Azerbaijan's UNESCO-listed Palace of Shaki Khans

The Palace of Shaki Khans is located in the historic Azerbaijani city of Shaki at the foot of the Greater Caucasus Mountains, 240 kilometers (150 miles) north from capital Baku.

The palace was completed in 1797 after construction lasted approximately eight years.

It was built as a summer residence for the rulers of the Shaki Khanate, a state that existed on the northern territories of modern Azerbaijan between 1743 and 1819.

The Palace of Shaki Khans was initially nominated for the UNESCO List of World Heritage Sites in 1998.

In July 2019, the historic center of Shaki and the palace were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

According to UNESCO, Shaki's historic center, rebuilt after the destruction of an earlier town by mudflows in the 18th century, is characterized by a traditional architectural ensemble of houses with high gabled roofs.

"Located along important historic trade routes, the city's architecture is influenced by Safavid, Qadjar and Russian building traditions," the U.N. body says.

The Khan Palace, in the northeast of the city, and a number of merchant houses reflect the wealth generated by silkworm breeding and the trade in silk cocoons from the late 18th to the 19th centuries.