Buy snow online in Shaki

__________________________

📍 Verified store!

📍 Guarantees! Quality! Reviews!

__________________________

▼▼ ▼▼ ▼▼ ▼▼ ▼▼ ▼▼ ▼▼

▲▲ ▲▲ ▲▲ ▲▲ ▲▲ ▲▲ ▲▲

Buy snow online in Shaki

Arriving in Sheki in Azerbaijan from Georgia it seemed like we had travelled much further than the two and a half hours it took from the border by taxi. The silk road history can be felt in the architecture whilst walking the cobbled streets and visiting the palaces and caravanserais where traders used to stay overnight on their way from China to the West. Sheki dates back 2, years but has been destroyed several times. Most of what you see today is from the th Centuries. With an urban population of 68, it retains a village atmosphere but it is fascinating to imagine what it was like when it was one of the major trading centres on the silk road from China to Constantinople. In fact, it used to be famous for its silkworm breeding. Few tourists visit this area of Azerbaijan which is km or 4 hours by taxi from Baku. Nestled in the cool foothills of the Caucasus mountains this was the Summer residence for the ruler of the Sheki Khanat — one of the most powerful in the Caucasus from to Built between and , the international flare brought by the silk road is clearly visible in this building which is constructed using Iranian mirror work, Russian wood, Ottoman ceramics and French stained glass. Rooms are dimly lit but nothing can detract from the elaborate and colourful wall paintings. Stained-glass windows add even more colour as light beams seem to play with each other inside the rooms. Amazingly they are made without glue or nails. Measurements must be accurate to the millimetre and each piece of glass is cut 12 times, so it is not a quick process. It can take 5 months to make a small cm x cm pane. I think this is the best kept secret in Sheki. The building is from and although only one room has been restored so far with wonderful over-the-top murals and decorations, this should make it onto your list for two reasons:. A walk to the Winter Palace takes you through the tree-lined cobbled streets of the old town. The cultural openness that developed during the silk road period is visible as you pass a church on one corner and a mosque on the next. When trade along the silk road was at its height there were 5 caravanserais in Sheki. Today only one remains which is a basic hotel it cannot be booked online. I think the best option is to stay in one of the more modern hotels in town and visit during the day when it is open to non-guests. Standing in the courtyard it is difficult to imagine that once there were rooms for travellers on their way to Tbilisi or Baku plus storage below. The caravanserais was a bustling marketplace with bartering and negotiations between merchants travelling along the silk road. Goods-laden animals would be coming and going and commodities were kept in the basement overnight to protect against thieves. Certainly a contrast to the calm and quiet atmosphere now. Azerbaijani food has an Eastern rather than Western influence and makes for a nice change from the cheese and walnut based cuisine in Georgia. Kebabs and the Uzbek speciality of plov can be found along most streets but in Sheki there are two local dishes that you should try:. The popularity of this sweet is easy to spot when walking up to the Summer Palace. Tourists can be seen carrying large bags of it and most of the shops are selling it. Halva is a variant of the Turkish baklava and can take a whole day to bake. Dough is made from rice flour and it is assembled in six layers with fillings of nuts, coriander and cardamom. I love baklava but the halva was too sweet for me. Piti, a mutton stew cooked in a clay pot for hours, can be found on many menus throughout the country. What makes the Sheki Piti unique is that they use chestnuts instead of potato. I was told that it was important to eat it correctly. Firstly, break the bread into pieces and put it in the bowl. Secondly, pour the sauce from the pot on top. Only then start eating the stew. If having it again I would probably choose to risk offending the locals by mixing it all together. The stew was very tasty but bread soaked in mutton tail fat will not be my new favourite food. Surrounded by the Caucasus mountains and at an altitude of metres I was surprised how cold it was when we visited in early September. It was so chilly I had to wear trousers and a fleece. The warmest weather is from June to August when the temperature is degrees, much cooler than the lowlands and Baku which can see sizzling temperatures of up to 40 degrees. As expected, December to February is the coldest period with