The Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) decided to award the title of “Capital of Islamic Culture” to the Azerbaijani city of Shusha. The coronation ceremony of the city of Shusha took place on 11.05, in which the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, and Salim bin Muhammad al-Malik, the CEO of the organization, spoke. But do people in the world really know about the city of Shusha, its rich cultural history, and its modern history which is saturated with blood and wars? Probably not.
Shusha began its journey as a town established under the Karabakh Khanate, where it was a center of culture and commerce whose name was known far and wide due to the silk and carpet industry that flourished there. In the 18th century, the city became the capital of Karabakh and during this period the growth and cultural flourishing of the city began. It became the home of many poets, writers, musicians, and artists. The city was additionally famous for its unique architecture which included impressive mosques, churches, and public buildings. At the end of the 19th century, Shusha was already considered the music and culture center of the Caucasus. Some of the names and nicknames attached to the city were “The Temple of Art in the Caucasus”, “Little Paris” and “The House of Music in Azerbaijan”.
The number of poets and artists who grew up and were educated in the city of Shusha is greater than can be counted. Some of the names that came out of the city are: Qasim bay Zakir (poet), Najaf bay Vazirov (writer and playwright), Abdurrahim bay Haqverdiyev (playwright), Bulbul (opera singer, founder of vocal art in Azerbaijan), Mirza Sadiq (musician), Uzeyir Hajibayov and there are many more good ones. During their time (19th century) the foundations were laid for professional musical education in the city.
In the twentieth century, there was no peace in the city. Wars between Armenians and Azerbaijanis, Soviet occupation, there is no shortage of upheavals that have gone through this city. During the Soviet period the city was connected to electricity and roads that were paved in the city, but the cultural heritage of the city was slowly forgotten. So many of the special and unique city buildings were not maintained and destroyed. Another reason why many historical buildings in the city did not survive is Armenian vandalism after they occupied the city. Some of the buildings that did not survive were the Carpet Museum of Azerbaijan, the only factory for oriental musical instruments in the Caucasus, 31 libraries, 8 cultural centers and many other buildings. Works of art were also stolen from the many museums in the city, their number exceeds 5000 works of art that were stolen and desecrated. This is Azerbaijani culture that will not be presented again in the most cultured city of the Caucasus.
After the Second Karabakh war in 2020, liberated Shusha returned to Azerbaijan, after being under Armenian occupation since the First Karabakh War when it was occupied in 1992. This is when the fear of the destruction of Azerbaijani culture ended.