Azerbaijan, Baku, Sept. 12 / Trend /
President Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his spouse Emine Erdogan have today acquainted with the Place of Sheki Khans, Azerbaijan.
The Presidents and their spouses were informed about the history of the Palace of Shaki Khans. As stated, the Palace was a summer residence of Shaki Khans. It features decorative tiles, fountains and severalstained-glass windows. The exterior is decorated with dark blue, turquoise and ochre tiles in geometric patterns and the murals were coloured with tempera and are inspired by the works of Nizami Ganjavi.
Along with its pool and plane trees, the summer residence is the only remaining structure from the larger palatial complex inside the Sheki Khans' Fortress, which once included a winter palace, residences for the Khan's family and servants' quarters. It was built in 1797 by Muhammed Hasan Khan and restored between 1952 and 1967.
Measuring thirty-two meters by eight and a half meters on the exterior, the summer residence is a two-story masonry structure elongated on the north-south axis and covered with a wooden hipped roof with long eaves. The layout of both floors is identical; three rectangular rooms are placed in a row, separated by narrow, south-facing iwans that provide access to the rooms. The floors are accessed separately to accommodate their public and private functions. Entered from the south through the two iwans, the ground floor was used primarily by clerks and petitioners. Two stairways attached to the northern façade gave access to the first floor, which was reserved for the khan's family and their guests.
The summer residence is renowned for the lavish decoration of its exterior and interior. Large portions of the residence's façade, including the entire southern elevations of the central halls on both floors, are covered by a mosaic of colored glass set in a wooden latticework (shebeke) that was assembled without nails or glue. Muqarnas hoods crowning the four iwans are highlighted with gold on the lower level and covered with mirror fragments on the first floor. Remaining surfaces on all façades are decorated with floral tile panels and tile mosaics.
President of Azerbaijan and Premier of Turkey walked in the ancient quarters of Sheki, got acquainted with the books written about the history of city, the samples of handicrafts made by Sheki masters.
Azerbaijani President and Turkish Premier talked to the youth of city, and were taken their photography among them. The President and Premier joined the tea party arranged for the high guests.
