<strong>Kelaghayi:</strong> Kelaghayi are Azerbaijan's hand-stamped silk scarfs, which were added to UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2014.
Kelaghayi: Kelaghayi are Azerbaijan's hand-stamped silk scarfs, which were added to UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2014.
Azerbaijan Brand Center
<strong>Sheki:</strong> In centuries past, this rustic backwater was one of the main stops on the Silk Route. Today you can still stay at the historic caravanserai.
Sheki: In centuries past, this rustic backwater was one of the main stops on the Silk Route. Today you can still stay at the historic caravanserai.
Mark Elliott
<strong>Silk factory: </strong>Sheki's silk factory is still an economic mainstay of the region.
Silk factory: Sheki's silk factory is still an economic mainstay of the region.
Mark Elliott
<strong>Regeneration:</strong> On the leafy outskirts of the village of Basqal, the vast new Basqal Resort & Spa opened this summer designed as a "silk route getaway."
Regeneration: On the leafy outskirts of the village of Basqal, the vast new Basqal Resort & Spa opened this summer designed as a "silk route getaway."
Mark Elliott
<strong>Artisanal:</strong> With all the craft involved, It's astonishing that kelaghayi cost as little as $30 -- at least from the Sheki factory's outlet boutique.
Artisanal: With all the craft involved, It's astonishing that kelaghayi cost as little as $30 -- at least from the Sheki factory's outlet boutique.
Mark Elliott
<strong>Basqal:</strong> Things are moving fast in Basqal. A brand new workshop is under construction and in August 2022 a handsome restoration of the old center was unveiled.
Basqal: Things are moving fast in Basqal. A brand new workshop is under construction and in August 2022 a handsome restoration of the old center was unveiled.
Mark Elliott
<strong>Baku:</strong> For a taste of old Azerbaijan in the capital, visit the Mugam Club, a short walk from the 12th-century Maiden Tower.
Baku: For a taste of old Azerbaijan in the capital, visit the Mugam Club, a short walk from the 12th-century Maiden Tower.
Mark Elliott
<strong>Turning cocoons into silk: </strong>The baked cocoons must be softened, their outer coatings removed by fanciful soft-brushing machines, then unraveled, spooled onto bobbins, re-spun and finally woven.
Turning cocoons into silk: The baked cocoons must be softened, their outer coatings removed by fanciful soft-brushing machines, then unraveled, spooled onto bobbins, re-spun and finally woven.
Mark Elliott
<strong>Ganja: </strong>Right in the city center is a 17th-century caravanserai almost as grand as Sheki's that has been recently transformed into a good-value hotel, the <a href="https://www.booking.com/hotel/az/karvansaray-sah-abbas.en-gb.html" target="_blank" target="_blank">Karvansaray Sah Abbas</a>.
Ganja: Right in the city center is a 17th-century caravanserai almost as grand as Sheki's that has been recently transformed into a good-value hotel, the Karvansaray Sah Abbas.
Mark Elliott
<strong>Star product: </strong>Despite the name, the Silk Route was always a diffuse network rather than a single "route" and that trade was in much more than just silk.
Star product: Despite the name, the Silk Route was always a diffuse network rather than a single "route" and that trade was in much more than just silk.
Azerbaijan Brand Center
<strong>Araz River:</strong> For Azerbaijan's silk route network to be fully restored, one last reconnection awaits -- that of the historically vibrant trade route along the Araz River.
Araz River: For Azerbaijan's silk route network to be fully restored, one last reconnection awaits -- that of the historically vibrant trade route along the Araz River.
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<strong>Rebirth: </strong>As of late 2022 a large part of the city's photogenic old core is awash with renovations of historic buildings and museums aimed at bringing out more of the Silk Route story.
Rebirth: As of late 2022 a large part of the city's photogenic old core is awash with renovations of historic buildings and museums aimed at bringing out more of the Silk Route story.
Mark Elliott