# Sheki Fortress, Sheki > 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 the Palace of the Shaki Khans, the Round Temple and craft workshops. Walking in through the gate is free; allow about 40 minutes for the grounds, and pay separately for each museum. The grounds are open in daylight, with no official hours published. Web page: https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/sheki/sheki-fortress - City: [Sheki](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/sheki), Azerbaijan - YesGo score: 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 40 min - With kids: Fine with kids - Entry to the grounds: Free, through the South Gate — unofficial, per two travel guides - Museums inside: Separate tickets for foreigners: Khan's Palace 15 AZN from 1 January 2026 (Report.az), art gallery ≈ 5 AZN — unofficial - Hours: Grounds in daylight; palace and museums roughly 9:00–18:00 - Closed: No weekly closing day — the palace has sessions every day - Time needed: 40 minutes for the walls and grounds, plus 30–45 minutes for the palace - Getting there: From Sheki bus station, marshrutka or taxi up Akhundov Avenue — ≈ 10 min - Payment: Cash in manat; cards aren't taken everywhere in the old town - Address: Top end of Mirza Fatali Akhundov Avenue, Yukhari Bash - Coordinates: 41.20397, 47.19671 - Facts checked: 02.11.2026 ## Key facts - **≈ 1.3 km** — length of the fortress wall (one guide says 1.5 km) (source: English and Russian Wikipedia; Travel Melodies; OneTwoTrip) - **Free** — to walk the grounds; only the museums inside charge (source: Travel Melodies; Monkey's Tale — unofficial) - **2019** — part of the UNESCO site Historic Centre of Sheki with the Khan's Palace (no. 1549) (source: English and Russian Wikipedia) - **2.2 m** — thickness of the walls (source: English and Russian Wikipedia; History Hit; Travel Melodies) - **4–8 m** — wall height: about 4 m on the north side, about 8 m on the lower south side (source: Russian Wikipedia; Travel Melodies) - **2 gates** — arched gates on the north and south sides; the South Gate is the main entrance (source: Russian Wikipedia; History Hit; Monkey's Tale) - **21 towers** — defensive towers along the wall (one guide counts 12) (source: Russian Wikipedia; Travel Melodies; eurasia.travel) - **18th century** — built 1743–1755 under Haji Chelebi — or in 1765 under Muhammad Husayn Khan Mushtaq (source: English Wikipedia and History Hit; Russian Wikipedia and the 1890 Britannica) - **≈ 40 buildings** — stood inside the walls under the khans: a winter palace, family houses, service quarters (source: English Wikipedia; History Hit) - **1958–1963** — the major restoration that gave the walls and towers their present look (source: English and Russian Wikipedia; History Hit) ## Is Sheki Fortress free to enter? Yes. Two independent travel guides say you can walk through the **South Gate** and wander the grounds without a ticket. What you pay for are the museums inside. We found no official price list from the Yukhari Bash reserve, so the figures below are **unofficial**. The [Palace of the Shaki Khans](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/sheki/sheki-khans-palace) costs a foreign adult 15 AZN from 1 January 2026, according to Report.az's report on the new fees; iTicket.AZ also sells tickets. The Sheki State Art Gallery inside the walls is about 5 AZN for foreigners. The museum in the Round Temple and the History and Ethnography Museum are sometimes shut: unofficially, both were closed in 2025 — we're still checking. Payment: bring Azerbaijani manat in cash. Hotels and larger restaurants in Sheki take Visa and Mastercard, but craft shops, small museums and marshrutkas usually want cash, and ATMs up in the old town are few. Withdraw in the lower town or in Baku before you come up. > **Free grounds, paid museums — and no photos in the palace** The gate is free, but every building worth going into has its own ticket, and the palace bans photography inside. Plan on cash for each one. If you only have an hour, skip the smaller museums and spend it on the walls and the palace. ## Is Sheki Fortress worth visiting? Yes — not because the walls are spectacular on their own, but because everything you came to Sheki for sits behind them. It's the natural start of any day in the old town: walk in, look along the ramparts, then work your way to the palace at the far end. Set your expectations, though. Very little from the khans' era survives inside apart from the walls and the palace; most of the buildings are 19th-century Russian barracks and offices in stone and brick, now used as galleries and shops. On its own the fortress is a 40-minute stroll. With the palace, the [Round Temple](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/sheki/sheki-round-temple) and the workshops it fills a relaxed morning. ## What to see inside the walls - **The South Gate** — an arch in the crenellated wall and the main way in. The walls are at their tallest here, about 8 metres, because the slope drops away. - **The ramparts and towers** — walk along the inside of the wall for round towers, loopholes and the forested ridges above town. - **The Round Temple** — the first building past the gate, a domed former garrison church that now houses a decorative arts museum when it's open. - **The shebeke workshop** — coloured glass fitted into wooden lattice without nails or glue; finished pieces are on sale. - **Craftsmen's House and the ABAD centre** — ceramics, kelaghayi silk scarves, copperware and