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Shirvan region

Information on Azerbaijan regions

Excursions to the mountains and valleys of Shirvan, with babbling brooks and granite blocks of various and unusual shapes, which are scattered everywhere like the toys of a giant, will leave an unforgettable impression.

Every opportunity for active vacations is present in this region: from casual walks to extreme ascents of peaks and climbing frozen waterfalls. In the area of the Maraza settlement, in one of the rocky canyons is the two-storied Diri Baba Mausoleum (1402). This monument has always attracted the attention of travelers with its strange appearance and halo of mystical secrets, is connected with numerous legends. Two little apertures in the northern wall lead to a grotto carved into the massif of rock.

Near Shamakhi, the ruins of Gulistan fortress has been preserved, on the site where the palace of the Shirvanshahs once stood, right up to its destruction in the 16th century. Strong walls with numerous round and square towers surrounded the territory of the fortress. Hacked through the rock, a long, secret passage 2 m wide and 2.5-3m in height led from the fortress to a spring, running in the depths of the canyon. Having passed around a narrow gully, the passage made several turns, rising steeply, with an incline reaching 50В°. The passage is provided with stairs, carved into the rock and assembled from large stones.

Existing from the 7th century, the famous Lahyj settlement, located on the banks of the Girdimanchay River at a height of 1,200 m above sea level, is well known. This small town, lost in the mountains, is one of the most famous handicraft centers in Azerbaijan. It has been famed for its production of weapons and copper coated tableware since medieval times. The tableware and weaponry of the Lahyj masters was in high demand throughout the Caucasus. These days, in spite of the difficulties, local craftsmen - braziers, curriers, chasers, potters, blacksmiths, and papakhchi producing headdresses and engravers of metal and wood, continue the work of their ancestors.