temperatures just above freezing. At this time of year there is a good chance there will be snow in Sheki and the surrounding mountain areas. Despite it being cold when we visited I think September is an excellent time to travel to the Caucasus. I would not base what time of year to travel on the weather in Sheki since you will probably only spend a day or two there. Renting a car works best when starting and ending in the same location since pick up and drop off from two different places can be expensive. Below I discuss travelling by taxi, train and marshrutkas but if you are doing a round trip I would consider renting a car. This is the quickest option and the one I would recommend. It took us 3. We found taxis in Azerbaijan to be more expensive than in the neighboring countries. For an air-conditioned car it cost 80 manat arranged through the hotel. However, prices vary depending on the type of car used for the trip. Ladas are the cheapest but also less comfortable. Given the size of these cars it should not come as a surprise that there is very little leg room. The cost is manat per person and they leave from the main bus station in both cities. They depart when full and the journey takes 6 hours since all shared taxis go via Ismayilli. Marshrutka leave from the main bus station in both cities up to 25 times a day. A ticket costs 9 manat per person and the journey takes around 6 hours. The night train departs Baku traing station at Tickets should be booked in advance. This can be done through the Azerbaijani railway website in English. However, it is important to note that the confirmation e-mail is NOT your ticket. Your passport must be presented at the ticket office at least one hour before departure where a physical ticket will be printed. There are many travel reports on the internet mentioning old trains with no air-conditioning which can make for a very hot and unpleasant trip so in my view the train is the least appealing way to travel between the two cities. Crossing the border is straightforward, even with a passport that has an Armenian stamp in it. Just do not bring any goods bought in Armenia — as we found out the hard way! We had a bottle of wine which we bought at an Armenian vineyard confiscated. If you hold a different citizenship to the countries listed above please read the latest advice on the internet before planning to travel overland from Azerbaijan to Georgia travelling the other way is no problem as long as you have an Azerbaijan visa — for further details on visa requirements read our Azerbaijan Travel Guide. Sheki to the border : Taxi is by far the easiest and quickest option. The drive time is There are plenty of taxis at the border or get your hotel to arrange one for you. You might not spot the taxis but there are likely to be so few tourists that they will easily spot you. Tbilisi or Sighnaghi to the border : Travelling to or from the Georgian border a taxi is again the easiest option and can be arranged at the border, in the town you are in or by your hotel. The drive time from Sighnaghi is 45 minutes and a taxi costs 50 GEL. To Tbilisi the price is 60 GEL and the trip takes 2. Sheki to the border: There are no direct marshrutkas between Sheki and the border. The best option is the service from Sheki to Balakan or the other way round. An alternative is to travel via Qax which has good links with both towns. There is also a direct marshrutka to Tbilisi from Qax. This is a popular route so to be sure to get a seat ask your hotel to book one the day before. Taxi is the only option from Balakan to the border and costs 10 manat. From Qax it costs 30 manat. Various Georgian towns to the border : Marshrutkas run from the small town of Lagodekhi 4km from the border. Taxis charge 7. Up-to-date marshrutka schedules from Lagodekhi can be found here. To ensure you get a seat I recommend arriving at the bus station a minimum of 30 minutes before departure. For Tbilisi shared taxis are also running on this route throughout the day. They charge 12 GEL per person. There are no marshrutka for Sighnaghi but the Tbilisi bus will stop at Tsnori, a village 6km away. From here you can get another bus or taxi up the hill to Sighnaghi. I had originally planned to get the direct train from Tbilisi to Baku but since it was impossible to book online, I changed our route to go via Sheki. This was one of the best decisions I made. Most tourists get the train directly to Baku missing out on this silk road jewel — do not make that mistake! This is a perfect addition to any Georgia itinerary. The Caravanserais courtyard — it is difficult to imagine that you could once fit rooms here. Foggy weather in early September.