explore the city of Shamkir

Launched in 2014, the Shamkir Chess Festival takes place every year between March and April, bringing some of the biggest names in chess to the country. Explore Monuments Park, designed in the shape of the map of Azerbaijan, which exhibits Azerbaijan’s major monuments in miniature. At the entrance to the city from the main Ganja-Gazakh highway, call into the Shamkir Sebeti (Shamkir Basket) agricultural market and discover why the region is renowned for its local fruits, vegetables and dairy produce. Meanwhile, local restaurants in Shamkir are also some of the best places to discover the rich traditions of ashuq music – a soulful combination of vocals, poetry and music played on a national stringed instrument called a saz.