SHUSHI HAS NEVER BELONGED AND WILL NEVER DO TO AZERBAIJAN

PanARMENIAN.Net
08.05.2008 GMT+04:00

Right after the liberation of Shushi the national-liberation war of
the people of Karabakh became more motivation and in a year Mardakert
and Martuni were liberated and the ancient Armenian Monastery of
Gandzasar was saved.

16 years in a row on May 8-9 the Azeri press is filled with articles
about "the occupied Shushi". Every year officials and "simple citizens"
announce, that "the day when the occupied Azeri city will be regained
back is not far." The strange thing is though nobody says how and
who is going to "liberate" Shushi. Most probably it will be realized
by the very Afghan mojakheds with their leader Shamil Basaev who
disgracefully escaped the Armenian Army. As for "the native Azeri
city", our neighbors should finally read the historical chronicles.

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ They insist that the ancient Armenian fortress Shushi
was given to the murderer of the peaceful Armenian population Persian
khan Panakh, in 1752 by the help of the traitor Varanda Shakhnazar.

Melik Shahnazar was later executed for the betrayal; however the
fortress remained with the Persians.

Having won the status of a city in 1857, Shushi increasingly developed
and by 60’s of XIX century became one of the spiritual centers of
the Caucasus.

Later on socio-political thought and scientific-cultural elite of
the Armenians in the Caucasus developed here. The increasing number
of the population of the city is a proof of the tangible growth of
the socio-economic and cultural aspect of life. In 1850 12724 people
lived in Shushi, in the 90’s of the XIX century already 34.000 people
dwelled in the city, in 1916 the number of the inhabitants of Shushi
became 43.000, and in 1920 there were 60.000 people residing in the
city of Shushi. The absolute majority of the population; i.e. 47.000,
were Armenians (the numbers are taken from the respective numbers
given by the "Caucasian Calendar").

Till 1920 150 books were published in Shushi. Since 70’s of the XIX
century till 1921 22 magazines and journals were published in Shushi,
2 of which were in the Russian Language, and the other 22 were in
Armenian. In the second half of the XIX century in the city of Shushi
a number of Islamic religious and other buildings were built. Among
these buildings are particularly the Upper and Lower Mosques which
have survived up to present day. The Mosques stand for the memory
of the Persian architecture, yet the present Azeri authorities say
that they belong to them, exactly like the entire inheritance of the
Persian Empire, which has remained after its breakdown.

In March of 1920 the Turkish-Azeri troops burnt and robbed the Armenian
part of Shushi, which occupied more than the half of the territory
of the city. In three days the number of the population of the city
decreased. 30.000 out of 47.000 Armenian population of Shushi became
the victims of the formed gangs.

Then it was the year of 1988. The war unleashed by Azerbaijan
against the people of Artsakh turned the ancient Armenian city to a
convenient strategic position for opening fires on Stepanakert. More
than 15.000 shells were released towards Stepanakert. In the result of
the bombarding thousands people of Stepanakert died and were injured,
industrial enterprises and administrative offices, the infrastructure
of the city were destroyed and 19 thousand people (27%) were left
without shelter. Out of the created situation on May 8 the troops
of Karabakh initiated an offense of the fire positions and military
bases, situated in Shushi and in its outskirts. By the morning of
May 9 of 1992 the city of Shushi was liberated by the help of the
NKR self-defense troops.

Right after the liberation of Shushi the national-liberation war of
the people of Karabakh became more motivation and in a year Mardakert
and Martuni were liberated and the ancient Armenian Monastery of
Gandzasar was saved.

Perhaps there is something symbolic in the fact that Shushi was
liberated exactly by the day when Heydar Aliyev was born.

And finally, weeping in the Azeri press is openly expressed in the
statement on the website of Day.az: "In the city of Baku joy and
happiness in the threshold of the Victory Day and the significant
day of Heydar Aliyev’s birthday is ruling. Music is played everywhere
and the faces of the population of the city are lit with bright and
happy smiles". Indeed, why do they need Shushi? After all it is not
and has never been their city…