In Sheki, I learned about the historically important trading center and the heart of the former Sheki Khanate. My hosts emphasized how much there was to see in the slightly more distant city of Gach (Qax). So we continued on our journey.

This is the furthest point of our journey from Baku. We are right on the Georgian and also the Russian border.

We drive most of the way along a modern, major highway. The scenery isn’t particularly varied. We can barely see the mountain panorama because of the clouds. But the drive into the city is finally to my liking.

We drive through a forest to the edge of a huge dry riverbed. Only a narrow, broken bridge crosses it, and we have to drive part of the way through the riverbed itself because part of the bridge has collapsed.

This town has taken the motto “Azerbaijan in bloom” to heart and completely renovated its old town, making it look beautiful. The renovation can’t have been long ago, because everything still looks very new.

A beautiful pedestrian zone winds past stunning houses made of wood and stone, decorated with flowers and paintings. The colors of the autumn trees create a lovely backdrop.

On small tiles we can see before-and-after pictures. It’s remarkable what has changed here.

Why this particular remote town was given so much money to redesign itself remains a mystery to us.

But now it’s time to begin the journey back east. It’s getting late and the sun is slowly setting. The whole country is bathed in golden hues, and autumn is showing itself in all its glory.

It’s a long drive, so we decide to spend the night in Quebele. We find a huge villa with a pool online for a ridiculously low price. We’ve certainly slept worse.