1. THE LINEAGE OF SILK
The beautiful and infinitely intricate kelaghayi headscarf is an important part of Azerbaijan’s artistic, aesthetic and cultural history, each piece painstakingly made as a symbol of love, beauty, peace and security. An elegant accessory to traditional women’s attire, kelaghayi scarves are adorned with ornaments that showcase the different qualities of folk art and Azerbaijani values. The production process of kelaghayi-making involves various stages, as it is meticulously crafted from pure silk into a square. And while silk craftsmanship is developed across Azerbaijan, it is the ancient land of Sheki where the art of kelaghayi has been passed down from generation to generation.
It is also listed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. You can witness the intricate process in person at Sheki Silk Factory, and visit the workshop of Amiraslan Shamilov on M.A. Rasulzade Avenue to observe the dyeing and decoration process of the scarves. If you want a souvenir to take home, head to the kelaghayi store on M. F. Akhundzade Street and wrap yourself in history with your own silk scarf.
2. THE ART OF WEAVING
Follow in the footsteps of myriad visitors and weave your way to the village of Khinalig in Guba District, which has just been added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. Known for its Greater Caucasus Mountains setting, unique language and lifestyle, its cultural claim to fame is its ancient weaving traditions, one of which is the widespread craft amongst Khinalig’s inhabitants of making socks from coloured wool.
The villagers, who mostly rear animals, collect wool from the pastures, dye it using natural plants, then weave it into carpets, felt, colourful socks, bags and bed covers. Knitting socks has been a treasured tradition for many years in Khinalig, with each family having its own sock pattern which is also passed down the generations, with the unique patterns also translating onto carpets, too. The socks are then often used as a means of exchange with other villagers.
3. CITY OF MASTERS
The village of Lahij, just a three-hour drive from Baku, is no ordinary mountain village. The streets are made of large river stones, its mosques and buildings are designed by local architects, and the arrangement of the neighbourhoods all reflect the village’s culture and craftsmanship that dates back thousands of years. Better know as the ‘copper capital of Azerbaijan’, Lahij and its art of coppersmithing also features on the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage, but its creative capacity spans far further, including blacksmithing, carpet weaving, masonry, carpentry, tanning and hat-making – skills still very much alive today.
Immerse yourself in Lahij copperwares with masterclasses hosted by experts, or visit the blacksmith or carpet-weaving workshops of Azerbaijani villagers who have been honing their craft for decades. In fact, you can even visit workshops dedicated to making colourful hats for national dancers, or shops selling handcrafted whips and saddles for horses, which are still the main means of transport in this region today.
4. TRAVEL BACK TO THE MIDDLE AGES
You can find yourself in both the Bronze Age and a medieval town in an amazing open-air museum at the Gala State Historical and Ethnographic Reserve – a territory situated just 40 kilometres from Baku. Spread over 81 hectares (the equivalent of 100 football fields!), here you can see rock paintings, constructions and every day items from the 3rd-2nd millennia BC, and climb to the top of a fortress dating from the 14th century, from which incredible views open out over the Absheron Peninsula. In the medieval town, you’ll discover how Azerbaijan’s ancestors lived, through clothes, crockery, coins and ornaments on display. And, if you book the interactive tour, you’ll get hands-on experience of carpet weaving, clay jug crafting, bread baking using an old oven, and working in a real blacksmith’s workshop!