Shusha (
Azerbaijani Susa;
Armenian ?????,
transliterated as
Shushi;
Russian ????,
Shusha) is a town 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 internationally recognised as being part of the
Republic of Azerbaijan, with the status of an
administrative division serving as the administrative center of the surrounding
Shusha Rayon.
Situated at an altitude of 1400–1800 metres (4,600-5,900&_160;ft) in the picturesque Karabakh mountains, Shusha was a popular mountainous-climatic recreation resort during the Soviet Union. It was the only large settlement in the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast with a predominantly non-Armenian population[2][3][4]; the population is now almost exclusively Armenian who use the Armenian equivalent of the town's name—Shushi.
Shusha's fortress was built to serve as the capital of Karabakh khanate, and the city was one of the cultural centers of the South Caucasus after the Russian conquest of the region in first half of the 19th century. It was home to many intellectuals, poets, writers and especially, musicians (e.g., the ashugs, mugham singers, kobuz players).[5] In 1977 it was declared reservation of Azerbaijan architecture and history. The city was often referred to as "musical capital or conservatory of Transcaucasia".[6]
The city was also a major center of Armenian cultural and economic life until the closing years of World War I.[7] Along with Tbilisi, it was one of the two main Armenian cities of the Transcaucasus and the center of a self-governing Armenian principality in the 1720s.[8] Furthermore, it had religious and strategic importance to the Armenians, housing the Ghazanchetsots Cathedral (Cathedral of the Holy Savior; Armenian ??. ??????????), the church of Kanatch Zham (Church of the Holy Mother of God; Armenian ??. ??????????) and serving (along with Lachin district to the west) as a land link to Armenia.
