For the last few days we have been based in Sheki, exploring the local area, arts, crafts and food. The evidence of the Silk Road still resonates strongly around Sheki, and our local guide says that the people of the area are traders so far back in their family history that it is in their genetics.
We started our day at the local produce market. The morning bustle of the market was chaotic. The produce looked super fresh and of great quality.
The produce markets happen every day in this part of Sheki, selling seasonal produce. Summer was reflected in today’s market, with tomatoes, chillies, basil, cucumbers and peppers in abundance.
We then wandered through this historical old town area to the Palace of the Sheki Khans. In this area, there is not only the palace area (which we were not allowed to photograph the inside of), but also the traditional artisans of the area. We met a master Shebeke maker. Shebeke is a traditional Azerbaijanian art form that that features intricate wooden lattices assembled with colorful stained glass without using any glue or nails. You can see this type of glass work all along the Silk Road, it takes on different forms depending on which country you are in.
We then moved on to a small village outside of Sheki called Kish, for a bread making masterclass with some local women. The family use a traditional oven that acts in a similar way to a tandoor. Currently, I think we have eaten our own weight in bread! But the local bread is amazing, I’m sure it’s because they add more salt than our mothers would have ever allowed! Tastes SOO good!
We were introduced to a local silk master, who was a fourth generation silk maker. He took us through his factory to see the silk looms, the dying pots, the paraffin stamps and the drying racks. In the local markets there are a lot of “locally made” silk scarves and fabrics, but many of them are bought over from China. It was lovely to see the process from cocoon to finished local product.
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