Palace of the Shaki Khans

The Palace of the Shaki Khans stands within the walled citadel in the upper part of the city, at the end of a garden of old plane trees and walnut trees that cast shade over visitor groups in summer. The facade is what stops you first: a surface of latticed wood set with small coloured glass pieces assembled without a single nail or drop of glue, forming geometric panels — the shebeke — that filter midday light into blue, red and yellow patches on the portico floor. Mid-morning, when the sun shines directly on it, the effect on the stone floor is remarkable.

The interior surprises with the density of its frescoes: the walls and ceiling of the main hall are covered in paintings depicting the khan's hunting scenes, battles, flowers and birds in colours that have held up well through the two and a half centuries since their execution. The rooms are small, the ceilings low, and the natural light entering through the shebeke shifts the atmosphere according to the time of day. The throne room has a different acoustic from the rest of the building: footsteps sound different beneath the muqarnas vault.

The building is smaller than photographs suggest. A guided tour is compulsory for entry and lasts about 30–40 minutes; the price is around 5 manat (approximately €3). In high season there are large groups and sometimes you have to wait your turn in the shade of the garden. Outside the palace, the medieval citadel walls can be walked at no extra charge, with views over the rooftops of Shaki and the forest on the hillside.

The Palace of the Shaki Khans was built between 1761 and 1762 on the orders of Khan Huseyn Ali, who ruled the independent Shaki Khanate. The craftsmen who made the shebeke — leaded glass panels assembled in wood without mortar or nails — came from local craft traditions developed over centuries in the Caucasus region. When the Russian Empire annexed the khanate in 1819, the palace became a residence for tsarist officials, a use that gradually altered some of the original furnishings. In 2019, UNESCO inscribed the historic town of Shaki together with the palace on the World Heritage List, recognising both the architecture and the shebeke craft tradition.

• Shebeke facade The coloured glass panels assembled in wood without nails or glue are the building's most cited feature. It is worth getting close to see the thickness of the laths and the precision of the joinery; from a distance the effect is decorative, up close it is a demonstration of artisanal geometry.
• Frescoes of the main hall 18th-century murals depicting the khan's hunting scenes, battles and floral motifs; the ochre, turquoise blue and red colours are preserved with remarkable clarity for their age.
• Throne room A small space with a decorated central niche and a muqarnas ceiling; the acoustics differ from the rest of the building and the decoration is the densest in the entire palace.
• Citadel garden The tree-lined courtyard in front of the facade is the best spot to photograph the shebeke in morning sidelight. In summer it provides real shade while waiting your turn to enter.
• Medieval walls of Shaki The walled enclosure surrounding the palace dates in part from the 18th century and can be walked free of charge; it offers views over the rooftops of Shaki and the forest on the north hillside.

Photo gallery

Shaki is about 300 km northwest of Baku, approximately four hours by car along the motorway towards Ganja and then secondary road. There are daily trains from Baku taking about 6 hours; also marshrutkas from the central bus station in Baku. Local transport within the city is limited; the citadel is about 20 minutes' walk uphill from the centre. Local taxis cover the route for 2–3 manat.

September and October are the best months to visit the Palace of the Shaki Khans: the hillside forest changes colour, temperatures range between 16 and 24 degrees, and the morning sidelight highlights the shebeke on the facade. May and June also work well. Summer is humid and hot, with highs of 32–35 degrees. In winter it is cold and can be rainy, but there are few visitors and no queue for entry.