From Press Club: Members of the public and members of the media visit Shusha in parts. But there are tens of thousands of people who are eager to see this city, sacred to every Azerbaijani, free after 28 years of occupation. It is not yet clear when this will happen - security and landscaping work is underway in and around the city. Our employee Seymur Kazimov will take you on a virtual walk to the famous places of Shusha ...

The area of ​​Shusha is 5.5 square kilometers. Just by walking, you can easily complete your trip within a day. By car, of course, much less time. Yet, this small city possesses a much bigger history than its territory. Every street is unique with its historical buildings, educational institutions, estates of celebrities, cultural monuments, baths, fountains, mosques. Many of them were either completely or partially destroyed. The landscapes we see in other liberated cities and regions - the remains of fences invisible among the weeds, the trees growing from the rubble – are also typical here.

This photo session is about the past and present of Shusha.

Photos:

Shusha Real School

On September 20, 1881, the Real School was founded in Shusha.

For the first time, 159 students were admitted to this school, which consisted of preparatory and three main classes. Well-known educators Hashim bey Vazirov, Mirza Salah bey Zohrabbeyov, Yusif bey Malikhagnazarov have taught here.

Ahmad Bey Aghaoglu, a great socio-political figure of both Azerbaijan and Turkey, as well as Abdulali bey Mukhtarov, Hasan bey Bagirbeyov, Ismayil bey Shafibeyov, Mukhtar bey Muradov, Yusif Vazir Chamanzaminli, Abdurrahim bey Hagverdiyev, Gara bey Aliverdiler, Jabbar bey Valibey Rustam bey Akhundov and Khan Shushinsky were among the graduates of the school.

Shusha Pedagogical College operated in the building of the educational institution until 1960, and Physics-Mathematics specialized boarding school No. 2 in 1960-1989.

From 1989 to 1992, the Shusha branch of the Azerbaijan State Pedagogical University operated in the building.

During the First Karabakh War, volunteer battalions were stationed here.

Shusha prison

A penitentiary built in Shusha in 1848 during Tsarist Russia. The prison is located on the east side of the Shusha fortress, and the lower walls of the fortress touch the prison. During the USSR, it operated as a closed prison. In total, the prison is designed for 350 inmates.

Dilgam Asgarov and Shahbaz Guliyev, who were taken hostage by the Armenian Armed Forces in Kalbajar in 2014, had been detained here for 6 years.

‘Shirin’ (sweet) water bath

One of the unique architectural monuments of Shusha is Shirin water bath. This bath was built in 1878-1880 by Khan’s daughter Khurshidbanu Natavan. The design of the bath is by the famous architect Karbalai Safikhan Karabakh. The bath served men on single days of the week and women on even days. The bath was named ‘Shirin’ (sweet) water bath because it operated with drinking water brought to Shusha by Natavan in 1873.

The photos explained by Karim Karimli, a publicist and journalist originally from Shusha.

You can learn about the future of Shusha here.