Shusha / Shushi | |
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Town | |
Shusha landmarks, from top left:
Ghazanchetsots Cathedral • Yukhari Govhar Agha Mosque Shusha fortress • National Gallery History Museum • Central park Shusha skyline • Natavan house |
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Location of Shusha within Azerbaijan and the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic | |
Coordinates: 39°45.5′N 46°44.9′E / 39.7583°N 46.7483°E | |
Country | Azerbaijan (de jure) Nagorno-Karabakh Republic1 (de facto) |
Raion | Shusha Raion2 |
Province | Shushi Province3 |
Government | |
• Mayor; Head of Shusha | Karen Avagimyan; Bayram Safarov4 |
Area | |
• Land | 5.5 km2 (2.1 sq mi) |
Highest elevation | 1,800 m (5,900 ft) |
Lowest elevation | 1,400 m (4,600 ft) |
Population (2015) | |
• Total | 4,446 |
1Unrecognized country 2According to Azerbaijan administrative division 3According to NKR administrative division 4Azeri administration functions in exile |
Shusha (Azerbaijani: Şuşa; Russian: Шуша), or Shushi (Armenian: Շուշի), is a city in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh in the South Caucasus. It has been under the control of the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic since its capture in 1992 during the Nagorno-Karabakh War. However, it is a de jure part of the Republic of Azerbaijan, with the status of an administrative division of the surrounding Shusha Rayon. Situated at an altitude of 1,400–1,800 metres (4,600–5,900 ft) in the picturesque Karabakh mountains, Shusha was a popular mountain recreation resort in the Soviet era.
According to some sources the town of Shusha was founded in 1752 by Panah Ali Khan. Other sources suggest that Shusha served as a town and an ancient fortress in the Armenian principality of Varanda during the Middle Ages and through the 18th century. From the mid-18th century to 1822 Shusha was the capital of the Karabakh Khanate. The town became one of the cultural centers of the South Caucasus after the Russian conquest of the Caucasus region in the first half of the 19th century over Qajar Iran. Over time, it became a city and a home to many Azerbaijani intellectuals, poets, writers and especially, musicians (e.g., the ashiks, mugham singers, kobuz players).