# Things to do in Sheki: top sights and where to go

> Sheki's old upper town, Yukhari Bash, climbs a Caucasus hillside: inside the walls of Sheki Fortress stand the Palace of the Shaki Khans with its stained-glass shebeke windows, the Round Temple and the Shakikhanovs' House, and a short walk down M. F. Akhundov Street brings you to the Upper Caravanserai and the Juma Mosque. See the town on foot in a day; keep the Albanian church in Kish village and the hilltop ruins of Galarsan-Gorarsan for a second morning by taxi.

Web page: https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/sheki

## Ready itineraries

- [One day in Sheki: an itinerary in the best order](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/sheki/in-1-day.md): The Gilahli minaret, cobbled Yukhari Bash, the khans' palace with shebeke stained glass, the fortress, the Round Temple, a caravanserai and the Juma Mosque.

## All 10 places with the YesGo score

- [Upper Caravanserai](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/sheki/sheki-caravanserai.md): YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Courtyard free (unofficial). The Upper Caravanserai (Yuxarı Karvansaray) is a vast Silk Road merchants’ inn on Sheki’s main street, run as a hotel with a restaurant…
- [Sheki Fortress](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/sheki/sheki-fortress.md): YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 40 min · Free; museums inside extra. Sheki Fortress — also called Nukha Fortress — is an 18th-century ring of stone walls, about 1.3 km long, at the top of Sheki, enclosing…
- [Gilahli Mosque Minaret](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/sheki/sheki-gilahli-minaret.md): YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 15 min · Free, viewed from outside. The Gilahli Minaret is a 13.5 m brick tower, all that survives of a 1749 mosque in Sheki's Gilahli quarter, half a kilometre east of the…
- [Juma Mosque](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/sheki/sheki-juma-mosque.md): YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Free. The Juma Mosque (Cümə məscidi) is Sheki's main Friday mosque, built in 1900–1914, with a free-standing 28.5 m brick minaret. It is a…
- [Sheki Old Town (Yukhari Bash)](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/sheki/sheki-old-town.md): YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · Free; museums on the way charge. Sheki Old Town is Yukhari Bash, the upper quarter and core of a UNESCO World Heritage site: cobbled Akhundov Street running down from the…
- [Palace of the Shaki Khans](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/sheki/sheki-khans-palace.md): YesGo score 41/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · 15 AZN for foreigners (unofficial). A small two-storey 18th-century summer residence inside Sheki Fortress — and the main reason to come to Sheki. Every wall is painted; the…
- [Shakikhanovs' House](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/sheki/shakikhanovs-house.md): YesGo score 40/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · 1–10 AZN (iTicket.AZ). Shakikhanovs' House is Sheki's second khan's palace: a two-storey 18th-century home of the khans' descendants, now a small museum with…
- [Round Temple](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/sheki/sheki-round-temple.md): YesGo score 40/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Free outside; museum fee not published. The Round Temple is a domed stone rotunda in Sheki Fortress, two minutes' walk from the Khan's Palace: once the Russian Orthodox Three…
- [Church of Kish](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/sheki/kish-church.md): YesGo score 33/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · 15 AZN for foreign visitors. The Church of Kish is a small 10th–12th-century stone church 5 km north of Sheki, presented in Azerbaijan as Caucasian Albanian and now a…
- [Galarsan-Gorarsan Fortress](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/sheki/galarsan-gorarsan.md): YesGo score 32/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h 30 min · Free, open ruins. Galarsan-Gorarsan (Gelersen-Gorersen) is a ruined medieval fortress on forested Garatepe hill above Kish village, about 4 km from Sheki…

## Sheki travel guide

Before you go: the Palace of the Sheki Khans, the caravanserai, the old town, getting there from Baku, weather.

## Trip essentials

- How many days: 1–2 days: palace, old town, Kish
- When to go: April–June and September–October
- From Baku: Bus or car ≈ 5 h
- Where to stay: In the old caravanserai or a guesthouse
- Visa: Most visitors apply for an e-visa (ASAN) online
- Time zone: UTC+4 all year

## Key facts

- **2019** — the historic centre of Sheki with the Khan’s Palace joined the UNESCO list (source: UNESCO World Heritage List, No. 1549)
- **18th c.** — the Palace of the Sheki Khans was built — its shebeke windows are assembled without nails or glue (source: Wikipedia, “Palace of Shaki Khans”)
- **Silk Road** — Sheki stood on it — hence its caravanserais and silk weaving (source: Wikipedia, “Shaki, Azerbaijan”)
- **Kish** — the nearby village has one of the oldest churches in the Caucasus (source: Wikipedia, “Church of Kish”)

## Things to do in Sheki

Sheki’s highlights are the Palace of the Sheki Khans with its shebeke stained glass, the fortress, a caravanserai you can sleep in, and the old town. Five kilometres away is Kish village with its ancient church; in the mountains, the Galarsan-Gorarsan fortress. Every place with its YesGo score is in the list above; the “Map” button shows them on a map.

