Shamakhi Tour Guide
About Shamakhi
Shamakhi has been very important city of Azerbaijan and one of the oldest cities. It is located at the distance of 122 km west of Baku, in the foothills of the Greater Causcasus. The city was founded as early as in the 5th century BC and has been the capital of the media state, Shirvan and the Shamakhi Khanate in different periods of history. For a long time the city was one of the most important points on the Great Silk Road. Due to its rich historical past, Shamakhi is now full of sights which have well preserved, despite the large number of earthquakes occurring here. Shamakhi is famous for its nature and one of the popular tourist resorts of Azerbaijan. There are numerous famous sites to visit in the region of Shamakhi. Shamakhi has become the most popular tourist destination within Azerbaijan that is supposed to play a vital role in the promotion of Azerbaijan tourism.
Demirchi Village
It is an ancient small mountain village, located 30 km north of Shamakhi. Demirchi literally means “blacksmith” that existed here since the time of Caucasian Albania. The small village has the population of 240 inhabitants whose major livelihood was blacksmithing and this is why the village is called after this meaning ‘blacksmith’. The village played important role in making weapons and all kind of other iron related ornaments but with the passage of time this industry is no more heavily active as it used to be, however the village is still full of skilled craftsmen and blacksmiths. Demirchi is also famous for carpet weaving; same as the Lahij village that is just 22 km from this village.
Gulistan Fortress
This is one of the top historical monuments of Azerbaijan that has seen many wars, earthquakes and the rulers. It was damaged after the centuries but has been restored for the visitors. It offers the superb view of Shamakhi from the top of this fortress. Gulistan literally means “a flower garden” and the fortress where it is located justify the meaning of Gulistan. The fortress has been a stronghold of Shirvan’s but at the same time it has been under Ottoman Empire as Turkish Garrison. Some of the ruins have been preserved but some still needs to be preserved.
Juma Mosque
Juma Mosque, built in 743, is one of the oldest (second after Derbent) and the largest in Shamakhi region. More than 3000 people can pray at the same time in this mosque. It is said that it is in this mosque, where Khazar Khan adopted Islam. The mosque survived a series of powerful earthquakes and was restored several times. After the earthquake of 1902, the restoration works were initially carried out on the basis of the project of Zivarbey Ahmadbeyov, and then by the Polish architect Josef Ploshko. However, the work based on the project of ploshko was not completed. Despite this fact, even in this form the mosque retained its greatness.
During the March 1918 events committed Armenian dashnaks, many local residents decided to take refuge in the mosque thinking that this would stop even the enemy. However Armenians burned the mosque filled with people. In 2009, the reconstruction of the historical mosque was started and finally in 2013 gained back the lost glory.
Please note that entering the mosque is forbidden in inappropriate clothing such as shorts, open blouses, etc. therefore if you decide to visit this place, foresee appropriate clothing, even covering head for women is more decent. Women can rent abaya over-garments in the mosque if they don’t have such clothing with them.
Pirgulu
Pirgulu, located 22 km from Shamakhi is a picturesque mountain resort that is now one of the top tourist attractions of Shamakhi region. In order to protect the natural forest reserves it has been declared natural reserves and well protected and is now part of Shahdag National Park, covering the territory of several regions. It is now the largest national park covering 90% of dense forests. It is now turned into a Safari Park and open to the visitors who can also witness wild life over here. However, Pirgulu is also famous for the observatory located over here.
The cemetry is an old site on the opposite side of Shamakhi through the valley, which offers a beautiful view of the city. The famous Yeddi Gumbez complex is located in this cemetery. The name of the monument in Azerbaijan literally means “seven domes” and refers to number of mausoleum tombs of the Shirvan rulers, built here in the 17th-19th centuries. The seven tombs contain the remains of the last representatives of the Shirvanshah dynasty, members of the family of the last Shamakhi Khan – Mustufa Khan. Each tomb contains 3-4 graves with massive gravestones.
The name of the architect-Usta Taji Memar – was carved on a stone above the entrance to one of the tombs, where Mustufa Khan’s mother was buried in 1810. Although the domes and walls of one or two mausoleums have almost collapsed, the remaining ones are well preserved by the local government and continue attracting tourists across the globe. One can also witness Arabic writing on these graves.