History

From ancient roots through the Karabakh Khanate and the golden age of Shusha — to a turbulent 20th century.

Roots

A land with a deep history

Karabakh has been inhabited since deep antiquity. States and cultures of the Caucasus passed through these lands, leaving fortresses, temples and legends. By the 18th century the region became the core of an independent state — the Karabakh Khanate.

It was then that the city destined to become the heart of Karabakh was founded — Shusha.

Timeline

Milestones of history

antiquity

Karabakh has been settled since ancient times; states and cultures of the Caucasus pass through it.

mid-18th c.

Panah Ali Khan creates the Karabakh Khanate — an independent state with its capital in Karabakh.

1752

The fortress of Shusha is founded — the new capital of the khanate and the future cultural centre of the whole Caucasus.

19th c.

Karabakh becomes part of the Russian Empire. Shusha flourishes: the poets Vagif and Natavan, schools of mugham, carpet making.

20th c.

The Soviet period: Karabakh develops within Azerbaijan; Shusha remains a symbol of national culture.

late 20th – early 21st c.

The Karabakh conflict leads to war and the loss of part of the region; a long period of division begins.

2020

After the 44-day war, Azerbaijan restores control over a significant part of Karabakh.

Fortress of Shusha

Golden age

The cradle of mugham

Nineteenth-century Shusha was one of the main cultural centres of the Caucasus. The poetess Khurshidbanu Natavan, daughter of the last Karabakh khan, lived and worked here, as did the poet Molla Panah Vagif.

The city gave Azerbaijan a galaxy of great khanende singers and was the birthplace of the composer Uzeyir Hajibeyli and the singer Bulbul. It is no coincidence that Shusha is called the cradle of Azerbaijani music.

Cities of Karabakh →

“Shusha is the conservatory of the Caucasus, where even the stones know mugham.”Said of the city