I feel like Alice in Wonderland. Except, instead of falling into a rabbit hole, I have stepped into a kaleidoscope, where sunlight and coloured glass are playing off each other to create shape-shifting mosaics.
I am at the Khan’s Palace in Sheki, a small town in the northwest of Azerbaijan surrounded by the Caucasus Mountains. A recent addition to the Unesco World Heritage List, Sheki Khan’s Palace, also known as Sheki Xan Sarayi, was built in the late 1700s by Muhammad Huseyn Khan, and is part of a sprawling fortress complex perched high on one end of this charming town.
My first impression of the palace, one of the few restored buildings on the grounds, is of a colourful two-storey mansion set against towering chinar trees. The facade is exquisite – a dazzling montage of blue, turquoise and brown tiles in neat geometric and floral patterns, punctuated only by wooden windows. As architecture goes, the mansion is fairly simple – two identically laid out levels, with three long rectangular rooms in each.
However, I had not anticipated the profusion of colour inside the palace – a combination of stained glass and murals. Every inch of wall and ceiling space is covered in lush frescoes in floral motifs, with hunting and battle scenes depicting the might of the ruling Khans. Each of the stained glass windows stands out as a work of art in itself, while the ceiling in the main room on the lower level is entirely set in pieces of cut glass, spreading out like the late evening sky.
The windows were created using the traditional art of shebeke, Azerbaijan's answer to European stained glass. I learn from my guide that restoration work had been ongoing at the palace since the mid-1950s, finally grinding to a halt in 2002. Not surprisingly, the project was handled not only by a team of architects, but also the best shebeke artists in town.
I follow the trail of the shebeke – a craft as old as the palace itself – down through the fortress complex to the Abad arts and crafts complex. Sheki is also part of the Unesco Creative Cities Network, because of its rich heritage in 18 craft forms, including embroidery, pottery, weaving and music, among other things. Of these, the undisputed star is the shebeke, a sophisticated jigsaw puzzle of wooden lattices of walnut or oak, into which coloured glass pieces in primary colours such as blue, red and yellow are set, without the help of glue or nails. At a shebeke workshop, master craftsman Husein Hajimustafazadeh demonstrates his impressive skill, typically passed on from father to son. A single window pane can involve thousands of pieces, he declares nonchalantly, as his fingers work deftly, as if possessing a life of their own.
Sheki is one of the oldest cities in the Caucasus region, believed to date back to the late Bronze Age, circa 700 BC. The town has seen Persians, Romans, Arabs, Mongolians and, most recently, Russians, come and go. Through it all, it seems to have held on to its Caucasian identity, while assimilating the best cultural influences of its international visitors. I had experienced one of these melting-pot moments earlier in the day in the village of Kish, just outside the main town. I made the trip there mainly to visit its recently restored church, again the oldest in the Caucasus, believed to have been established in the first century by St Elysee (locally known as Elishe). In its several centuries of existence, the Church of Kish has served as a Caucasian Albanian Apostolic Church, an Armenian Apostolic Church, the residence of a Georgian Orthodox bishop and now a museum.
But Sheki really came into its own as a pit stop on the Silk Road, when it found fame as a centre for silkworm breeding and trade in silk cocoons. The Caucasus region is not generally known as a place of prominence on this famed trade route that connected China with Turkey through the lofty mountains of the Hindu Kush, but there were routes that branched out into Central Asia, including Azerbaijan. Locals bartered Murano glass from Italy and ceramics from the Ottomans in exchange for their own silks and spices. And they put it all to good use in their palaces, I muse, the glittering shebeke still in my mind.
But Sheki really came into its own as a pit stop on the Silk Road, when it found fame as a centre for silkworm breeding and trade in silk cocoons
In town, the most visible icons of Sheki's Silk Road legacy are the two caravanserais – early 19th-century inns for travellers and traders to rest for the night – that are still standing. I walk into the Yukhari Karvansaray Hotel, an erstwhile caravanserai renovated and repurposed into a guesthouse, to get an idea of how things may have been. An open central courtyard, where I imagine camels were once tethered and fed, is surrounded by arched corridors leading into sparse guest rooms. On one side of this courtyard, I chance upon the cayxana, a teahouse where I am welcomed into one of the cozy stone alcoves along with my friends. A young waiter soon brings in a samovar, while another carries a tray with crockery and small bites.
