The Karabakh khanate
Foundation of the city is connected with Panahali khan’s name, the founder of Karabakh khanate (1748-1763). Political disorder rose in South Caucasia after Persian ruler Nadir shah’s murder in 1747 made Panahali khan to build strongly defended castle in order to ensure his security. For this purpose Bayat castle was built in 1748 and Shahbulag castle in 1752. But none of these castles was able to ensure khanate’s security during continuously fighting wars. Panahali khan decided to cause to build more solid castle inaccessible for enemies’ attack: “We should build such an eternal and unconquerable castle within mountains in solid and impassible place that even powerful enemy couldn’t surround it” 1. Mountain plateau located 1300-1600 m. high from sea-level and surrounded with precipitous cliffs was completely meeting these requirements. Panahali khan realizing favorable military-strategic situation of chosen place ordered to launch building of a new castle in 1754. After all necessary work was finished for secure living in 1756, capital of Karabakh khanate was removed there. The new castle was called Panahabad after its founder’s name but afterwards changed for Shusha.
Formation stages of Shusha
Analyses of available materials show three stages in the formation of Shusha as a town. The most ancient district of the town “Tabrizly” was build up during the first stage concurring Panahali khan’s authority. The district, famous with that name until the destruction of Karabakh khanate, was later called “lower district” (Ashagi mahalla) in accordance with the town’s relief. This first district of Shusha included the following streets: Chukhur (hollow), Gurdlar (worm), Julfa Seyidli, Haji Yusifli, Dordlar gurdu, Dord Chinar (Four planes) and Chol gala.
The second stage of the formation of Shusha as a town concurred to Ibrahimkhalil khan’s authority (1763-1806). The second district
Hoca Mircanli quarter Shusha
Hoca Mircanli quarter - Shusha named “Upper district” (Yukhari mahalla) was built up. Unlike “lower district” favorable for town building, territory of this district was mountainous and covered with thick forest. For that reason as requirement raised forests were cut down and streets took their place. 8 new streets were built up in “Upper district” created during 40 years. Those streets were the followings: Khanate, Saatli, Kocharli, Mamayi, Khoja Marjanli, Damirchi, Hamam gabagi and Taza.
Building up of the third district named “Gazanchali” began in 1805 after Karabakh khanate was occupied by Russian Empire and continued during whole XIX century. This district included 12 streets was the most populated one in Shusha. Mirza Yusif Karabakhli enumerated names of this district’s streets as Mehrili, Gazanchali, Jilabord, Dara, Baglar and etc. 2
Shusha under Russian protectorate
From the early 19th century Russian influence in the Caucasus began to rise. Following Georgia, many Azeri khanates accepted Russian protectorate. In 1805, a Kurekchay Treaty was signed between the Karabakh khanate and the Russian Empire on the transfer of the Karabakh khanate to Russia.
Russian Empire consolidated its power in the Karabakh khanate following the Treaty of Gulistan in 1813 and Treaty of Turkmanchay of 1828, when following two brief Russo-Iranian wars, Iran recognized belonging of the Karabakh khanate, along with many other Azerbaijanian khanates, to Russia.
The Karabakh khanate was eliminated in 1822. After this Shusha ceased to be a capital of a khanate and instead became an administrative capital of first the Karabakh province (1822-1840) and then of the Shusha district (uyezd) of the Yelizavetpol province (goubernia) (1840-1923).
19th century also brought significant alterations to the ethnic demographics of the region. Thus, if in 1795 before Aga Muhammad khan Qajar’s attack, there lived more than 60,000 in Karabakh, in 1816 the population of the khanate totaled only 24,000 people. Thus, within twenty years from 1795 to 1815 the population of Karabakh decreased by 36,000, i.e. more than half.
Nevertheless, Shusha grew and developed. In 1851 the population of Shusha was 15,194 people 3, in 1886 – 30,000 4, in 1910 – 39,413 5 and in 1916 – 43,864 6. By the second half of the 19th century Shusha became the largest town in Azerbaijan and the second largest town in the Caucasus after Tbilisi. By March 1920 there were 12 thousand houses in Shusha, with approximate population of 60,000 7.
The reason for this rapid population growth was not only economic development, but also Russian-sponsored massive Armenian settlement in Karabakh and other parts of Azerbaijan that took place throughout the 19th century. Virtually every Russo-Turkish war and Armenian riots in the Ottoman Empire produced new waves of Armenian refugees who resettled in many parts of Azerbaijan, including Shusha. Thus, a Russian author Shavrov wrote in 1911: “ Of 1 million 300 thousand Armenians living nowadays in South Caucasus, more than 1 million do not belong to the indigenous population of the region and were settled by us [i.e. Russians]“ 8.
Thus, according to first Russian-held census of 1823 conducted by Russian officials Yermolov and Mogilevsky, the number of Azeri (“Muslim”) families in Shusha was 1,111 (72.5%) whereas the number of Armenian families reached 421 (27.5%) 9. Seven years later, according to 1830 data, the number of Azeri families in Shusha decreased to 963 and the number of Armenian families increased to 762 10. By the end of the 19th century the percentage of Azeri population living in the Shusha district (part of earlier Karabakh province) decreased even further. According to first All-Russian census of 1897 Azeris constituted only 45.3% (62,868 people) of the population of the Shusha district, while the percentage of the Armenian population living in the same district constituted 53,1% (73,963 people) 11.
