Shaki is one of the most ancient cities of Azerbaijan. Information about Shaki can be met in antique, Arabian, Persian, Turkish, Armenian, Georgian sources, in chronicles of the medieval European and Russian authors.

For a long time Shaki was also known as Nukha.Starting from the 1st millennium BC and till the AD 10th century Shaki was one of the most significant cities of the ancient state of the Caucasus Albania located on the territory of present Azerbaijan. There is an opinion, that the city of Shaki was founded by Eaks who had came from Northern Caucasus to these places in the AD 7th century. As the Christianity had been spread in this zone, in the 4th century Shaki area became one of the religious centers of the Caucasian Albania.

Before being occupied by Arab troops, Shaki was a city of significant political and economic value. Shaki was known as an important center of the traditional weaving. Development of a sericulture here in Middle Ages has become one of the reasons for Shaki's going stronger as a center of trade and crafts.

Beloved ruins

In the middle of the 7th century Azerbaijan has undergone to an attack of the Arab troops and was seized. Shaki area was included in one of the newly formed Emirates, established by Arabs. From historical sources it is known that when the Arabian Empire started to go weaken down, i.e. in the end of the 9th century, the independent ruling system was restored in Shaki area. Representatives of the Christian Princes dynasty had managed to take the authority. In the 10-th century Shaki still was ruled by the successors of the Albanian Christian kings. But part of the local population had already accepted the Islam.

In the 11th century Shaki was taken under authority of the state of Shirvanshahs. Since this period and during several centuries, the economy, trade and craft development in Shaki was successful and stable. In the end of the 14th century Azerbaijan was attacked by the armies of Tamerlan. Governor of Shaki, together with king of Shirvanshahs, was compelled to accept supremacy of Tamerlan. The Mongolian yoke had put heavy impact on the economic condition of Shaki. But still, being under Mongolian yoke, in times of Elkhanides, Shaki began to develop. In the first half of the 16th century, the Shaki governor Ismail-shah had accepted supremacy of Safavids and thus had rescued this territories from the Mongolian influence.

After Ismail-shah's death (1524) Shaki had experienced attacks of the Georgian feudal lords' armies. In the period of ruling of the king Nadir-shah (1736-1747), amplification of the decentralization tendency was accompanied with the growing up of the independence tendency. It has resulted in Shaki's being transformed into one of strongest independent khanates of the region.

Ancient fortress tower had served for numerous generations

The Shaki khanate had an active trade relations with Azerbaijan khanates, with neighboring Iran, Georgia, and Dagestan, while the supreme power had belonged to the Shaki khan himself. Political and cultural center of the khanate was the city of Shaki. The Palace of the Shaki Khans, the Juma Mosque and other valuable historical monuments are the relics of that period. In 1805, the Shaki khanate had fallen under the ruling of Russia. After the liquidation of the Shaki khanate's independence, the imperial commandant of Russian kings was governing the territory. And in consequence, when the commandant ruling system was later refused from, there was arranged an ordinary Nuha province of the Russian Imperia.

In 1920, after the Red Army had occupied Shaki, the Soviet Authority was established here. In 1991, after disintegration of the USSR, Shaki as well as other parts of Azerbaijan, at last began its independent and free development.