‘When will the IDPs return to the liberated territories?’ This is one of the most frequently asked questions nowadays. It is possible to see civilians, along with servicemen and police officers, on the streets of Shusha. They are mainly involved in construction work.

Gazanfar Dadashov, 70, is from Shusha, who is the first to return to his homeland after the war. He runs a bakery here. He used to be engaged in this work in Shusha even before the war. During the period when he was an IDP, he set up and led a construction brigade in Baku. After the war, he entrusted his work in Baku to his assistant and returned to Shusha.

‘I am here since November 13, 2020. At first, there were no normal conditions. The city had just emerged from the war, the weather was unfavorable for business, and there was no light. When I returned to Shusha, I went to the place where I used to work, it was completely destroyed, then I came here and set up my business. I promised in the tender that we will start baking bread in Shusha from January 1,’ Dadashov said.

Gazanfar's employees came from Beylagan district and work on a rotating basis. The bakery provides bread to servicemen and civilians serving in Shusha, as well as hotel and hostel.

‘The main issue is that I am in my homeland. The circumstances are not favorable enough yet for my family to live here with me. I will bring them here when all necessary conditions are created,’ Dadashov said.

On August 29, President Ilham Aliyev was presented the master plan of Shusha and the foundation of the first stage was laid. The new residential area of ​​Shusha will consist of 6 neighborhoods with a total area of ​​47,000 square meters. As indicated in the master plan, the population per neighborhood is considered to be about 2,000 people. It is planned to have 25 buildings in each neighborhood, consisting of 3, 4 and 5-storey buildings, built in the architectural style typical of Shusha.

According to Aydin Karimov, the special representative of the President of Azerbaijan in Shusha, 5 apartment buildings near the foundation area will be demolished as they are unusable.

One of the apartment buildings in Shusha, which was partially usable, after renovation now functions as a hostel. Many guests are invited to the recent events in the city, and this place also meets the need for their accommodation.

‘These are small apartments of Soviet standard. According to that standard, the living space per person was 11-12 square meters, now the demand is 22-25 square meters. That is why there is a need for more modern buildings. The heating and insulation systems of old buildings are not strong enough,’ Karimov added.

To date, 6 apartment buildings have been demolished in Shusha and a mosque complex is being built on that place.

Speaking about the future of private courtyard houses in Shusha, Karimov said that if apartment buildings are to be built further, such houses should be demolished, as it was in the neighborhood where the foundation was laid.

Here we meet publicist and journalist Karim Karimli who is originally from Shusha. He visits the city as a participant of the ‘Days of Vagif Poetry’ after many years. His private house at #7 Chamanzaminli, apartment 2, where he lived before the occupation, was completely destroyed. Yellow grass grows from the place of the house. In addition, he had two more addresses in Shusha. One is an apartment in a new five-storey cooperative building on Ataturk Street (formerly April 28). That building is whole. Karim has visited it too. The second is a house they started to build near the Jidir plain, but was left unfinished due to the war. The unfinished building has been covered with bushes.

‘This is my opinion. First of all, living in Shusha is a great happiness. In this sense, it does not matter whether you live in an apartment in a building or in a private house. Secondly, it is possible that private houses are not built. Shusha is a small city, and given that in the future it will be the cultural capital of the country and a developed tourist center, then, in general, it will be necessary to save land. Yet, if all conditions are created to build a private house for the residents who had courtyard houses before the occupation, and if the government will stimulate this initiative in any way, then I will gladly start construction either at our previous place or in a new one. But I do not believe that such a step will be taken, because it is the center of the city and will be intended for tourism.’

The Special Representative, on the other hand, says that the priority at the initial stage is to build infrastructure:

‘First of all, the reconstruction of water lines has begun. The boiler-heating system is being constructed, and substations are being built to supply them with energy. We must be ready for the winter so that people living and working here do not have heat problems.’

Currently, the people involved in the construction work in Shusha are settled mainly in old and dilapidated buildings and stations. They and their families will be housed in apartment buildings to be built in the new neighborhoods. Their children will go to school here.

We are witnessing a group of children, between the ages 3 and 12, playing in the streets of Shusha. During the conversation, it became clear that the children have been here for 3 months due to their father's duties. But soon they have to return to Tartar district, where they live permanently, because the academic year begins. In May of this year, an order was signed for the construction of a school in Shusha for 960 students and 3 million manat was allocated from the budget.

The issue of the return of IDPs is not within the competence of the special mission. Aydin Karimov says that their main profile is construction work.

Shusha, 1 September