All of Azerbaijan
🕌
Azerbaijan / Shamakhi, Gabala & Sheki / Shamakhi

Shamakhi

The Old Shirvan Capital, Its Great Mosque and Vineyards

Plan this trip
1 dayIdeal stay₹2,800From / night₹1,120Food / dayFreeEntry

Two hours west of Baku on the road to Gabala and Sheki, Shamakhi was the capital of the Shirvanshahs before Baku. The Juma Mosque, first built in the 8th century and rebuilt after earthquakes, is one of the oldest in the Caucasus; above town stand the Yeddi Gumbaz mausoleums, and on the way is the Diri Baba mausoleum cut into a cliff at Maraza. The hills around are wine country, with tasting rooms at a few estates, and the Pirgulu observatory sits in the forest above. Most travellers stop here for half a day; a night suits a slow trip.

Highlights

  • Juma Mosque, among the oldest in the Caucasus
  • Yeddi Gumbaz hilltop tombs
  • Diri Baba mausoleum in the cliff
  • Wine tasting in the Shamakhi hills
  • Pirgulu forest and observatory

Things to do

  • Juma Mosque & Yeddi GumbazMorning · 2h
  • Diri Baba Mausoleum at MarazaAny time · 1h
  • Winery tour & tastingAfternoon · 2h

Tours & tickets

Tours & tickets in Shamakhivia GetYourGuideTours & tickets in Shamakhivia Klook

Tourisma may earn a small commission if you book — it never changes your price.

When to go

Best time: April – June, September – October

Heads up

Stay Out of the Border Zones and Karabakh

Stay away from the Armenian and Iranian border areas, and do not go to Karabakh and the districts around it without an organised, permitted trip: there are landmines. The places in this plan are far from both.

Heads up

Novruz Holidays (around 20–21 March)

Novruz, the spring New Year, brings about five days of public holiday: bonfires, sweets and concerts, but offices and some museums close, and buses and hotels out of Baku fill with families heading to the regions. Book transport and hotels early for that week.

Heads up

Ramadan (expected 8 Feb – 9 Mar 2027)

Azerbaijan is secular and restaurants stay open by day; Ramadan changes little for visitors. Dress modestly and keep your voice down at mosques, and expect busy roads around the two-day Ramazan Bayrami holiday at its end.

  • Novruz — The spring New Year and the country's biggest holiday, around the equinox, with about five days off. Bonfires that people jump over, painted eggs, samani (sprouted wheat) on every table, shekerbura and pakhlava pastries, and concerts in Baku's Old City and on the Boulevard. Offices and some museums close, and Azerbaijani families head to Gabala, Quba and Shahdag, so book hotels and buses out of Baku early.
  • Ramadan — Expected from about 8 February to 9 March 2027. Azerbaijan is secular: restaurants, cafés and bars stay open and most people do not fast, so a visitor notices little beyond iftar menus. Be discreet near mosques.
  • Ramazan Bayrami (Eid al-Fitr) — Two days of public holiday at the end of Ramadan (expected about 9-10 March 2027), close to Novruz: some years the holidays run together into a long break, and the roads and resorts out of Baku are busy.
  • Qurban Bayrami (Eid al-Adha) — Two days of public holiday (expected about 16 May 2027); families travel to the regions.