In the morning depart from your hotel in Baku for Lahic via Shamakhi, once a capital and trade center for western Azerbaijan, and now a small town. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence. It is famous for its traditional dancers, the Shamakhi Dancers, and also for giving its name to the Soumak rugs. In Shamakhi's history, eleven major earthquakes have rocked Shamakhi, but through multiple reconstructions, it maintained its role as the economic and administrative capital of Shirvan and one of the key towns on the Silk Road.
On the way, visit Diri Baba Mausoleum in Maraza village. The building of the mausoleum which was completed in 1402 is a masterpiece of the architectural school of Shirvan and a beautiful creation of arts of ancient masters. Next, we will visit Yeddi Gumbez Mausoleum (Seven Tombs) - the Shirvan Khan's family graveyard, built for a family of Mustafa Khan – the last khan of Shamakhi. Only three of these desecrated octagonal royal tombs remain reasonably complete. Other mausoleums of the group are partly destroyed and are without cupola or walls. The monument belongs to Shirvan-Absheron architectural school and the oldest of them is dated to 1810, which is testified by an inscription carved on the mausoleum. Continue to Shamakhi and have a sightseeing of historical Juma Mosque of Shamakhi. The only building to have survived eight of the eleven earthquakes is the landmark Juma Mosque of Shamakhi, built in the 10th century.
Drive through Girdimanchay River’s canyon to visit Lahic, the 5th-century place rich in its historic and architectural values.
Lahic starts where the road from Ismayilly ford the Kishlarcay stream in front of the Cannat Bagy Guest House. The road then snakes along a cliff top past the Ismayilly bus stop (150 m) and over a small stone bridge to the triangular central square marked by a war memorial (300 m). From here the cobbled main street (Huseynov Str.) passes a series of coppersmith workshops before crossing the Lulochay stream on another bridge after around 700 m. The road then continues a similar distance on the far side through a less commercial part of town known as Aracit.
Lahic is an ancient village with charming eye-catching sidewalks inlaid with stones. It is famous for medieval water supply and sewage systems as well as traditional workshops making jewelry, copperware, carpets, pottery, daggers, and iron tools. Lahic is particularly famous for its coppersmiths, whose workshops overflow into narrow, stone-paved Huseynov str. On the upper floors of the workshops, you can sometimes still find carpet makers at work. As years go by the workshops are increasingly transforming themselves into tourist boutiques but they remain rustic, welcoming places, where craftsmen are happy to be watched and photographed engraving intricate patterns.
People in Lahic speak their own language, although Azerbaijani Turkish and Russian can still be heard (with the occasional foreign language). The one thing you're unlikely to hear is the wind and grind of city life. Instead, it's the gentle tapping sound that spills from workshops along its roughly cobbled streets that fills the ears. Here in Lahic, centuries of isolation have honed the skills of the copper smiths which line the narrow streets. The soaring peaks that surround this village make farming nearly impossible, so local people turned very long ago to crafts. Copper smithing is only the most famous. Almost everyone who lives here can turn shapeless things into objects of quiet and even mystic beauty.
We will leave Lahic for Baku around 17:00 or 18:00 depending on the seasons.