Hotels in Sheki

Sheki: Silk Road Caravanserai City of the Caucasus

Sheki sits in the foothills of the Greater Caucasus in northwestern Azerbaijan, roughly 350 km west of Baku. The city earned UNESCO World Heritage status in 2019, anchored by the Sheki Khan's Palace — an 18th-century royal residence completed around 1762, celebrated for its shebeke stained-glass lattice windows assembled without glue or nails. Medieval Upper Caravanserai and Lower Caravanserai survive intact along what was once a key Silk Road transit corridor linking Persia and the Caucasus.

Where to Stay and What to Draw Visitors

Travellers arrive for the palace complex, the Sheki History Museum, and the city's living craft traditions: silk weaving, copper engraving, and the preparation of piti, a slow-cooked lamb and chickpea stew served in individual clay pots. The compact old town, walled and walkable, concentrates most hotels within 500 m of the palace gate. Autumn (September–November) brings cooler air and walnut-harvest markets in the surrounding villages of Kish and Gakh district.

Practical Tips

• Getting there: Marshrutkas from Baku's Avtovağzal bus station take approximately 5–6 hours; no direct rail service to the city centre.
• Currency: Azerbaijani manat (AZN); card acceptance is limited outside larger hotels.
• Season: April–June and September–October offer the most comfortable temperatures in the foothills.