Ask about carpet weaving in Sheki and you will get a puzzled look. That craft belongs to other Azerbaijani regions; Sheki’s real workshop tradition runs through glass, silk, sugar and copper instead. Shebeke: glass without glue The signature craft here is shebeke, stained-glass window screens built by hand-carving interlocking grooves into walnut and boxwood, then sliding in cut pieces of colored glass so the whole panel locks together through geometric tension alone, with zero nails, screws or glue anywhere in it.

Long wooden tables in a Silk Road courtyard turn out to be the best group seating Sheki has to offer, better than any restaurant booking for six or more. Tea, backgammon and a long table The Yukhari Karavansaray, once one of the largest caravanserais on the Silk Road, keeps its courtyard and public tea house open 11:00 to 19:00 with free entry for non-guests, and its long communal tables are built for groups rather than couples.