Route Builder: North-West

Juma Mosque of Shamakhi. Shamakhi's main mosque, founded in 743/744 (126 AH). It was damaged and rebuilt many times, after the 1859 earthquake and the 1918 clashes among others, and was restored in its original form in 2009–2013. It is an active mosque.

Yeddi Gumbaz (Seven Domes) Mausoleum. A cemetery with domed tombs of the family of Mustafa Khan, the last khan of Shamakhi, about 1.5 km south of town. The earliest tomb is dated 1810 by inscription and the latest 1865–1867; three of the seven domes survive.

Meysari Winery (Shirvan Wines). The Shirvan Wines estate in Meysari village, opened in 2018, makes the Meysari brand, the first EU-certified organic wines in Azerbaijan. Visits include a vineyard and cellar tour with tasting in the Abgora restaurant, plus a small museum and a guesthouse. The Grape and Wine Festival is held on its grounds every September.

Basqal (Basgal). A historic Silk Road weaving village and one of the two home towns of kelaghayi, the block-printed silk headscarf on UNESCO's intangible heritage list. It has been a State Historical-Cultural Reserve since 1989, with the Sheikh Mohammed Mosque (1531) and a 17th-century bathhouse restored in 2021 as a hammam museum. Local artisans offer kelaghayi masterclasses.

Garanohur Lake. A small mountain lake at about 1,540 m in the forests of Shahdag National Park, around 8 km north-east of Ismayilli town. A marked 5.5 km trail from Talistan village takes about 3 hours, climbing steadily with a steeper final kilometre.

Lahij (Lahic, Lagich). A mountain craftsmen's village on the Girdiman river, protected as a historical-cultural reserve since 1980, with river-stone cobbled streets and stone-and-timber houses. The pedestrian main street, N. Huseynov Street (the old Bazaar Street, just over 1 km long), is lined with working copper workshops, shops and cafés. Lahij copper craftsmanship is on UNESCO's intangible heritage list.

Lahij copper workshops, Huseynov Street. The main street holds the village's copper workshops and shops, where coppersmiths still hammer and engrave by hand. Lonely Planet names a working forge at No. 82 and a photogenic coppersmithy with an antique corner at Nos. 43–45. Visitors can try a chasing masterclass.

Lahij History and Ethnography Museum. A small local museum with about 1,200 exhibits, including 2,000-year-old pottery and 18th-century bellows used for copper smelting. It was long housed in the 1914 Aghaoglu mosque and moved in May 2020 to the Lahij Community Center, where part of the collection is shown.

Badoyun Mosque. A neighbourhood mosque of Lahij built in 1791 and restored with support from the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, as reported in November 2021.

Yeddi Gozel (Seven Beauties) Waterfall. A multi-tiered waterfall in a narrow forested gorge near Vandam village, just before Gabala on the road from Baku. A short walk from the car park leads along stairs and walkways to viewing platforms; the first level is easy, the upper ones require climbing stairs.

Nohur Lake (Lake Nokhur). A forest-fringed lake at about 700 m with Caucasus views, between Vandam village and Gabala. The shore has walking areas, cafés and pedal-boat rental, making it an easy scenic stop.

Tufandag Mountain Resort — cable cars. A year-round mountain resort 4 km from Gabala town. Four gondola and chairlift lines (almost 6 km in total) climb to a viewing platform at 1,920 m with wide views over the Caucasus foothills; skiing in winter, cable-car rides, hiking and a mountain swing in summer.

Historic Centre of Sheki with the Khan's Palace. A historic Silk Road town at the foot of the Greater Caucasus, rebuilt on higher ground after a mudflow in 1772. Its high-roofed houses, gardens, water channels and silk-trade buildings show a mix of Safavid, Qajar and Russian influences. The UNESCO site includes the Khan's Palace, the fortress, caravanserais, mosques and old neighbourhoods.

Palace of Shaki Khans (Sheki Khan's Palace). The 18th-century residence of the Shaki khans, set inside the town fortress. Its facade is famous for shebeke, wooden lattice windows with coloured glass assembled without nails or glue, and its rooms are covered with original murals. Visits are short, and photography is not allowed inside.