sweets. - **Sheki State Art Gallery** — local painters in an old government building. - **The Palace of the Shaki Khans** — at the end of the main lane, behind a pool and two plane trees. It's the reason to come to Sheki. ## Sheki Fortress history: who built it and when Nobody agrees on a single date. English Wikipedia and History Hit credit **Haji Chelebi**, khan of Shaki, and give 1743–1755. Russian Wikipedia, following the 1890 Britannica, names **Muhammad Husayn Khan Mushtaq** and the year 1765. Both may be true: the walls were likely built and rebuilt in stages. Nukha is the town's old name, which is why you'll also see Nukha Fortress or Nuxa qalası. The khanate came under the Russian Empire in the early 1800s; the khan's court inside the walls was cleared, and barracks and official buildings took its place. The walls and towers were rebuilt in 1958–1963, and in 2019 the fortress became part of the UNESCO site Historic Centre of Sheki with the Khan's Palace. ## How to get to Sheki Fortress 1. From Baku: bus or minibus from Baku International Bus Terminal (Avtovağzal) to Sheki bus station — about 5 hours. The nearest airport with regular flights is Baku (GYD); Gabala (GBB) is closer but has few flights. 2. From Sheki bus station: a marshrutka up Mirza Fatali Akhundov Avenue towards Yukhari Bash, or a taxi — about 10 minutes. Guides give different route numbers (11, 7, 22), so treat them as unofficial and ask the driver for "Xan Sarayı". 3. An easy drop-off point for a taxi is the [Upper Caravanserai](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/sheki/sheki-caravanserai); the fortress is a few minutes' walk uphill on the same avenue. 4. Keep going to the top end of Akhundov Avenue — the South Gate is right there, and there's nothing to pay. 5. Follow the main lane inside: workshops and the Round Temple on either side, the palace at the very end, about five minutes at a stroll. ## Fortress, palace or Galarsan-Gorarsan? | | Sheki Fortress | Khan's Palace | Galarsan-Gorarsan | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | What it is | 18th-century walls and towers with a quarter inside | The khans' summer palace, painted halls and shebeke | Ruins of a medieval hilltop fortress | | Where | Top of Akhundov Avenue | Inside the fortress walls | In the hills above Kish village | | Entry | Free | Paid, 15 AZN for foreigners (unofficial) | A steep hiking trail | | Time | ≈ 40 minutes | 30–45 minutes | Half a day with the drive | | Best for | Everyone — the start of the walk | Everyone — Sheki's highlight | Hikers | Based on English and Russian Wikipedia, OneTwoTrip and travel guides; prices are unofficial. ## Before you go: checklist - [ ] Cash manat for museums, workshops and the marshrutka - [ ] Arrive by 17:00 if I want the palace - [ ] Comfortable shoes for uphill cobbles - [ ] Camera for outside — not inside the palace - [ ] An extra hour for the caravanserai and old town ## Historic sites in Sheki compared Every historic site in Sheki rated by YesGo. - [Sheki Fortress](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/sheki/sheki-fortress) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 40 min · Free; museums inside extra - [Upper Caravanserai](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/sheki/sheki-caravanserai) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Courtyard free (unofficial) - [Gilahli Mosque Minaret](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/sheki/sheki-gilahli-minaret) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 15 min · Free, viewed from outside - [Juma Mosque](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/sheki/sheki-juma-mosque) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Free - [Sheki Old Town (Yukhari Bash)](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/sheki/sheki-old-town) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · Free; museums on the way charge - [Palace of the Shaki Khans](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/sheki/sheki-khans-palace) — YesGo score 41/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · 15 AZN for foreigners (unofficial) - [Shakikhanovs' House](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/sheki/shakikhanovs-house) — YesGo score 40/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · 1–10 AZN (iTicket.AZ) - [Round Temple](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/sheki/sheki-round-temple) — YesGo score 40/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Free outside; museum fee not published - [Church of Kish](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/sheki/kish-church) — YesGo score 33/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · 15 AZN for foreign visitors - [Galarsan-Gorarsan Fortress](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/sheki/galarsan-gorarsan) — YesGo score 32/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h 30 min · Free, open ruins ## Upper Sheki in half a day The gate and walls, the Round Temple, the Khan's Palace, tea at the caravanserai and Shakikhanovs' House. 