Sheki Khan's Palace

The palace's signature is its shebeke: lattice windows assembled from thousands of individual pieces of hand-cut coloured glass held in a wooden frame — with no nails, no glue and no adhesive of any kind. The pieces are cut so precisely that friction and geometry hold the whole assembly together.

A single square metre can contain several thousand separate pieces of wood and glass. The craft is still practised in Sheki by a small number of workshops, and the technique is passed down rather than written.

The effect from inside is the point: the coloured glass throws patterned light across the painted walls, and it shifts through the day as the sun moves.

Interior walls carry frescoes of hunting scenes, battles, flowers and geometric ornament, layered densely from floor to ceiling.

The upper reception rooms are the finest. Battle scenes on the walls commemorate the khanate's conflicts, painted with an energy that survives the centuries.

Two enormous plane trees stand in front of the palace, planted around the time of its construction. They are part of the composition and are protected in their own right.

The palace is small and visits are usually managed in groups with a guide, so allow for a short wait at busy times.

Photography inside has historically been restricted or prohibited to protect the frescoes — check on arrival rather than assuming.

Forty-five minutes is enough. Sheki's caravanserais and old bazaar are within walking distance and complete the visit.