Shebeke Workshop. A shebeke (wood-and-glass lattice) workshop inside the fortress, a short walk from the Khan's Palace. Visitors watch local craftsmen at work and can try assembling a small piece themselves.

Shakikhanovs' House (Shekikhanovs' House). An 18th-century residence of the Shakikhanov family with six rooms, murals of scenes from Nizami's poems and stalactite-style decoration. Today it is a small museum run by the Yukhari Bash reserve, quieter than the Khan's Palace.

Upper Caravanserai. One of Sheki's two great Silk Road caravanserais, with about 300 rooms around an arcaded courtyard. Today it works as a hotel with a restaurant, and non-guests can visit the courtyard.

Lower Caravanserai (Ashaghy Caravanserai). Sheki's second great caravanserai, even larger than the Upper one, with gates on four sides and more than 240 rooms. A travel blog reports it closed for restoration, so plan to see it from outside.

Juma Mosque of Sheki. Sheki's main Friday mosque, built in 1900–1914, with a 28.5 m minaret. It is an active place of worship, with a madrasa next door since 1993.

Church of Kish (Kish Albanian Church). A Caucasian Albanian church in Kish village, about 5 km north of Sheki, with the present building dated to about 990–1160 AD and much older cult layers below the altar. Restored in 2000–2003 with Norwegian support, it now houses a museum with archaeological finds and glass-covered graves.

Sheki Halva (Sheki Pakhlava). Sheki's signature sweet: layers of lacy rice-flour "rishta" filled with hazelnuts, cardamom and coriander, topped with saffron and soaked in syrup. It is made by professional halva makers, and some workshops offer year-round masterclasses where you prepare, decorate and taste your own.

Sheki Piti. A rich lamb soup with tail fat and chickpeas, slow-cooked for 8–10 hours in individual clay pots. It is eaten in two stages: first the broth with crumbled bread, then the mashed meat and chickpeas, often with raw onion.

Icheribazar. The "Inner Bazaar" quarter in central Gakh, with stone walls, gates and two-storey houses with balconies, plus a small open-air theatre used for summer concerts. Craft workshops (wood carving, weaving) and a souvenir shop line the street. Especially lively on summer evenings.

Gakh History and Ethnography Museum. Founded in 1981, first housed in a 19th-century church and in its current building since 1991. About 11,500 items in eight sections cover archaeology, ethnography, tools, textiles and traditional dress of the district.

St George's Church, Gakh (Gakh-Ingiloy). An active Georgian Orthodox church of the local Ingiloy community, built in the mid-19th century (1855 per one source), white with a stone bell tower and a brightly painted interior. Services are held year-round, and the courtyard has mountain views.

Ulu Körpü (Great Bridge), Ilisu. A stone bridge about 15 m long over the Kurmukchay river at the approach to Ilisu, now closed to traffic. Sources disagree on its age: 17th century or late 19th/early 20th century, attributed to a local mason named Omar.

Sumug-gala Tower. A four-storey defensive "family" tower of river stone and brick at the entrance to Ilisu village. Inside is a small ethnographic exhibition (a branch of the Gakh history museum) with traditional clothing and tools. The top is sealed, so there is no viewing platform.

Ilisu. A mountain village (about 1,200–1,600 m) on the Kurmuk and Hamamchay rivers, once capital of the Ilisu Sultanate (founded in the 16th century, annexed by Russia in 1803). Stone houses, defensive towers, a mosque and an old bridge make it the historic highlight of Gakh and a base for hikes and jeep trips.

Ulu Mosque, Ilisu. A former Sunni Friday mosque of the 18th century in the lower village, with a three-nave prayer hall, pointed arches and a portico. It is abandoned and partly ruined but protected as an architectural monument of national importance.

Ilisu Waterfall (Ram-Rama). A waterfall of about 25 m falling from the cliffs of the Greater Caucasus above Ilisu. Reaching it takes about an hour of steep uphill walking, or a ride in a local UAZ jeep along a rough track between the rocks. In winter it freezes into an ice fall.