Sheki

One of Azerbaijan's oldest and most beautiful cities, Sheki sits in a forested valley in the Greater Caucasus foothills and was a major Silk Road trading post for centuries — a history it still wears openly. The Khan's Palace, its interior covered in delicate shebeke stained-glass mosaics assembled without a single nail, is among the finest examples of 18th-century Azerbaijani architecture anywhere in the Caucasus. The district is also the home of kelagayi production — the UNESCO Intangible Heritage-listed Azerbaijani silk headscarf, still hand-block-printed in Sheki and the village of Basqal.

The surviving caravanserai, now converted into one of the most atmospheric hotels in the country, the working silk factories, and the traditional piti restaurants make Sheki a genuine destination rather than a single-attraction stop. Most visitors spend one to two nights here as part of a northern loop with Gabala.