Shirvan · Azerbaijan · since antiquity
The ancient capital of Shirvan at the foot of the Caucasus. A city of the Juma Mosque and mausoleums, the home of poets and the grapevine, ruined more than once by earthquakes — and always reborn.
What this place is
Shamakhi is one of Azerbaijan's oldest cities and the historic capital of Shirvan. The caravans of the Great Silk Road passed through it, and its name was known far beyond the Caucasus.
Earthquakes more than once razed the city almost to the ground, but it always rebuilt itself. Today Shamakhi keeps the memory of Shirvan's golden age.
Five faces of Shamakhi
"Shamakhi is a city of mosques, poets and the grapevine."
On the ancient capital of Shirvan
Heritage in stone
Shamakhi's chief shrine is the Juma Mosque, founded back in 743. It is among the oldest in the Caucasus: earthquakes ruined it more than once, and each time it was rebuilt.
About the heritageCome and see
Today it is easy to reach Shamakhi from Baku — for the ancient mosque, the mausoleums, the mountain air and the starry sky over the observatory. The city is worth lingering in.