Beginning from 1830s the town was divided into two parts: Azeris lived in eastern lower quarters, Armenians settled in relatively new western upper quarters of the town. The “Muslim” part of the town was divided to 17 mahallas (quarters). Each mahalla had its own mosque, [Turkish] bath-house, water-spring and also a mahalla representative, who would be elected among the elderlies (aksakals), and who would function as a sort of head of present-day municipality. The Armenian part of the town consisted of 12 quarters, five churches, town and district (uyezd) school and girls’ seminarium.
The population of the town primarily dealt with trade, horse-breeding, carpet-weaving and wine and vodka production. Shusha was also the biggest center of silk production in the Caucasus. Most of the Muslim population of the town and of Karabakh in general was engaged in sheep and horse-breeding and therefore, had a semi-nomadic lifestyle, spending wintertime in lowland Karabakh in wintering pastures and spring and summer in summering pastures in Shusha and other mountainous parts.
Beginning with the 2nd part of the 19th century Shusha played great role in political, economical and cultural development of Azerbaijan. For development of trade, culture and the quantity of the population Shusha was first in Azerbaijan and 2nd in Transcaucasia after Tiflis. Thus Shusha at that time was called «Small-Paris».
Shusha is one of the centers of culture of Azerbaijan. Shusha was the city of curing, the land of the talented people. No other city gave as much talents to Azerbaijan as Shusha. According to the information gathered by the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the 19th century there were 95 poets, 22 musicologists, 38 singers, 19 calligraphers, 16 pattern makers, 5 astronomers, 18 architects, 16 doctors, about 42 teachers and others in Shusha. The huge group of the mentioned intellectuals turned Shusha into developed centre of culture.
Shusha Within Azerbaijan SSR
Establishment of Soviet authority in Azerbaijan in 1920didn’t give peace to Karabakh, as well as Shusha. Armenians holding leading posts in Nagorno-Karabakh with the patronage of higher ranked soviet leadership were fulfilling their crafty policy under the name of “class struggle” and were actually pursuing genocide and deportation policy against Azerbaijani population of the region. In 1920-1922 hundreds of Azerbaijani inhabitants were arrested, shot and persecuted in Shusha with the instigation of Armenians. Many beys of the town were shot in front of the population. For many Azerbaijani families the only way of avoiding Armenian persecution was to leave Shusha forIran and Turkey. These repressions resulted with the diminishing of Azerbaijanis in the town more 12
Administrative status of Shusha underwent changes several times during Soviet authority. Under the decision of Central Committee’s Caucasus bureau dated July 5, 1921 Shusha was defined as a center of a newly establishedNagorno-Karabak
Depriving Shusha from the status of the administrative center seriously influenced Shusha’s life. As a result of indifferent relation by a leadership of the Republic and the district the town began to lose its previous view and fame. Not only was any building-construction work, quite the contrary, several historical-architectural monuments were savagely destroyed. Iron and frames of the complex built according to the instruction of Idrahimkhalil khan in “treasury order” which included a castle, harem, stable, bath and shelter for troop, were extracted during World War II, but buildings were gradually destroyed and became useless. Destruction of historical-architectural monuments of Shusha continued following years as well.
The biggest strike to Shusha was, despite it was for a short time, depriving it from the status of district center. At the beginning of 60th of XX century Armenian leadership of theNagorno-KarabakhAutonom
Strange relation to Shusha during Soviet authority seriously influenced number and national structure of the city. During 50 years number of population in Shusha, formerly being one of the biggest and prosperous towns of Azerbaijan was diminished over thrice. So, despite 43.869 people were living there in 1917, their number arranged just 13.664 persons in 1970. National structure of population living in Shusha underwent serious changes during Soviet authority as well. As a result of deprivation of Shusha of a status being a center of Karabakh and strange relation to the town for years, Armenians – settled there during Tsar Authority’s removal policy, gradually left there. Only 3577 out of 13.664 people living in the town were Armenians in 1970. This tendency strengthened next years much more. In 1989 just only 1.377 out of 20.579 people living in Shusha were Armenians (2, p 210).
Revival of Shusha again was possible only in 1969, when H.Aliyev was appointed a leader ofAzerbaijan. A new leader of the Republic firstly took measures to prevent destruction of historical-architectural monuments. Council of Ministers of the Azerbaijan SSR passed a law with his initiative about “declaring historical part of Shusha town as a historical-architectural reservation” in 1977. Many measures were taken to revive socio-economic and cultural life of the town. Oriental National Musical Instruments’ Factory producing tar, kamancha, ud, nagara and other musical instruments was given to use.
Memorial houses of coryphaeus of Azerbaijani culture and art, U.Hajibeyov, Kh.Natavan, Bulbul and M.M.Navvab were arranged with the imitative of H.Aliyev. Mausoleum of M.P.Vagif was opened in January, 1982. This beautiful work of art with 20m height was ornamented with delicate and carved frames and local marble with reddish tinge.
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