Palace of Shaki Khans Castle

Address: Sheki (Shaki) city centre, Shaki, Azerbaijan

The Palace of the Shaki Khans is an 18th-century royal residence in the city of Shaki, admired for its painted interiors and traditional shebeke stained-glass latticework. The palace is dated to the mid-18th century and is a central feature of Shaki’s historic centre.

Interior highlights include elaborately painted halls, mirrored ceilings and extensive use of coloured glass set in wooden lattices, giving richly patterned light effects. The building is compact with several reception and residential chambers all decorated with figural and floral murals.

The palace was constructed for the ruling Sheki khans in the mid-1700s and has been repaired and conserved over subsequent centuries; it now functions as a preserved historic house and museum. The palace and surrounding historic fabric were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2019.

The palace sits in the centre of Shaki in northwestern Azerbaijan, at the foothills of the Greater Caucasus; it is reachable by road from regional towns and from Baku by longer intercity routes.

• UNESCO inscription: Part of the “Historic Centre of Sheki with the Khan’s Palace” which is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List (2019).

What to See#

• Audience Hall: A richly decorated reception hall dominated by painted murals and mirrored ceilings used for official ceremonies and audiences.
• Summer and Winter Halls: Two main residential suites traditionally described as summer and winter halls, both fitted with stained-glass wooden latticework and wall paintings.
• Shebeke windows: Complex wooden lattice stained-glass windows made without nails or glue, composed of small coloured glass pieces set in a wooden framework.

The Palace of the Shaki Khans is in the historic center of Shaki (Sheki). From Baku you can reach Shaki by intercity bus (marshrutka) or by car along the main westbound highway; the drive is a multi‑hour journey (commonly undertaken as an overnight or day trip). Once in Shaki the palace is in the town center and is an easy walk from the local bus station or taxi drop-off.

• Visit the Palace in the morning when the stained-glass shebeke windows glow as daylight passes through - that lighting makes the interior decoration far more striking than at other times.
• Make time to see the adjacent caravanserai and local handicraft shops in Shaki's historic center; the palace is often visited briefly while the surrounding complex and traditional workshops get overlooked.
• Combine the palace visit with a short walk up to the nearby fortress ruins for elevated views over Shaki and the surrounding Caucasus foothills, which most tourists miss when they stay at street level.