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Head of Union of Azerbaijani Writers told how Shushi was
``Azerbaijanized'' by Heydar Aliyev
00:10 10/05/2013 » REGION
Baku declared the Artsakh town Shushi "a pearl of Azerbaijan," the
cradle of Azerbaijani culture, etc. However, while praising the former
leader of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev, the President of the Union of
Writers of Azerbaijan Anar slipped indicating that it was under Mr.
Aliyev's ruling that the first monuments "glorifying the Azerbaijanis"
appeared in Shushi.
In an interview given to Azerbaijani newspaper "Zerkalo" Anar
confirmed that in 1970s the party leadership of Azerbaijan SSR was
carrying out a policy of making Shushi more Azerbaijani: " There was
not a single monument in Shushi glorifying the Azerbaijanis. But there
were busts of Nelson Stepanian and Tevosyan. During the reign of
Heydar Aliyev busts of Molla Panah Vagif, Natavan, Uzeyir Hajibayli,
Bulbul were installed in Shushi, mosque of Gevhar-agi was restored,
"Mema", pearls of architecture - houses of Mehmandarov, Gadzhikuli,
madrasas where Molla Panah Vagif taught, house of Shushi scientist Mir
Mohsin Nevvab, the grand mausoleum of Vagif ascended, the classics of
our poetry, the vizier of Karabakh khanate. "
The head of the Writers' Union of Azerbaijan also noted: "At a time
when Heydar Aliyev was at the head of the republic, Shushi was
actively transforming. Shusha, restoring its historical memory, became
one of Azerbaijan's cultural centers." According to the writer, if
Heydar Aliyev, continued to run Azerbaijan during perestroika and the
Soviet times, the Armenians would not pick up the Karabakh issue.
"What was the main complaint of the Armenians to Heydar Aliyev?
Judging by their statements, it appeared that Heydar Aliyev "emptied"
Nakhichevan of Armenians and now wants to clear them out from Karabakh
as well," said Anar and stated that "the migration of Armenians from
Nakhichevan was connected with natural causes." He recalled that "a
resolution came out when Heydar Aliyev was still at office as first
secretary of the Central Committee of Azerbaijani Communist Party; it
sharply criticized the nationalism in Karabakh. I reminded Heydar
Aliyev about it at the meeting with the writer: "Never before such a
drastic decision about the Armenian nationalism has been taken in
Soviet times."
According to scientist-researchers, and Academician Ashot Ioannisyan
in particular, who formed the collection of the documents titled
"Armenian-Russian relations in the first third of the XVIII century,"
centurion Avan laid the now-preserved foundations of the
fortifications of Shushi in 1724, if not earlier. Later, in 1751
Armenian prince Melik-Shahnazar suggested Turkic tribe leader Panah
Ali Khan, a place where Shushi fortress was built. The population of
Shushi consisted of Armenians of Artsakh and Syunik, and little number
of Turks. The very name of the city comes from the neighboring
Armenian village Shosh (Shushikend).
It is noteworthy that neither Panah Khan nor his son Ibrahim had no
land in Varand outside of Shushi, and had to buy lands near Aghdam
under the name of the family cemetery.
In 1805, the city of Shushi, as well as all the Karabakh khanate came
under the rule of the Russian Empire. By the late 19th early 20th
century, the city became one of the greatest cultural and educational
centers of the Caucasus, more than half of its population was
Armenian. In 1918, National Council of Karabakh Armenians, who
recognized the power of Baku, was called in Shushi. During the
massacre caused by Azerbaijani troops in 1920, Armenian blocks in
Shushi were ruined, destroyed and burned, after which the city was in
decline. In Soviet times Shushi actively and purposefully was
populated by Azerbaijanis and was built up by typical buildings
mutilating its once beautiful appearance. The Armenian blocks were
never restored, and the survived Armenian cultural monuments were in
decline. In 1988, the Armenians that still were in Shushi, were
finally expelled by Azerbaijani nationalists, and the city-fortress
itself was turned into a powerful weapon emplacement, from where the
capital city of Artsakh, Stepanakert, and the neighboring villages
were shelled systematically during the war in 1991 to 1992. Armenian
monuments, including the bust of Nelson Stepanyan, native of Shushi,
who had twice become a Hero of the Soviet Union, was destroyed.
On 8-9 May 1992 the Self-Defense Forces of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
liberated Shushi from Azerbaijani occupation. Currently, the city is
recovering gradually acquiring its former glory.
