Shushi

Shushi

Geographical Position

Shushi is a town in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, in the South Caucasus. It is situated at an altitude of 1400–1800 meters in the picturesque Karabakh Mountains. Shushi is located in a temperate climate zone; the weather is characterized with warm winters and cool summers. The average temperature in January is +3°C and +30 °C in July. The city has a population of 3,000 people.

General Description

Shushi's fortress was turned into the capital of the Karabakh khanate, and the town became one of the greatest cultural centers in the South Caucasus, after the Russian conquest of the region in the first half of the 19th century. Over time, it became a home to many scholars, poets, writers, and especially musicians.

The city was also a major center of Armenian cultural and economic life until the closing years of World War I. Along with Tbilisi, it was one of the two main Armenian cities in the Transcaucasia. Shushi was the center of a self-governing Armenian principality in the 1720s.

Shushi also had a religious and strategic importance in the Armenia's history. It was home to the Ghazanchetsots Cathedral, the church of Kanach Zham, and served (along with Lachin district to the west) as a land link to Armenia. Following the capture of Shushi in 1992 by Armenian forces, the city's population fell dramatically.

Shushi is famous for its fortress. The fort is situated in the Varanda princedome's territory, therefore it belongs to Varanda's prince, Melik-Shahnazaryan. Over 2.5km of ramparts begin from the high rock in the south-western side of the mountain plain. Climbing the branches and cliffs, the ramparts encircle the fort-town from the west. They then go down by a slope, turn to the west and go into a stone.

The fort-town a secret rocky passage. The passage is found on the eastern side of the mountain plain, by the Yerevan gate, through a rock.

The Shushi Renaissance foundation intends to restore Shushi’s fame by making it the cultural center of Armenia once again, in 2020. Shushi will become an admirable, attractive place for tourists from all over the world.

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