Azerbaijan · 18th century
Shaki fortress is a medieval fortress located in the center of Shaki in northern Azerbaijan which served as Shaki Khan Haki Celebi's citadel. It consists of Shaki Khan’s palace.
Built in the era of Shaki Khan Haki Celebi (1743-1755) in the capital of Shaki Khanate, the walls of fortress are 1,300 metres long, 2.2 metres thick and consist about 40 buildings. It reflects the important administrative and commercial role of the city and the status of hub of the silk trade, which the city had earlier. The winter palace, built in 1797, which acted as residence for the khan’s family and as servant’s quarters during Khan's reign is inside the fortress, and was inscribed as UNESCO World heritage site in 2019.
The fortress underwent a restoration between 1958 and 1963. The city is based on the forests of the Greater Caucasus Mountains, while the fortress lies on the southern part of the range.
Text adapted from “Shaki fortress” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Shaki Fortress ranks #5,461 of 9,079 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #32 of the 46 mapped in Azerbaijan. Founded 1743, it is older than 18% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 696 atlas entries founded in the 18th century. 3 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Ganja, 91 km away. See how Azerbaijan compares in the castle statistics.
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