Nakhchivan, the land of the ancient Azerbaijan, is one of the places of civilization in the world. The people of Azerbaijan created an old and rich culture in this land. At the same time Nakhchivan is one of the ancient cultural centers in the world. The richest historical, scientific and cultural heritage of the Azerbaijan people were formed in this land.
The origion of the word “Nakhchivan” is explained differently by scientists. According to the folk ethimology and historical sources “Nakhchivan” was derived from “Nagshijahan” which has the meaning “decoration of the world”, “adornment of the world”. But according to the wide spread story among people the word “Nakhchivan” has relation with the prophet Noah, namely, with the “world storm” that means “Nuhchuvan” –the place of Noah supporters, the land of Noah. The grave of the prophet Noah is in Nakhchivan.

One of the most ancient cities of Azerbaijan, Sheki is rightly called the architectural reserve of the country. Of particular interest to the tourists from all over the world is the Palace of Sheki Khans (1762) – a rare example of combining the national and palace architecture traditions. It is remarkable that during the construction of the palace, not a single nail was used, and the colored glass for shebeke (national mosaic) was brought from Venice.
There are many interesting historical monuments in Sheki. To the north of the city there are the ruins of the once impregnable fortress "Gelersan – gerarsan" (“come and see“) dated by the XV-XVIII centuries. There were many caravanserais in Sheki, which was famous for its trade. Two of them are still here today; the Upper and the Lower Caravanserais, both built in the XVIII century. Not to mention the Albanian temple in the village of Kish (I-II centuries), where the famous Norwegian Thor Heyerdahl has repeatedly researched, as evidenced here by the mounted bust of the traveler.

Shamakhi district is a center of Shirvan region. Center of the district, Shamakhi city, has become a main city of feudal state of the Shirvanshah already in VI century. Remains of the construction and objects discovered during archeological digs confirm existence of the city already in 2,5-3 thousand years ago. Shamakhi is noted in the works of ancient Greek historian Ptolomei among the cities of Caucasian Albania. Caravans from the Far East and India were coming here loaded with the silk. Since the old years, Shamakhi was famous for its gardens and silk cloths. Various kinds of fields were developed here in the Middle ages. Embossing with ornaments from copper, highly artistic decorations, objects of the home appliance were made here with skill.