Lovely Historic Places What do you know about
Lovely Historic Places What do you know about Shaki?
Vocabulary n Preserve-saxlamaq n Grain-taxıl, dən n Jewellery-daş-qaş n Fame-şöhrət n Slope-yamac n Pottery-dulusçuluq məmulatı n Temptation-cazibə
SHAKİ n Shaki, one of the oldest towns in Azerbaijan, is by right the country”s architectural preserve. Shaki lies in the picturesque foothills of southern slopes of Greater Caucasian Range, crossed by the valleys of fanciully winding rivers. The climate is warm and mild here. Shaki is believed to have been ounded in the first millennium BC. There are reasons to suppose that it is 2500 to 2600 years old.
n Ancient Shaki was a large trading centre. At the famous Shaki Bazaars, lively trade was carried on in grain, silk, pottery, chased metalware and jewellery. Shaki was particularly famed for its silk. Merchants from Europe, Asia and the Middle and Near East export Shaki silk to various countries of the world. No less popular were amazingly beautiful Shaki carpets. A number of streets in the town are still known by their old names appointing various traditional trades such as Duluzchulyar, Zargarlar and Halvachilyar Street.
n No visitor coming to Shaki can resist the temptation to try the famous Shaki sweets such as pakhlava pastry made of rice flour and nuts, nabat (boiled sugar), and peshmak (sweet pastry straws that melts in your mouth).
Shaki Khans’ Palace
n The most interesting feature of Shaki is its fine architectural monuments. Tourists are particularly impressed by the palace of the Shaki Khans unique from the point of view of its architecture. The two-tier walls of its central halls are covered with multicoloured oilpaintings and frescoes, and the arnamentation of the ceiling copies the patterns of the huge carpets which once covered the floor.
n The beauty of the lacy wooden shabaka window latticework is simply amazing. The southern facade of the palaceis decorated prticularly beautifully. It looks like a beautiful multicoloured carpet, reflected in the mirrorlike surface of a pool located in frant of the building. The entire palace is buried in the geenery of high plane tress.
Galarsan-Gerarsan Fortress n
n Four kilometres to the north of the town on the west bank of the river Kish the ruins of the once impenetrable Galarsan. Gerarsan fortress have survived. It is not accidental that Lev Tolstoy, chose this forterss as the scene of events described in his famous novel Haji-Murad. The grave of Haji-Murad, a legendary warrior who fell in battle in these parts, is not far from the entrance to the town.
n Shaki is the home town of the famous Azerbaijan playwright and philosopher Mirz Fatali Akhundov. They have been translated in Russion, French, English, Persian, and many other languages of the world. are staged by theatres in many countries together with plays by Moliere and Shakespeare.
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