The Canada-based “TheJ.ca” Jewish media platform has posted an article by Israeli political analyst and journalist, CEO of the Dona Gracia Center for Diplomacy Rachel Avraham headlined “Shusha: The Cultural Capital of the Islamic World.”

“Shusha began its journey as a town established under the Karabakh Khanate, where it was a center of culture and commerce whose name was known far and wide due to the silk and carpet industry that flourished there. In the 18th century, the city became the capital of Karabakh and during this period the growth and cultural flourishing of the city began. It became the home of many poets, writers, musicians, and artists,” the article said.

“At the end of the 19th century, Shusha was already considered the music and culture center of the Caucasus. Some of the names and nicknames attached to the city were “The Temple of Art in the Caucasus”, “Little Paris” and “The House of Music in Azerbaijan”, the author mentioned.

“In the twentieth century, there was no peace in the city. During the Soviet period the city was connected to electricity and roads that were paved in the city, but the cultural heritage of the city was slowly forgotten. So many of the special and unique city buildings were not maintained and destroyed. Another reason why many historical buildings in the city did not survive is Armenian vandalism after they occupied the city,” the article emphasized.

The author concluded by saying that “after the Second Karabakh war in 2020, liberated Shusha returned to Azerbaijan, after being under Armenian occupation since the First Karabakh War when it was occupied in 1992. This is when the fear of the destruction of Azerbaijani culture ended.”