On Saturday I traveled with Halima and a bunch of students to one of Azerbaijan's oldest towns, Sheki. Sheki is situated about three hours from Ganja in the middle of the Caucus mountains, close to the Russian and Georgian border. The first part of the drive is not particularly noteworthy, but after about an hour and a half we begin our approach to the Caucus mountains. This is a spectacular sight. The mountains are first are more like large rock formations, with not much grass. As we drive deeper into the mountains they become greener and are intermittently dotted with houses. Sheki is an ancient town that was used as a stopping point along the Silk Road for traders from the east who often traveled by camels (there are no camels in Azerbaijan). Sheki is over 2,700 years old and you feel it when you enter the city. Our first stop was the "Karavansaray" which is an ancient inn that is still used for that purpose, although it has been fabulously modernized. We ate in the inn's cozy restaurant which included an impressive spread of kebab, sauces, bread, veggies and soup.
We then headed to visit the "Sheki Khan Sarayi" (Sheki Khan's Palace). This is a fortified palace that was started by Chalibi Khan who led a revolt against the Persian Empire in 1743. His palace was passed on to his son, but then in 1805 the "khanate" signed a treaty with Alexander I of Russia making it a Russian Vassal State. Soon there after the Russians stole the ornate flooring of the palace which is now in the Hermitage. The palace have beautiful stained glass windows and was supposedly built without the use of nails.
After the palace we headed to a beautiful mountain park and lake which was followed by a hike to an another ancient sight. We walked through a very old mountain village and arrived at an "Albanian Church", which after much questioning on my part was declared a "Roman" church. The sight was studied by archeologists from Norway along with Azeris and was restored about 10 years ago. I had an amazing time learning about Azerbaijan's rich history, it left me awe struck and wanting to learn more.
On Saturday I traveled with Halima and a bunch of students to one of Azerbaijan's oldest towns, Sheki. Sheki is situated about three hours from Ganja in the middle of the Caucus mountains, close to the Russian and Georgian border. The first part of the drive is not particularly noteworthy, but after about an hour and a half we begin our approach to the Caucus mountains. This is a spectacular sight. The mountains are first are more like large rock formations, with not much grass. As we drive deeper into the mountains they become greener and are intermittently dotted with houses. Sheki is an ancient town that was used as a stopping point along the Silk Road for traders from the east who often traveled by camels (there are no camels in Azerbaijan). Sheki is over 2,700 years old and you feel it when you enter the city. Our first stop was the "Karavansaray" which is an ancient inn that is still used for that purpose, although it has been fabulously modernized. We ate in the inn's cozy restaurant which included an impressive spread of kebab, sauces, bread, veggies and soup.
We then headed to visit the "Sheki Khan Sarayi" (Sheki Khan's Palace). This is a fortified palace that was started by Chalibi Khan who led a revolt against the Persian Empire in 1743. His palace was passed on to his son, but then in 1805 the "khanate" signed a treaty with Alexander I of Russia making it a Russian Vassal State. Soon there after the Russians stole the ornate flooring of the palace which is now in the Hermitage. The palace have beautiful stained glass windows and was supposedly built without the use of nails. 
After the palace we headed to a beautiful mountain park and lake which was followed by a hike to an another ancient sight. We walked through a very old mountain village and arrived at an "Albanian Church", which after much questioning on my part was declared a "Roman" church. The sight was studied by archeologists from Norway along with Azeris and was restored about 10 years ago. I had an amazing time learning about Azerbaijan's rich history, it left me awe struck and wanting to learn more.
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