Art

APA's employees visited the territories liberated by the Azerbaijani Army under the leadership of Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev and prepared a series of reports from those areas in the "In the Footsteps of Victory" project. Here is the next reportage from this series:

The beginning is here:https://apa.az/en/xeber/social-news/summit-of-the-patriotic-war-history-city-culture-city-photo-355965

The second reportage: https://apa.az/en/xeber/azerbaijan_art/door-of-heaven-bas-relief-found-in-house-museum-of-uzeyir-bey-photo-356045

The third reportage:https://apa.az/en/xeber/azerbaijan_art/prison-where-gachag-nabi-was-detained-destroyed-paintings-of-mir-movsum-navvab-reportage-from-shusha-356131

It is the third day that we are in Shusha. We will return back to Baku after the completion of our work here until the afternoon. To be honest, we want to stay in Shusha for several days and find all the historical monuments in Shusha, to see which ones were the victims of the "cultural genocide" of the Armenians, which ones "saved their lives". But there are so many monuments and historical places in Shusha that which one can you reach? That's why we are going to shot a video of the next monument without delay in order to spend the last hours we have economically.

Gazanchi church

Holy Savior Cathedral or Gazanchi Church locates in the center of the city and it approximately seems from every part of the city.

The official opening ceremony of the church, built-in 1868-1887, took place in 1888 and lasted until the establishment of Soviet power in Azerbaijan. The Cathedral that was closed for the pray after the establishment of the power has operated as a warehouse since 1940. After the occupation of Karabakh by the Armenian armed forces, the Gazanchi church was destroyed by the vandals, the occupiers have done some changes in the view of the church. After that, the house of worship became the center of the Karabakh eparchy of the Armenian Gregorian Church.

Two-story inn

After Gazanchi church, we return back again to the front of Yukari Govhar Aga mosque. We have to shot a Two-storey inn which we passes many times in front of it for two days. Next to him, there is another monument- Inn of Savarov brother locates.

This monument is hotel type and two storeys. In the second half of the 19th century, Mashadi Huseyn Mir Sayyaf oglu took over Haji Amiraslan Bey's inn, demolished it, and built a new one. For this reason, this inn was known as a Haji Sayyaf oglu inn among the people.

Destroyed Inn

The Inn of the Safarov brothers, which did not lag behind the two-story Inn in appearance and size, was destroyed up to its stone by the Armenians during the occupation. The monument is overgrown with weeds, leaving only the ruins of a few cells. But, these remains also say many things about the majesty of the Inn.

The back part of this architectural monument of state importance built in the 19th is the Khoja Marjanli settlement.

***

Afternoon pray is sung from the Yukhari Govhar Aga mosque.

It is time to leave Shusha. We will be on the way a while later. I take the opportunity to evaluate the last minutes I have and go down the slope in front of the Shirin Bathhouse. I say, maybe I may encounter some monuments again. Because there are lots of monuments, home museums, mosques, baths, springs in Shusha that we did not shot a video: The houses of Yuzif Vazir Chamanzaminli, Suleyman Sani Akhundov, Abdurrahim bey Hagverdiyev, Firudin bey Kocharli, Julfalar, Kocharli, Mardinli mosques ...

After coming to Baku, I will learn that the houses of F. Kocharli and A.Hagverdiyev. But, for now, I am unaware of it and look greedily at the courtyards, the gates, the houses, some of which are lost in the tall trees.

Houses, estates, and chimneys, many of which are fascinating architectural masterpieces, have been eroded in anticipation of the return of their owners for 29 years, and have endured captivity, occupation, and torture to the best of their ability. Those which are not strong enough, destroyed and turned into ruins. I think that if there was tongues of these houses, mirrors, balconies, windows, walls, stones, they would say, "Look, I endured, I waited for your arrival…Hello, my owner, I have not died, waited for your arrival… Hello-hello, I am also the door of your house, it is true, these years made me rusted, I am getting to complete my life, every time when I am opened and closed, all of my “Bones” are cracking, but anyway you see that I have waited for your arrival, although you have also been torn apart like me… Hey, it is me, the balcony of your house, I have no glass left, no nets, no windows, I'm a piece of rotten wood, Godness, I saw you, your return before dying… Forgive me, maybe would not know me, I am a sidewall of your house, I could not be strong enough, I have seen every kind of torture that a house may be subjected to, I have destroyed… But they restored me, lived in me, but I did not forget my real owners, every day I waited for this day, my windows, who knew you and smiled, witness this.

I am sure that these houses, yards, these windows, these balconies, these doors- If these buildings, which have been waiting for their owners for years, had their tongues, they would speak the same way.

So, I walk around the destroyed houses and courtyards with dramatic thoughts, I say, maybe I will come across at least one of the monuments which the Ministry of Culture affixed the plague.

I am afraid of going ahead. Probably worth saying that Shusha has not been still completely cleared of UXOs and ammunitions. It is dangerous to move to houses that do not have a special insignia on them. I am also walking in the liberated streets of the liberated city among the orphan houses as far as my courage gives opportunity. Event not only my legs, I am walking the free Shusha with the legs of Natavan, Navvab, Uzeyir bey, Agaoglu, Hagverdiyev, Chamanzaminli. I am looking at this wounded city with their eyes.

The light of Shusha fills my heart with free, happy people who will raise Hajibeyovs, Agaoglu, Hagverdiyevs again.

We leave Shusha with that light…

P.S. A careful reader may thhink that why did we not visit the may ask Vagif Mausoleum and Bulbul’s House museum during these 3 days? I think, after the liberation of Shusha everyone has seen the last situation of Vagif Mausoleum and Bulbul’s House museum. You know that the restoration of both monuments has already started. Currently, restoration works carried out in these monuments is about to complete. That is why, we think that filming of Vagif Mausoleum and Bulbul’s House museum should be postponed to another time, good health, after the opening ...

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