Founded by Panahali Khan of Garabagh in 1752, the city of Shusha has undergone extensive development and played an exceptional role in the cultural, public and political life of Azerbaijan and the entire South Caucasus. This city, which has always preserved its unique historical appearance and environment it has formed, has written remarkable pages in our literary, cultural, scientific and social chronicle with the great personalities it has brought up.

Shusha received the status of an administrative district on August 8, 1930. The center of the district is the city of Shusha. The city is located at an altitude of 1,300-1,600 meters above sea level and is surrounded by steep cliffs on three sides.

The city of Shusha, occupied by the Armenian armed forces on May 8, 1992, was liberated from occupation by Azerbaijan’s victorious Army on November 8, 2020, thanks to the determination of Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev and the heroic Azerbaijani people. Today, November 8, is celebrated as Shusha City Day in accordance with the Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan “On the Establishment of City Days in the Liberated Territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan”.

Immediately after the Victory in Shusha, in addition to infrastructure construction in the city, the process of restoration of historical and cultural monuments destroyed as a result of acts of vandalism during the occupation began. Large-scale projects are currently underway in Shusha, which has been declared the cultural capital of Azerbaijan, in an effort to restore the true historical appearance of the city. The return of former internally displaced persons to Shusha has been ongoing since May 11, 2024, and this process continues at an increasing pace.

To date, the head of state has inaugurated a number of strategically important infrastructure facilities in Shusha, making them available to the population. Among them are the Zafar Road, the 110/35/10 kilovolt “Shusha” substation, the Shusha Digital Management Center, the water treatment facility, the first residential complex, the State Services Center, secondary school No. 1, the Flag Square, and the Shusha Medical and Health Center.

As part of the development of Shusha's extensive tourism potential, the “Kharibulbul”, “Qarabagh” and “Yasemen” hotels, the “Isa Bulaghi” recreation center have been restored, and the Shusha Hotel and Conference Center has been built.

The implementation of projects to restore religious, historical and cultural monuments and mosques in the cultural capital has also gained momentum.

In a short period of time, the bust and the mausoleum complex of prominent poet Molla Panah Vagif were restored to their original appearance, the destroyed house-museums of Uzeyir Hajibayli and Bulbul were restored, and the busts of Khurshidbanu Natavan, Bulbul and Uzeyir Hajibayli were returned to their places. The mosques and springs of Ashaghi Govhar Agha, Yukhari Govhar Aga, Saatli, Dashalti village, Chol Gala and Mamai, the Mehmandarovs' mansion, the Shusha Creativity Center and other historical and cultural sites were restored, and the construction of a new mosque began.