Shusha’s Legacy
The History and Development of Azerbaijan’s Cultural Capital
ISBN 978-3-947057-06-1
599 pages, hard cover, 22,5 x 16 x 4,3 cm, 1093 g.
Published in March 2022 (reprint June 2022).
Language: German.
The significance of Shusha (Şuşa), which was originally called Pәnahabad in honour of its founder, in the cultural history of Azerbaijan can approximately be compared to that of Weimar in German history. It is not by chance that Azerbaijan´s president officially inaugurated the "Year of Shusha" on January 5, 2022, on the occasion of the 270th anniversary of the foundation of the city. "Azerbaijan´s Cultural Capital", which is also praised as Azerbaijan´s "pearl", its "temple of arts", is the home a large number of Azerbaijans greatest writers, poets, musicians, and other artists. At the end of the 19th century this "cradle of Azerbaijani culture" hosted 95 poets and writers, 38 singers, 22 musicologists, and 19 calligraphers.
In addition, Shusha was the capital of the independent and internationally renowned Karabakh Khanate form the middle of the 18th century onward.
"Shusha´s Legacy" recapitulates essential stages of this fascinating towns´ development, and therefore essential stages of Azerbaijan´s history. It shows how culture and politics were permeating each other.
Shusha´s unique position in cultural history has also brought the city into the focus of political conflicts for a number of times. This position encompasses an explanation of the heavy and systematic destructions that were inflicted upon the city by its occupiers between May 1992 and November 2020. It is precisely against this backdrop that the city´s liberation and restoration is of immense symbolic and political importance to Azerbaijan.
The book offers an introduction to Shusha´s history as well as insight into the achievements of the city´s Azerbaijani cultural history, much of which is unknown in the West. It takes a position against attempts at suppressing or negating them and, by way of doing so, at fabricating an image of Shusha´s history which would be, so to speak, separated from the Azerbaijani contribution.
The book has 599 pages, and 1499 endnotes with references and explanations. It also contains 16 color illustrations, a list of the used references, and an index.