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/culture-policy/to-shusha-towards-the-summit-of-victory-photo-355741
The second reportage: https://apa.az/en/xeber/social-news/summit-of-the-patriotic-war-history-city-culture-city-photo-355965
Morning in Jidir Duzu Plain or reality of Armenian producer
We start our first morning in Shusha. There is not half the rain and cold the weather used to be. We fell into a cold weather, which made us to wear a coat when we run away from Baku’s heat and sheltered in Shusha the day before yesterday. Although this morning is sunny, it is not hot like in Baku, a cool wind blows sometimes, when you go to a shadow, you cool off, not choke.
The first place we will go is the Jidir Duzu Plain, as we planned. I think many few people can be found, who do not have information on the Jidir Duzu Plain, but I should say again that it is situated in the higher place of Shusha highland as compared to the south. Here has been a place, where important ceremonies, racings, Novruz Holiday of Karabakh Khanate since establishment of Shusha. During just the Soviet years, Jidir Duzu Plain was one of the favourite places often attended by Shusha people.
There is Dashalti valley 200 meters below severe rocks in the end of Jidir Duzu Plain. The Dashalti River flows through the valley. Mountains, rocks in the front is Topkhana forest. A scene like a door, made of rocks standing head-to-head, appears when we look from Jidir Duzu Plain to Dashalti.
Revenge, avenged from Shusha Alley of Martyrs
Alley of Martyrs is situated on the road leading to the Jidir Duzu Plain, we turn to there during returning. National Hero of Azerbaijan, Commander of Shusha Self-defense Battalion Ramiz Gambarov and our martyrs died in the battles for the sake of Shusha, were buried in the Alley. As you guess, Armenians destroyed the Alley of Martyrs after occupation of Shusha, destructed the graves. A board has been placed in the entry of the Alley, burial place of martyrs has been surrounded with a ribbon. Most probably, the graves will be identified and gravestones will be placed soon and here will become sacred place of those, who arrive in Shusha.
Panah Khan’s Palace or Karabakh Khan Palace
I would say that the most ancient building of Shusha is Panak Khan’s Palace, which we come while downing from the Jidir Duzu Plain by coincidence. I use the expression of “the most ancient building” as the palace was built at the same time with castle walls during the establishment of the city in 1752 for Khanate family and was headquarter of Panah Khan. His son Ibrahimkhalil Khan lived with Ibrahimkhalil Khan Palace with his family and noblemen, which was constructed at the same time as Panahali Khan’s Palace near it.
Elder son of Ibrahimkhalil Khan Mahammadhasan Agha lived in Mahammadhasan Agha Palace, which was erected on a severe rock in the south east of Shusha plateau. Agha Mahammad Shah Gajar lived in the Palace in 1797 while attacking to Shusha and killed there. Besides these palaces, there are Khan gizi Natavan Palace and Garaboyuk Khanim Palace in Shusha, which belonged to members of Khan family. Although the name of Karabakh Khan Palace is devoted to each of these palaces in different sources, main political headquarter of Karabakh Khans was Palace-fortress of the first Karabakh Khan Panahali Khan.
Isa Spring
After completing shooting in Panah Khan’s Palace, we decide to visit Isa Spring. To this purpose we leave the city and walk about 2 km of road through the forest. As it is said, the water was discovered by a person named Isa in the 18th century. The Spring named after him from that time.
Isa Spring is situated in a thick forest. Shusha people used to come here to rest, organize ceremonies, hold festivities here. Isa Spring has been a favourite place of Armenians too. That is why they built a resting center on the Isa Spring, constructed attics, cottages for resting after occupation of Shusha.
Mamay Mosque
After shooting in Isa Spring, we return to the city again and come to Mamay Mosque fortunately. We would not find so easily, if we asked. In Shusha, where every step is a monument, we have left ourselves to the goddess of art, we shoot any monument we face with.
The mosque has been built in the Mamayi estate of Shusha in the 19th century. It consists of two-story. The prayer hall of the mosque has three naves. The windows in this mosque are set up from the side of the main face wall and altar of the building. Mamay mosque has been a house of poetry, but now its plastic windows give ground to say that it has been used by Armenians during the occupation.
Khan's daughter Natavan’s palace
One of the most valuable possessions of Shusha is the Khan's daughter Natavan’s palace. This stone building locating on the road to the Ganja Gate attracts attention at first sight with its architecture, numerous windows, and "stone medallions" stretching like a belt over the windows. Natava's palace has a courtyard covering a large area and various service buildings in this courtyard.
We were entering the house of Khan’s daughter, and climbing to the second floor with the stone steps which is in a dangerous situation. There is no place tp pass except here, it has been destroyed. Unfortunately, nothing is left from the previous charm of the building, there is no roof, no elegant interior, the walls are covered with trees and bushes, and the inside is full of rubbish. The building resembles a large ruin.
In the neighborhood of the house, there is another monument, the "Khan's Palace" sign is hung in front of it, the southern wall is made of brick, and the remaining walls are made of local stones. As it is said, this has belonged to Natavan’s father, Nehdigulu khan Javanshir, Khurshidbanu, who was called as “Durru Yekta” in the palace, was also born here. The property with "stone medallions" on the windows was later built by architect Karbalai Safikhan Garabaghi at the request of Khan's daughter.
Khan’s daughter fountain
Despite the abolition of the Karabakh khanate in 1822 and the loss of power by the khan's family, they perceive their moral responsibility and tried to help as much as they could for the welfare of the population. In terms of this, Khan’s daughter Natavan, alongside her poetry, was also known for her charity as her aunt Govhar Agha. One of her most benevolent works was the construction of a water pipeline to Shusha, and a spring named after him was built a short distance from the palace with the water of that pipeline. Khan’s daughter spring is differentiated with its architectural style among other springs in the city and has similarity with the structure of Khan’s daughter house that it gives opportunity to present it as a part of the complex.
Uzeyir Hajibeyov's House Museum
The museum, which operated until 1992, had about 1,700 exhibits. During the occupation, only 136 personal items belonging to Uzeyir Hajibeyov were rescued, and the rest were destroyed by Armenians.
The wooden stairs leading to the second floor of the house, the balcony, the roof, the ceiling have been completely destroyed, there are lots of shrubs in the room and it is impossible to enter the room. The front wall of the first floor has been split and may destroy every second.
We find a gypsum board in the stone pile in front of the house. This is a part of bas-relief depicting Koroglu. We also clean up the pile of stones and find the remains of a granite board that was once hanged on the house museum. We try to unite them.
We are arranging the remains of the board in a visible way so that in the future the repairmen here will be aware of it and will preserve the remains of this board as a museum exhibit.
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(To be continued)
Foto – Ilkin Nabiyev ©APAGROUP
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