Experience the best of Shamakhi

Shamakhi lies in the foothills of the Greater Caucasus, west of Baku, on the old road to Sheki. It was a capital of the Shirvanshahs, the medieval rulers of the region, and it has been rebuilt more than once after severe earthquakes, notably in 1902. Silk and carpets once made the town rich.

The Juma Mosque in the centre has been rebuilt after earthquakes, and the Yeddi Gumbaz, or Seven Domes, is a group of mausoleums of the Shirvan khans just outside town. The Diri Baba Mausoleum, a fifteenth-century tomb, is built into a cliff nearby, and an astrophysical observatory looks out from a hill above the town. Mountain villages such as Lahij, known for its coppersmiths, lie nearby.

Shirvan carpets, bright with geometric patterns, are the local craft, and vineyards on the nearby slopes produce wine. Meals feature plov with dried fruit and lamb stews, followed by strong tea, and winters bring snow to the hills.