Source: Panorama.am
``Azerbaijanized'' by Heydar Aliyev
00:10 10/05/2013 » REGION
Baku declared the Artsakh town Shushi "a pearl of Azerbaijan," the
cradle of Azerbaijani culture, etc. However, while praising the former
leader of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev, the President of the Union of
Writers of Azerbaijan Anar slipped indicating that it was under Mr.
Aliyev's ruling that the first monuments "glorifying the Azerbaijanis"
appeared in Shushi.
In an interview given to Azerbaijani newspaper "Zerkalo" Anar
confirmed that in 1970s the party leadership of Azerbaijan SSR was
carrying out a policy of making Shushi more Azerbaijani: " There was
not a single monument in Shushi glorifying the Azerbaijanis. But there
were busts of Nelson Stepanian and Tevosyan. During the reign of
Heydar Aliyev busts of Molla Panah Vagif, Natavan, Uzeyir Hajibayli,
Bulbul were installed in Shushi, mosque of Gevhar-agi was restored,
"Mema", pearls of architecture - houses of Mehmandarov, Gadzhikuli,
madrasas where Molla Panah Vagif taught, house of Shushi scientist Mir
Mohsin Nevvab, the grand mausoleum of Vagif ascended, the classics of
our poetry, the vizier of Karabakh khanate. "
The head of the Writers' Union of Azerbaijan also noted: "At a time
when Heydar Aliyev was at the head of the republic, Shushi was
actively transforming. Shusha, restoring its historical memory, became
one of Azerbaijan's cultural centers." According to the writer, if
Heydar Aliyev, continued to run Azerbaijan during perestroika and the
Soviet times, the Armenians would not pick up the Karabakh issue.
"What was the main complaint of the Armenians to Heydar Aliyev?
Judging by their statements, it appeared that Heydar Aliyev "emptied"
Nakhichevan of Armenians and now wants to clear them out from Karabakh
as well," said Anar and stated that "the migration of Armenians from
Nakhichevan was connected with natural causes." He recalled that "a
resolution came out when Heydar Aliyev was still at office as first
secretary of the Central Committee of Azerbaijani Communist Party; it
sharply criticized the nationalism in Karabakh. I reminded Heydar
Aliyev about it at the meeting with the writer: "Never before such a
drastic decision about the Armenian nationalism has been taken in
Soviet times."
According to scientist-researchers, and Academician Ashot Ioannisyan
in particular, who formed the collection of the documents titled
"Armenian-Russian relations in the first third of the XVIII century,"
centurion Avan laid the now-preserved foundations of the
fortifications of Shushi in 1724, if not earlier. Later, in 1751
Armenian prince Melik-Shahnazar suggested Turkic tribe leader Panah
Ali Khan, a place where Shushi fortress was built. The population of
Shushi consisted of Armenians of Artsakh and Syunik, and little number
of Turks. The very name of the city comes from the neighboring
Armenian village Shosh (Shushikend).
It is noteworthy that neither Panah Khan nor his son Ibrahim had no
land in Varand outside of Shushi, and had to buy lands near Aghdam
under the name of the family cemetery.
In 1805, the city of Shushi, as well as all the Karabakh khanate came
under the rule of the Russian Empire. By the late 19th early 20th
century, the city became one of the greatest cultural and educational
centers of the Caucasus, more than half of its population was
Armenian. In 1918, National Council of Karabakh Armenians, who
recognized the power of Baku, was called in Shushi. During the
massacre caused by Azerbaijani troops in 1920, Armenian blocks in
Shushi were ruined, destroyed and burned, after which the city was in
decline. In Soviet times Shushi actively and purposefully was
populated by Azerbaijanis and was built up by typical buildings
mutilating its once beautiful appearance. The Armenian blocks were
never restored, and the survived Armenian cultural monuments were in
decline. In 1988, the Armenians that still were in Shushi, were
finally expelled by Azerbaijani nationalists, and the city-fortress
itself was turned into a powerful weapon emplacement, from where the
capital city of Artsakh, Stepanakert, and the neighboring villages
were shelled systematically during the war in 1991 to 1992. Armenian
monuments, including the bust of Nelson Stepanyan, native of Shushi,
who had twice become a Hero of the Soviet Union, was destroyed.
On 8-9 May 1992 the Self-Defense Forces of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
liberated Shushi from Azerbaijani occupation. Currently, the city is
recovering gradually acquiring its former glory.
Source: Panorama.am