Holiday in the Caucasus (6): on to Sheki, Azerbaijan
Our fifth day in Azerbaijan was largely a travelling day, positioning us to enter Georgia tomorrow. So we travelled north-east from Baku to Sheki, a journey of 300 km (almost 200 miles) in pleasant weather. There was one major and two minor stops during a day of green countryside and our first view of the Caucasus.
The main halt was at Shamakhy to see the Juma Mosque. The location dates back to 743, but it was seriously damaged in the earthquakes of 1859 and 1902. Then, in 1918, Armenians set the place on fire. It was extensively restored between 2010-2013. A distinguishing feature is an unusually large mihrab (the niche facing Mecca).
Later we had a couple of refreshments stops: one at a winery called “Abqora” for coffee and the other in a wooded district called Vandam for an open air lunch of a local savoury pancake.
Sheki is a very historic town that was once the royal capital and, at its peak, it housed five caravanserai. The Soviets destroyed the khanate’s Winter Place, but the gorgeously ornate Summer Palace of 1762 survives and indeed today is a UNESCO World Heritage site. This palace was the most beautiful place that we visited in our time in Azerbaijan, but annoyingly and inexplicably photographs of the interior are prohibited. Afterwards we viewed the remaining caravanserai which is now largely a hotel.
We reached our hotel in Sheki, the Macara, eight hours after we left our hotel in Baku but, after just half an hour to unwind, we went out for dinner at a popular place called “Calabi Xan” where it was still warm enough to eat outside.