Nestled in the Valley of the Gurjana River and guarded by the Caucasus Mountains, Sheki (Şəki in Azerbaijani) was once the capital of the Sheki Khanate, one of the most powerful Khanates in the Caucasus, and a vital hub on the historic Silk Road.
Bearing witness to the circulation of different ideas and cultures, converging at this strategic trading site over time, stands the city’s architecture. The Khan Palace, situated in the historic centre of the city, as well as a number of merchant houses especially reflect the wealth generated by silkworm breeding and the trade in silk cocoons from the late 18th to the 19th centuries.
The historic city centre, inscribed on UNESCO’s world heritage list in 2019, “with the main shopping street, public buildings, bathhouses, shops and workshops of craftsmen, silk production factories, cooperatives and individual residential houses with high gabled roofs, has retained a historic townscape of high quality and authenticity”, UNESCO praises.
Built by Muhammad Husayn Khan Mushtaq in 1797, the Palace of Sheki Khans served merely as a summer residence for the rulers, but its impressive architecture and carefully selected details showcase the status of its residents.
Guarded by two centuries-old plane trees, believed to have been planted around 1530, the palace’s south facing façade boasts intricate tile mosaics. Muqarnas hoods crowning the four Iwans are highlighted with gold on the ground floor and covered with mirror fragments on the first floor. The walls are also adorned with windows made of coloured glass set in a wooden latticework, called shebeke, the real beauty of which can only be fully admired once inside.
1. Master craftsmanship
Throughout the palace, shebeke windows and doors let the light in through mesmerizing vibrant twinkles. The methods for creating these masterpieces, without any glue or nails, are specific to Azerbaijani folk craftsmen. One square metre of these works of art can incorporate from 5,000 to 14,000 wood and glass pieces and weigh up to 40 kg.
Currently only one man and his son are entrusted with the restauration of the shebeke in the palace and, in a small workshop close by, he shows curious visitors how every piece of wood and glass perfectly fits together.
The whole process is similar to making a jigsaw puzzle that only a master who already knows what the final picture looks like can complete. The craftsmanship starts long before the meticulous fitting of the pieces, with a carefully scaled paper design. The wood and glass are then cut according to the sketch, with an even one-millimetre error having the potential to ruin the entire final product.
The original shebekes in the palace can be distinguished from the restored ones by keen eye observers. The Murano glass used in the 18th century is darker and much thinner than the one used in the restoration process. Yet, despite the seemingly delicate appearance of the windows, the wood lattice gives it an incredibly strong structure, being able to withstand not only nature’s adversities, but also strong punches, as demonstrated by the master craftsman.
2. Symbolism
Except for the office room, which lacks any form of decoration since the pragmatism of the statesmen required no distractions while they were working, all the chambers display floor to ceiling colourful and detailed paintings. Nothing was left to chance in the adornment of the rooms, every element of the frescoes having a specific meaning.
In Mushtaq’s room, the symbolism stands out more than in any other part of the palace. Battle and hunting scenes showcase how powerful the ruler’s army was. At the same time, the depictions are not of real men, as the Khan also wanted to convey that peace should prevail over battle. Similarly, dragons spitting flowers instead of flames reflect Mushtaq’s strength and power, as well as his mercy.
© Aris Setya 
© Aris Setya
The entire story the room tells is brought together by the artwork on the ceiling. Peacocks framing the vivid tableau depict the flawed nature of humans – as beautiful as peacocks are, their voices are famously unpleasant, similarly, any person has flaws, even the Khan. The lions in the four corners have dragon tails, suggesting that a man’s greatest enemy is their own ego, while the fish they are standing on serve as a reminder that everything is temporary.
The female faces and sworded arms showcase that, in times of need, women could joint men into battle. A more subtle reference to the nature of women and the relationship between a king and his queen is the difference between the figures on the left and the ones on the right. On the left, the king is crowned and winged because when the woman by his side is more than just beautiful, the ruler is stronger and more powerful.
Mushtaq completed the scene with one testimony on each end of the ceiling. “I painted all the walls in this palace. I will die someday, but everything will remain for my next generations”, he wrote on the right, while on the left he asked God for forgiveness for his sins of depicting people and animals in his paintings. In Muslim religions, only God is the creator and humans are not supposed to create any live being, even just in painting.
