Ganja Gate (, ) is one of the three main gates of the

Shusha fortress The Shusha fortress (, ) or Shushi fortress () is a fortress surrounding the historical centre of Shusha, also called Shushi. The newly conquered castle town was called "Panahabad fortress" named after Panah Ali Khan who together with Melik Shah ...

Shusha Shusha (, ) or Shushi () is a city in Azerbaijan, in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Situated at an altitude of 1,400–1,800 metres (4,600–5,900 ft) in the Karabakh mountains, the city was a mountain resort in the Soviet Union, Soviet ...

, Azerbaijan, and is located on the fortress's northern side. The other two gates are the Iravan Gate and the Aghoghlan Gate.

Description

In compliance with medieval traditions in urban development of the khanate period, Shusha castle walls were built with four gates. The main gate was facing north towards the road to

Ganja, Azerbaijan Ganja (; ) is Azerbaijan's List of cities in Azerbaijan, third largest city, with a population of around 335,600.Azərbaycan Respublikası. — 2. Azərbaycan Respublikasının iqtisadi və inzibati rayonları. — 2.4. Azərbaycan Respublikas� ...

and was therefore named Ganja Gate. The western gate was facing western regions including the

Iranian Iranian () may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Iran ** Iranian diaspora, Iranians living outside Iran ** Iranian architecture, architecture of Iran and parts of the rest of West Asia ** Iranian cuisine, cooking traditions and practic ...

Erivan Khanate The Erivan Khanate (), also known as , was a Khanates of the Caucasus, khanate (i.e., province) that was established in Afsharid dynasty, Afsharid Iran in the 18th century. It covered an area of roughly 19,500 km2, and corresponded to most o ...

and was hence called Erivan Gate. The other two gates opened to surrounding highland villages. Shusha's internal castle was located on a peak near the Ganja Gate. The Ganja Gate bears architectural importance and is often mentioned among other significant 279 attributes of

Shusha State Historical and Architectural Reserve Shusha (, ) or Shushi () is a city in Azerbaijan, in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Situated at an altitude of 1,400–1,800 metres (4,600–5,900 ft) in the Karabakh mountains, the city was a mountain resort in the Soviet era. Most sou ...

of the 18th century.

History

The fortress and the city were part of the

Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast The Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO) was an Autonomous oblasts of the Soviet Union, autonomous oblast within the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic that was created on July 7, 1923. Its capital was the city of Stepanakert. The majori ...

; they later came under the control of the self-proclaimed

Republic of Artsakh Artsakh ( ), officially the Republic of Artsakh or the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh ( ), was a breakaway state in the South Caucasus whose territory was internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan. Between 1991 and 2023, Artsakh cont ...

, following the Battle of Shusha on 8 May 1992 until 8 November 2020, when the Azerbaijani Armed Forces retook the city after a 3-day long battle.

References

{{Shusha State Historical and Architectural Reserve Islamic architecture in Azerbaijan Tourist attractions in Azerbaijan Buildings and structures completed in 1750 Military history of Shusha Gates in Azerbaijan 18th century in Azerbaijan 18th-century establishments in Iran Karabakh Khanate