Hero City Shusha Reawakens with Heritage Restoration

Shusha, the symbolic heart of Karabakh, is rising from the ashes of conflict, not only through reconstruction but also through a dedicated effort to preserve its rich historical and cultural legacy. Since its liberation in 2020, the city has seen significant progress in restoring its heritage sites.

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Five of our mosques have been fully restored. Shusha officially has 196 registered monuments. Unfortunately, the vast majority of them were destroyed or heavily damaged. Despite this, approximately 30 monuments have been restored to their original state in the last 5 years.

Key religious and historical buildings, including the Upper Govhar Agha, Lower Govhar Agha, Saatli, Mamay, and Chol Gala mosques, have been fully restored and reopened. Official records indicate Shusha once boasted 196 historical and cultural monuments, many of which suffered severe damage during the occupation. To date, around 30 of these monuments have been meticulously restored to their original state, with plans underway to initiate conservation and strengthening work on 15 heavily damaged structures within the current year.

Aydın Kerimov, Special Representative of the President of Azerbaijan in Shusha, emphasized that the restoration of mosques was a priority. He noted that while a large majority of the city's 196 registered monuments were destroyed or heavily damaged, significant progress has been made. The restoration process itself is described as highly sensitive, requiring extensive archival research and scientific studies to avoid irreparable mistakes.

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The restoration of a historical structure is an extremely delicate process. Correcting a mistake later would be very difficult. Therefore, the work is carried out with great care.

These ambitious restoration projects are a collaborative effort, involving both Azerbaijani and international experts during the planning stages, with local restorers taking the lead in implementation. Kerimov highlighted that the large-scale reconstruction activities in Karabakh over recent years have cultivated substantial expertise in restoration. This has led to the development of strong local restoration companies and skilled professionals capable of working to international standards.

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Thanks to the work carried out in Karabakh in the last 5-6 years, strong local restoration companies and expert staff working in line with international standards have emerged.