| Where | What to see | Time |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Fortress** | [Khan’s Palace](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/sheki/sheki-khans-palace), [Fortress](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/sheki/sheki-fortress), [Round Temple](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/sheki/sheki-round-temple) | 2 h |
| **Old town** | [Old town](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/sheki/sheki-old-town), [Caravanserai](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/sheki/sheki-caravanserai), [Shakikhanovs’ House](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/sheki/shakikhanovs-house) | ½ day |
| **Mosques** | [Juma Mosque](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/sheki/sheki-juma-mosque), [Gilahli Minaret](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/sheki/sheki-gilahli-minaret) | 1 h |
| **Nearby** | [Kish](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/sheki/kish-church), [Galarsan-Gorarsan](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/sheki/galarsan-gorarsan) | ½ day |

Rather not plan it yourself? The list above has a ready itinerary, with places in a sensible order.

## Getting to Sheki from Baku

From Baku to Sheki is about 5 hours by bus or car over mountain passes. Combine the trip with Gabala and Lahij.

| From | How | Time |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **[Baku](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/baku)** | Bus | ≈ 5 h |
| **Baku** | Car, transfer | ≈ 4.5–5 h |

## Sheki weather by month

Sheki sits in the Caucasus foothills and is greener and wetter than Baku. April–June and September–October are best. Summer reaches about 30 °C; winter is cool, about 5 °C by day.

- **January in Sheki**: day ≈ 5°C, night ≈ -2°C, rainy days: 5. Cool and quiet.
- **February in Sheki**: day ≈ 7°C, night ≈ -1°C, rainy days: 6. Cool, sometimes snow in the hills.
- **March in Sheki**: day ≈ 12°C, night ≈ 3°C, rainy days: 9. Spring, Novruz.
- **April in Sheki** (best time): day ≈ 18°C, night ≈ 8°C, rainy days: 10. Warm, the mountains turn green.
- **May in Sheki** (best time): day ≈ 23°C, night ≈ 12°C, rainy days: 11. Warm and green — the best month.
- **June in Sheki**: day ≈ 28°C, night ≈ 16°C, rainy days: 9. Warm, about 28°.
- **July in Sheki**: day ≈ 31°C, night ≈ 19°C, rainy days: 6. Hot, about 31°. Cooler in the mountains.
- **August in Sheki**: day ≈ 30°C, night ≈ 18°C, rainy days: 6. Hot and dry.
- **September in Sheki** (best time): day ≈ 26°C, night ≈ 15°C, rainy days: 6. Warm, about 26°. Nut and fruit harvest.
- **October in Sheki** (best time): day ≈ 19°C, night ≈ 9°C, rainy days: 7. Autumn mountains, about 19°.
- **November in Sheki**: day ≈ 12°C, night ≈ 4°C, rainy days: 6. Cool.
- **December in Sheki**: day ≈ 7°C, night ≈ 0°C, rainy days: 5. About 7°, quiet.

“Rain” counts days with precipitation. The mountains above Sheki are cooler than the town.

## Sheki ticket prices

The old town and the caravanserai from outside are free. You pay for the Khan’s Palace, museums and the church in Kish.

- [Upper Caravanserai](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/sheki/sheki-caravanserai) — Courtyard free (unofficial)
- [Sheki Fortress](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/sheki/sheki-fortress) — Free; museums inside extra
- [Gilahli Mosque Minaret](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/sheki/sheki-gilahli-minaret) — Free, viewed from outside
- [Juma Mosque](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/sheki/sheki-juma-mosque) — Free
- [Sheki Old Town (Yukhari Bash)](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/sheki/sheki-old-town) — Free; museums on the way charge
- [Palace of the Shaki Khans](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/sheki/sheki-khans-palace) — 15 AZN for foreigners (unofficial)
- [Shakikhanovs' House](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/sheki/shakikhanovs-house) — 1–10 AZN (iTicket.AZ)
- [Round Temple](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/sheki/sheki-round-temple) — Free outside; museum fee not published
- [Church of Kish](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/sheki/kish-church) — 15 AZN for foreign visitors
- [Galarsan-Gorarsan Fortress](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/sheki/galarsan-gorarsan) — Free, open ruins

## Tips

- Photography isn’t allowed inside the Khan’s Palace — take time to look at the shebeke up close.
- Try Sheki halva and piti — a lamb stew in a clay pot.
- A night in the caravanserai is Sheki’s most atmospheric stay.

## Questions

### Is Sheki worth visiting?

Yes, for the UNESCO-listed Khan’s Palace with its intricate stained glass, a Silk Road caravanserai, green mountains and great local food.

### How do I get from Baku to Sheki?

By bus or car in about 5 hours over the mountains.

## Sources

- UNESCO World Heritage List, No. 1549 “Historic Centre of Sheki with the Khan’s Palace”
- Wikipedia, “Shaki, Azerbaijan”; “Palace of Shaki Khans”; “Church of Kish”

Facts checked: 09.11.2026

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