We arrived at the sleepy hill town of Sheki at about six in the evening, but we had not anticipated that there would be so many tourists. Actually, it was the only day of Ramadan and Eid, and the entire Azerbaijan had descended on the hill town for a brief holiday. Thus, we had some issues finding a hotel as most hotels were booked. But the adventurer in me was alive, and we finally found this quaint guest house tucked away on a steep hill. It was quite a climb to get to Sheki House. The place was run by an old Turkish family of farmers who grew hens and sheep and kept cows for their sustenance. It was a farmer’s house in a village, and I had the great opportunity to spend the night in this typical village home in this part of the world.
The husband got me some tea, and the wife gave me bread to eat. They were very kind and helpful, just village folks, simple farming people, and they were very nice to me. The wifi is not too good, apart from that, they serve a great breakfast of eggs, milk, juice, bread with cheese. There is hot water to have a bath, and towels and quilts are all provided. One has to walk back up a slope to get to the main town square of Sheki. On the side of the guest house is a brand where the farmer grew chicken and also reared sheep and goats.
Sheki is a town known for its weavers and weaving factories. They make amazing carpets and shawls that are sold to Japan and many other countries. Azerbaijan is also a great exporter of honey and saffron, along with beef and lamb. Of course, they have the oil and natural gas that they export to the world as well.
Not getting a hotel turned out to be a blessing as I got to stay with such unique people and got the opportunity to get to know the farmer community of this remarkable town. The hill view from Sheki is wonderful, and there is a constant cloud cover and mist in the sky overshadowing the mountains as the sunlight seeps through onto the ground and roads of Sheki.
Sheki House was now my abode for two days in Sheki, and I was itching to explore the wonders of this place. Our first stop was the Sheki Khan Palace and Fortress built-in 1752-1762. This is the palace of the king of Sheki, the Khan’s. The entry fee is nine manat, and one can walk to the palace. There were tourists around due to the holiday, and I managed to video two old folks just singing and playing their flute and drums. There were couples and full-fledged families, there were also school kids and history enthusiasts. I ventured into the palace but was not allowed to take pictures. The walls of the place were painted with battle scenes between the Russian army and the Azerbaijan Army. Here Uslan, my driver and guide, told me, “You see the battle scene, wait there are more than two hundred soldiers depicted in the scene and no one had of the soldier is the same as the other, all heads are painted differently and are unique.” Uslan pointed out why the painting was so rich and revered.
The palace has long, cobbled streets made out of great stone, and one can walk two kilometers around the place to explore further. There are shops selling art and curios, and there is an old tomb around the place premises.
The Sheki Place was the seat of the khan’s, the rulers of Sheki who ruled it until the seventeenth century, but in 1813 Russia annexed the land of Sheki and annexed it with the treaty of Glisten after they won the Russia-Persian war 1803-1813.
This was a very artistic place with a lot of wall art and sculptures on display. The weather was perfect for a nice stroll around this ancient and opulent Place just meant for the Khan’s. The place is made of brick, river stone, oak, and plants. It took ten years to build, and no glue or nail was used to build this Place with magnificent painting depicting hunting and war scenes from history painted on its walls, ceilings, pillars, and tapestries.
Colored glass from Venice was used to build its windows; thus, the light that filters into the place is of rich colors of a rainbow: yellow, green, red, and blue. The place has 6 rooms, four corridors, and two mirrored balconies.
The first room is the welcome room or the visitors’ room where the Shah would meet his key advisors and other diplomats. There was also a water fountain in the room which could be turned on if the Shah wanted to discuss something really secret with his ministers or advisers. The second room was the women’s room which had intricate paintings and carvings of flowers, birds, and exotic trees; this was more suitable for women where the Shah’s queen would meet the wives of other diplomats and entertain them. I had the privilege of seeing all the rooms from the inside and admire the wall paintings.
The final room was the Khan’s private study where he could come and relax and think, make plans and introspect. Here in this room, the paintings show lions attacking deer and dragons bearing flowers out of their nostrils, reminding the Khan that he has to be benevolent towards his subjects and treat the weak fairly.
There are two huge, great colored Chinar Trees that grow in the gardens around the Palace, and these are 500 years old, a must-see and a great snapping opportunity.