Guests of I Forum of World Turkic Culture pay visit to cultural places in Shusha

The I Turkic World Culture Forum dedicated to the 100th anniversary of national leader Heydar Aliyev, organized by the Ministry of Culture, started in Shusha on October 13. This was reported by the Ministry of Culture, Azernews reports.

Participants and guests of the Forum visited the Shusha Creative Centre and got acquainted with the exhibition "Heydar Aliyev and Garabagh".

The exhibition presents unique photos, documents, and video materials reflecting the merits of great leader Heydar Aliyev in the directions of socio-economic, political, and cultural development of the Garabagh region of Azerbaijan in the Soviet period. The exhibition also includes photos of the national leader's visits to Garabagh, meetings, and various events held there.

Next, the forum participants visited the Saatli Mosque. The guests were familiarised with the history of the mosque. It was reported that the mosque of the same name, located in the Saatli neighborhood of Shusha, is registered as an architectural monument of national importance. The Saatli Mosque was built in 1883 according to the design of Karbalayi Safikhan Karabakhi, who was the architect of several monumental religious and civil buildings in Garabagh, including the Lower and Yukhari Govhar-aga Mosques in Shusha, the Juma Mosque in Aghdam and the Imamzade Tomb in Barda.

The Saatli Mosque was last renovated in the 1980s. After the occupation of Shusha by Armenia on 8 May 1992, Saatli Mosque was looted and its minaret was destroyed. After the liberation of the city by the victorious Azerbaijani army, restoration works were carried out in the mosque.

President Ilham Aliyev also visited Saatli Mosque during his visit to Shusha on 14 January 2021. The head of state presented the mosque with the "Holy Quran" brought from Mecca.