Over 40,000 tourists visit Albanian temple in Shaki in nine months

In January–September 2026, a total of 40,278 tourists visited the Kish Historical and Architectural Reserve (Albanian temple) by purchasing admission tickets.

Speaking to Report, the reserve's guide, Gulnaz Rasulova, said that 21,615 visitors (53.66%) were domestic tourists, while 18,663 (46.34%) were foreign tourists.

According to her, 9,066 people visited the temple free of charge.

"Tourists come here from all over the world. This year, we had many visitors from India, South Korea, China and Israel. During the summer, we also hosted groups from Germany and the United States. Some tourists from Türkiye visited the site in groups as well. In addition, tourists from many countries came to the Albanian Temple with their family members," she said.

Rasulova noted that the temple has had a positive impact on Shaki's economy.

"People who come here because of the monument inevitably use local shops, buy village products and visit restaurants and guesthouses located in the village. This has even encouraged local residents to build guesthouses and engage in this business. In other words, since the site was turned into a museum, it has also started to influence rural tourism," she said.

She added that local producers can also supply their products to restaurants and guesthouses in the village.

"There has been significant economic growth here. The rehabilitation of roads has also contributed to an increase in visitor numbers. Compared with previous years, the number of tourists visiting the reserve has risen," Rasulova said.