Tea (locally, cay or chai) is not just a beverage, but a ritual in Azerbaijan. It is brewed in the samovar and served in tulip glasses, along with sugar cubes that are to be placed between the teeth, the unsweetened tea sucked through them. And if that sugar quotient is not enough, there is a variety of baklava, Turkish delights, sweetened nuts and murabba (fruit preserves) served along with it. As I lay back on the floor cushions and bite into a sweet white cherry, I do indeed feel like I have been transported back to an earlier time of plenty.
The Settlers
Director: Louis Theroux
Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz
Rating: 5/5
Marathon results
Men:
1. Titus Ekiru(KEN) 2:06:13
2. Alphonce Simbu(TAN) 2:07:50
3. Reuben Kipyego(KEN) 2:08:25
4. Abel Kirui(KEN) 2:08:46
5. Felix Kemutai(KEN) 2:10:48
Women:
1. Judith Korir(KEN) 2:22:30
2. Eunice Chumba(BHR) 2:26:01
3. Immaculate Chemutai(UGA) 2:28:30
4. Abebech Bekele(ETH) 2:29:43
5. Aleksandra Morozova(RUS) 2:33:01
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Prophets of Rage
(Fantasy Records)
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Series information
Pakistan v Dubai
First Test, Dubai International Stadium
Sun Oct 6 to Thu Oct 11
Second Test, Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Tue Oct 16 to Sat Oct 20
Play starts at 10am each day
Teams
Pakistan
1 Mohammed Hafeez, 2 Imam-ul-Haq, 3 Azhar Ali, 4 Asad Shafiq, 5 Haris Sohail, 6 Babar Azam, 7 Sarfraz Ahmed, 8 Bilal Asif, 9 Yasir Shah, 10, Mohammed Abbas, 11 Wahab Riaz or Mir Hamza
Australia
1 Usman Khawaja, 2 Aaron Finch, 3 Shaun Marsh, 4 Mitchell Marsh, 5 Travis Head, 6 Marnus Labuschagne, 7 Tim Paine, 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Peter Siddle, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Jon Holland
ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA
Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi
Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser
Rating: 4.5/5
Major honours
ARSENAL
BARCELONA
- La Liga - 2013
- Copa del Rey - 2012
- Fifa Club World Cup - 2011
CHELSEA
- Premier League - 2015, 2017
- FA Cup - 2018
- League Cup - 2015
SPAIN
- World Cup - 2010
- European Championship - 2008, 2012
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Ticket prices
General admission Dh295 (under-three free)
Buy a four-person Family & Friends ticket and pay for only three tickets, so the fourth family member is free
Buy tickets at: wbworldabudhabi.com/en/tickets
More on animal trafficking
PRESIDENTS CUP
Draw for Presidents Cup fourball matches on Thursday (Internationals first mention). All times UAE:
02.32am (Thursday): Marc Leishman/Joaquin Niemann v Tiger Woods/Justin Thomas
02.47am (Thursday): Adam Hadwin/Im Sung-jae v Xander Schauffele/Patrick Cantlay
03.02am (Thursday): Adam Scott/An Byeong-hun v Bryson DeChambeau/Tony Finau
03.17am (Thursday): Hideki Matsuyama/CT Pan v Webb Simpson/Patrick Reed
03.32am (Thursday): Abraham Ancer/Louis Oosthuizen v Dustin Johnson/Gary Woodland
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
SPECS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%206-cylinder%203-litre%2C%20with%20petrol%20and%20diesel%20variants%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E8-speed%20automatic%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20286hp%20(petrol)%2C%20249hp%20(diesel)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E450Nm%20(petrol)%2C%20550Nm%20(diesel)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EStarting%20at%20%2469%2C800%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Globalization and its Discontents Revisited
Joseph E. Stiglitz
W. W. Norton & Company
MATCH INFO
Tottenham Hotspur 0 Everton 1 (Calvert-Lewin 55')
Man of the Match Allan (Everton)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20OneOrder%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20March%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Tamer%20Amer%20and%20Karim%20Maurice%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Cairo%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E82%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Series%20A%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
About Krews
Founder: Ahmed Al Qubaisi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Founded: January 2019
Number of employees: 10
Sector: Technology/Social media
Funding to date: Estimated $300,000 from Hub71 in-kind support
Super%20Mario%20Bros%20Wonder
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDeveloper%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENintendo%20EPD%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENintendo%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EConsole%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENintendo%20Switch%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Bio
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
The years Ramadan fell in May