Shusha’s Revival Continues with Returning Families in Karabakh Region

Azerbaijan is accelerating the return of former internally displaced persons (IDPs) to the liberated territories.

On September 5, a new convoy departed from Baku, successfully reaching Shusha in the Karabakh region.

According to Azertag, 30 families — totaling 102 individuals — were reunited with their hometown as part of the state-run “Great Return” Program. These families had been temporarily housed in dormitories, sanatoriums, youth camps, unfinished buildings, and administrative facilities across the country.

Upon arrival in Shusha, the families received keys to their new homes. With this latest group, the total number of permanently resettled individuals in Shusha has reached 672, spanning 177 families.

As of September 2024, over 2,000 families — comprising more than 8,000 individuals — have repopulated Azerbaijan’s territories liberated from Armenian occupation in 2020 and 2023. These areas include Zangilan, Fuzuli, Lachin, Khojaly, and Shusha.

The first group of returnees arrived in Shusha on May 9, where they were welcomed by President Ilham Aliyev, who initiated and reviewed reconstruction projects after the city’s liberation. During this initial phase, 88 individuals returned to the city.

Currently, three residential complexes are under construction in Shusha. The first complex will consist of around 450 apartments, the second of approximately 300, and the third of nearly 500.

Shusha is historically and geographically significant to Azerbaijan, known for its economic, administrative, and cultural importance. Founded in the 18th century by Panahali Khan of the Azerbaijani Karabakh khanate, the city was intended as an “eternal and invincible fortress in the mountains.”

Shusha rapidly became a prominent trade center, with goods flowing from other Azerbaijani cities like Baku, Sheki, Nakhchivan, and Ganja, as well as from the Ottoman Empire, Russia, Iran, India, and various European countries. It also became a hub for Azerbaijan’s carpet-weaving industry, especially in the second half of the 19th century, and played a central role in shaping the local carpet-making traditions. In music, Shusha is recognized as the “temple of Azerbaijani music” and the conservatory of the South Caucasus, particularly for its role in the development of mugham.

However, Shusha faced difficulties after its occupation by Tsarist Russia in the early 19th century. Following the 1804-1812 war, the Russian Empire relocated Armenians from Iran and the Ottoman Empire to Azerbaijani territories, including the Karabakh region. Supported by Tsarist policies, Armenians began to displace Azerbaijanis, the indigenous population of the region.

From 1905 to 1906, Azerbaijanis endured brutal terror and genocide campaigns, as Armenians attempted multiple times to seize Shusha between 1918 and 1920. After the establishment of the Soviet Union in 1922, the Azerbaijani population in the Karabakh region faced further repression. The region was granted autonomy in 1923, with Khankendi as its center, leading to Shusha’s loss of administrative status. This resulted in a significant decline in the quality of life for Azerbaijanis, along with the destruction of many of their historical and architectural monuments. By 1970, the population of Shusha had dropped to 14,000 from around 44,000 in 1917, due to the mass expulsion of Azerbaijanis.

After the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991, Armenia occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan’s internationally recognized territories, including Shusha. Azerbaijan liberated the city on November 8, 2020, following a 44-day counter-offensive operation from September 27 to November 9, 2020. The liberation of Shusha was a turning point in the conflict, leading to Armenia’s withdrawal and the cessation of hostilities.

Restoring Shusha’s cultural and historical significance is now a top priority for Azerbaijan. The country is actively working to rebuild the city’s infrastructure and revive its heritage, which was severely damaged during the years of Armenian occupation.