6-days silkway travel Azerbaijan

Arrival in Baku at 13:00 on flight KC 111. You will be met by our driver and transferred to hotel. Check-in. Start sightseeing tour in Icheri Sheher – the old part of the city. Visit Maiden Tower, Shirvan Shahs’ Palace, Caravanserai, and market square with numerous art studios and souvenirs stalls. An excellent round-up to the city tour will be visit to the richest bank of Azeri carpets – National Carpets Museum. Overnight at hotel. - - - Hotel

Today you will visit the area of the Greater Baku and Absheron peninsula. Start with Gobustan National Park. Pay a visit to the Petroglyphs Museum and explore petroglyphs dating back to 10,000 BC. Continue to mud volcanoes in Gobustan Reserve. Gobustan is home to almost half of world’s mud volcanoes. Later drive to Ateshgah – temple of fire worshippers located in Surakhany village. Zoroastrians from India travelled thousands of kilometers to Ateshgah to worship fire coming out of the earth. Continue to Yanardag Mountain with natural gas burning for several thousands of years. Return to Baku. Overnight at hotel. B - - Hotel

Morning departure to the northern part of Azerbaijan – Guba region. Visit one of most ancient settlements in the country – Khinalug (210 km, 3-4 hours). The road to lies through picturesque mountain pass on the altitude of 2,000 m. Enjoy breathtaking views of the landscape. People have been continuously living in Khinalug for more than 5,000 years. Return to Baku. On the way back, stop in Guba and visit Sakina Khanum Mosque, medieval bath hammam, and carpet workshop. Overnight in Baku. B - - Hotel

In the morning, depart Baku and drive to Sheki town. Stop on the way in Ven Dam village in Gabala province and explore ruins of ancient Caucasian Albania capital. Continue to Basqal village and taste local mineral water “Bado” there. Arrive in Lahij, a famous settlement in mountains built in the 5th century in the Girdimanchay River canyon. In Lahij, one can admire ancient mosques and bath-houses, medieval water supply and sewage systems as well as visit numerous workshops (jewelry, copperware, carpets, pottery, daggers, iron tools, etc.). Continue driving to Sheki. Arrival in Sheki. Overnight at hotel. B - - Hotel

Check out from hotel and start sightseeing tour in Sheki. Visit medieval fortress, Sheki Khans Palace (currently under the restoration, observation from the outside), history museum, handicrafts workshop, mosque-madrassah, and local bazaar. Depart to Kish village and see the first church in Caucasus (I cent.) and Old Albanian castle. Drive to Shemakha. The town was the capital of Shirvan Empire in 8-15 centuries. Visit a residence of Shirvan Dynasty Gulistan fortress for the city's defense in 11-12 centuries, which also served as the last refuge of Shirvan Dynasty. Continue to the Mausoleum of Addy-Gyumbez (“The Seven Domes”) with numerous burial places of Shamakhi governors, and Djuma Cathedral Mosque. Continue driving to Baku. Arrive in Baku. Free time. Overnight at hotel. B - - Hotel

Check-out from hotel till noon. Continue exploring the city with visit to Memory Alley – “Shehidler Khiyabany”, from where you can have a great panoramic view of Baku city. Continue touring new Baku and exploring architecture of XIX- XX centuries: Nizami Street, Fountain Square, Nizami Ganjavi monument, Rasul-Zade Street. Pay a visit to Azerbaijan History National Museum. Free time. 19:00 – farewell dinner. At 20:30, transfer to Baku International Airport. Departure to Almaty on flight KC 112 at 23:40. D - - -