centre of an independent domain ruled by a local ruler, Sidi Ali (Seyid Ali). During Timur's invasion, Sidi Ali put up serious resistance to the invaders and then led his army to the aid of Nakhchivan, which at that time was holding a stubborn defence of the ALINJAGALA fortress (1397–1398). In the 16th century, the ruler of Shaki, Darvish Muhammad, was killed in battle, and the city became part of the Safavid state.

The famous Shaki bazaars saw a brisk trade in grain, chased metalware and jewellery. Shaki silk came in many varieties - soft and opaque, fine and translucent, matte or embroidered with gold... The craftsmen of this city made a great contribution to the development of trade along the Great Silk Road. Shaki was the centre of sericulture for the entire Caucasus. In 1860, the Nukha (Shaki) province produced 62 thousand 239 poods of silk. In 1861, the first silk-spinning factory was built here - one of the largest in the world. In 1862, at the international exhibition in London, Shaki silk was awarded a gold medal.

Shaki is proud of MIRZA FATALI AKHUNDOV, the famous philosopher, writer and enlightener. The HOUSE-MUSEUMS of M.F. Akhundov and Sabit Rahman have been preserved here in this city. THE PALACE OF THE SHAKI KHANS is a rare example of folk architecture (wood and gaj carving) combined with the traditions of Eastern palace architecture (lacquer and wall paintings).

The ASHAGI and YUKHARI CARAVANSERAIS (18th century), by their size, testify to the scale of trade that took place in the Middle Ages.

Not far from Shaki, on the western bank of the Kish river, the ruins of the ancient fortress "GALARSAN-GORARSAN" ("Come and see for yourself") have survived - the name shows that the fortress's defenders were convinced of its impregnability and of their determination not to let the enemy through. Leo Tolstoy made this fortress the setting for his characters in his novella "Hadji Murat". A. Dumas and Kaempfer visited here, and N. Raevsky wrote in his letters: "Our camp stands in a forest of pomegranates, tamarisks, plane trees... Nukha is wonderful". In 1805, the Shaki Khanate became part of Russia and ceased to exist as a khanate. By 1819, Shaki was already governed by a tsarist commandant, and the Nukha province was formed by tsarist decree.

Other attractive cultural sites of this city are the Sabit Rahman Drama Theatre, the Museum of Decorative and Applied Arts, and the Art Gallery.

Many monuments of early medieval architecture have survived in the vicinity of Shaki: fortresses, watchtowers, churches and the ruins of monasteries from the period of Caucasian Albania. The most interesting among them are the monuments in the villages of BIDEYIZ, BASH KUNGUT, ORTA ZEYZID and, of course, the church in the village of KISH (2nd–4th centuries), erected by St. Elisæus and considered the earliest Christian structure on the territory of the CIS. The church has now been restored and turned into a museum.

The people of Shaki have not lost their distinctive traditions and knowledge of ancient crafts to this day. There are the silk "kelaghayi" headscarves, which are taken even to the countries of Central Asia, where local craftsmen use them for silk painting; wooden chests with a special Shaki painting are made here; local jewellers make ornaments whose shape has changed little since ancient times. Shaki is highly developed in TAKALDUZ embroidery (tambour stitch), which in the past was mostly practised by men; in the making of papakhas and musical instruments; and in SHABAKA (openwork wooden lattices with coloured glass inserts, usually used in window and door openings).

Shaki's distinctive culture also includes an original cuisine with no equivalent elsewhere in Azerbaijan - the unusual Shaki sweets, which are lacy weaves of thinly cut rice-flour dough.