Shemakha is an ancient Azerbaijani city located 120 km west of Baku. It dates back to the 5th century BC. In the 9th – 16th centuries Shemakha was the capital of the Shirvan Empire, the residence of the Shirvan dynasty, rightly considered one of the beautiful cities of the East. The main attraction of the city is the fortress of Gulistan, the mausoleum of Yeddi Gumbez (Seven Domes), and the mosque of Juma. Juma Mosque, according to legend, was built in the 8th century when Shamakhi was chosen as the seat of the Arab Caliphate. The original Arab inscription at the entrance of the mosque states that the mosque was built in 744 AD. Therefore, the Juma Mosque is considered one of the earliest mosques in the whole Transcaucasia.
Shemakha district is the center of Azerbaijani wine culture. On the surrounding hills grow the famous grapes, which wine are made of. I would also like to note that one of the most famous sights of Shemakha is the picturesque place Pirkuli (located at an altitude of 1400 meters ).The overwhelming number of clear days in the year became the main reason for the discovery in 1960 in Pirkuli of one of the most important observatories of the former USSR – Shemakha astrophysical observatory.
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