Murad Aghabayli: Shaki's reserves welcomed more than 128,000 tourists this year

A large-scale festival is planned in Shaki in 2027, Murad Aghabayli, head of the Reserve Management Centre, told Report.

According to him, Shaki's culinary sector is developing largely on its own.

"For example, last year we held a large-scale festival here - Terra Madre. The festival is organized in countries across Europe, and we brought it to Azerbaijan specifically in Shaki. The event was dedicated to promoting culinary arts," he said.

Aghabayli stressed that restoration and conservation work on other historical and architectural monuments within the Yukhari Bash State Historical-Architectural Reserve is continuing in stages.

"The Yukhari Bash State Historical-Architectural Reserve is one of the most popular tourist destinations. From January to September this year, a total of 128,487 tourists visited the reserve's museums and cultural institutions, purchasing tickets. Of these, 72,309 (56.28%) were domestic tourists, while 56,178 (43.72%) were foreign visitors. Another 42,050 people visited the reserve free of charge," he noted.

According to Aghabayli, the Yanar Dag and Ateshgah reserves, along with the Yukhari Bash and Kish reserves in Shaki, generated the highest revenue for the state budget in 2025, bringing in 6.2 million manats.