Shusha fortress
The Shusha fortress (Azerbaijani: Şuşa qalası, is a fortress surrounding the historical centre of Shusha. The newly conquered castle town was called "Panahabad fortress" named after Panah Ali Khan who together with Melik Shahnazar was the founder of the fort. In later years, the city was just called "Fortress". A settlement at Shusha is first recorded in a 15th-century illustrated Armenian gospel kept on display at Yerevan's Matenadaran (archival number 8211), which mentions the "Shushu village". The gospel was written by the scribe and artist Ter-Manuel in 1428, and is the earliest known artifact from the town.
| Shusha fortress / Shushi fortress | |
|---|---|
Şuşa qalası | |
Front of the Shusha gate with Ganja Gate sign, located in the north of the fortress walls (May 2021) | |
| General information | |
| Type | Fortification |
| Location | Shusha, Azerbaijan |
| Coordinates | 39°45′58″N 46°45′04″E |
| Completed | c. 1751 |
| Owner | Karabakh Khanate |
| Landlord | Panah Ali Khan |
The area where the Shusha fortress was built is a mountainous plateau in the form of amphitheater from the west with numerous hills and rifts. The highest area of plateau is 1600 m and the lowest area is 1300 m above sea level. At present, the territory of Shusha city consists of plateau with a hill located lengthwise in its center. The architecture of Shusha fortress represents basic principles of architecture of feudal period in terms of both the choice of location, structural planning and the artistic appearance of the fort.
Shusha fortress had three main gates: Ganja Gate, Iravan Gate and Aghoghlan Gate. The names of all these gates are often mentioned in historical sources, as well as in all the drawn plans of 19th-century Shusha.