Sheki

Last day in Azerbaijan. Are you sad or are you excited about going to a new country?

Juma Mosque was originally built in 743 but has been damaged many times over the years through wars and earthquakes. The latest Mosque was completed in 2003. Armenia soldiers damaged the smaller Mosque here and it has Ben rebuilt to cater for more people.

 

 

 

Lunch sop! Don’t you love the supermarkets here. You can buy almost anything. It’s a lunch stop so stop eyeing off those chocolates.

Shirvan rulers were buried in the nearby cemetery. There were originally seven tombs of Yeddi Gumbaz but only 3 remain completely intact. Each tomb contains  casket and a headstone with a quote.Any treasure buried with the body have long been removed but the intricate carving reflects the history of the time.

While we were at the cemetery, a funeral arrived for the burial. There were no women present at all,were there?  The guide said only men go because the women would be a distraction …..not to the men..but to the soul of the dead person. He said the crying and wailing would make the person sad instead of happy that they were going to god.

Sheki was an important stop on the Silk Road. They were a silk making area and had a caravanserai  for travellers . This is now a series of shops and a hotel.

Sheki castle and fortress was made of stones as are most of the buildings in the area.

 

Sheki Castle was the Summer palace where guests were invited to stay and discussions were held. There were separate rooms for men and women. All the windows were stained glass for privacy. Women were only allowed to look out from the balcony if they were fully veiled in a burka.  Every wall was decorated with paintings.  Most were floral but some were of battle scenes reflecting the power of the Shah. You and I weren’t allowed to photograph them but so you don’t miss out on enjoying them, I found some official photos the internet

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The walls were all painted by local artists.

One more stop before the border. It is a tiny Christian church in Nij. This community have their own dialect, school and culture. Again no photos inside but plenty of official ones on the web. Thy were simple but beautiful,I think.

 

Wow, look at the beautiful hazelnut tree.

I you see the cute homemade gate.

Sights to say goodbye.

 

 

Tomorrow we explore Georgia at a much slower pace….no more mosques ….its churches now😊