1. [Sheki Fortress](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/sheki/sheki-fortress) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 40 min · Free; museums inside extra 2. [Round Temple](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/sheki/sheki-round-temple) — YesGo score 40/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Free outside; museum fee not published 3. [Palace of the Shaki Khans](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/sheki/sheki-khans-palace) — YesGo score 41/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · 15 AZN for foreigners (unofficial) 4. [Upper Caravanserai](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/sheki/sheki-caravanserai) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Courtyard free (unofficial) 5. [Shakikhanovs' House](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/sheki/shakikhanovs-house) — YesGo score 40/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · 1–10 AZN (iTicket.AZ) > **Come early or late in the day** Midday brings the tour buses from Baku and a queue at the palace. Early morning the lanes are empty; late afternoon the sun warms the walls and the mountains behind. Give the ramparts their own slow loop rather than rushing past them to the palace. ## Good to know Galarsan-Gorarsan is a different fortress — hilltop ruins outside town reached on foot, with [its own page](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/sheki/galarsan-gorarsan). The fortresses of Derbent, Shusha and Baku are in other cities. Hotels with "Qala" in the name are not the fortress. ## Tips - Start your day at the South Gate — everything in Yukhari Bash is close, and the Khan's Palace is at the end of the lane. - Walk the inside of the wall: it's the best view of the towers and the mountains, and almost nobody goes there. - If the Round Temple is closed, you still get a good look at its dome from the lane. - At the shebeke workshop, ask whether they'll show you how a panel is assembled — sometimes they do. - Afterwards, walk five minutes downhill to the Upper Caravanserai for tea. - Stay the night and you can add the [church in Kish](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/sheki/kish-church) and [Shakikhanovs' House](https://yesgo.io/azerbaijan/sheki/shakikhanovs-house). ## Questions ### Is Sheki Fortress free? Yes, walking the grounds is free according to two travel guides (unofficial). The museums inside charge separately — 15 AZN for a foreign adult at the Khan's Palace from 1 January 2026 (per Report.az) and about 5 AZN for the art gallery. ### What is inside Sheki Fortress? The Palace of the Shaki Khans, the Round Temple with a decorative arts museum, a shebeke workshop, Craftsmen's House, the ABAD crafts centre and the Sheki State Art Gallery. ### How long do you need at Sheki Fortress? About 40 minutes for the walls and grounds. With the palace, the Round Temple and the workshops, plan on an hour and a half to two hours. ### What are the Sheki Fortress opening hours? No official hours are published for the grounds — the gate is open in daylight. The palace and museums run roughly 9:00–18:00 daily (unofficial). ### How do I get to Sheki Fortress from the bus station? Take a marshrutka or taxi up Akhundov Avenue to Yukhari Bash, about 10 minutes. Route numbers differ between guides, so ask the driver. ### Who built Sheki Fortress? Sources differ: Haji Chelebi in 1743–1755 per English Wikipedia, or Muhammad Husayn Khan Mushtaq in 1765 per Russian Wikipedia and the 1890 Britannica. ### Why is it also called Nukha Fortress? Nukha was the old name of Sheki, so you'll see Nukha Fortress, Nukh Fortress or Nuxa qalası on maps and in older guides. ### Can you walk on the walls of Sheki Fortress? We found no reliable confirmation. You can walk along the inside of the wall, and the mountains are in view from the lanes. ### Is Sheki Fortress the same as Galarsan-Gorarsan? No. Galarsan-Gorarsan is a separate ruined fortress on a hill above Kish, reached by a hiking trail. ## How we checked We found no official Yukhari Bash reserve website with hours for the fortress grounds. Free entry is reported by two independent travel guides but is unofficial. The construction date is disputed — 1743–1755 per English Wikipedia and History Hit, 1765 per Russian Wikipedia and the 1890 Britannica — so we show both. Wall length is 1.3 km in three sources and 1.5 km in one; tower count is 21 in Russian Wikipedia and one guide, 12 in another. Three guides give different marshrutka numbers (11, 7, 22), so none is stated as fact. No source confirmed whether visitors may walk on top of the walls. The 15 AZN palace price comes from Report.az's report on fees from 1 January 2026; there is no official price list, so it is marked as verifying. The 2025 closure of the Round Temple and History and Ethnography museums is unofficial. Payment advice combines the national tourism board (cards in restaurants, ATMs in town) with travel guides that recommend cash. ## Sources - English Wikipedia: Shaki fortress; Wikidata Q12843453 - Russian Wikipedia: Шекинская крепость — dates, wall dimensions, towers, gates, 1958–1963 restoration - History Hit: Sheki Fortress — history, gates, about 40 buildings, restoration - Travel Melodies: Best things to do in Sheki — free entry, wall heights, towers, what's inside, gallery price - Monkey's Tale: Discover the mountain city of Sheki, 2025 — South Gate, free grounds, Round Church closed, transport - OneTwoTrip: Sheki guide (in Russian) — Nukha fortress, Galarsan-Gorarsan - Azerbaijan Tourism Board (azerbaijan.travel): Historic Centre of Sheki, card payments and ATMs - iTicket.AZ: Palace of the Shaki Khans session schedule, 02.11.2026 - Report.az: Azerbaijan introduces new museum fees for foreign visitors, 18.12.2025 — 15 AZN for foreigners at the Khan's Palace from 1 January 2026 --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. 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