Travel Guide Shushi

Alanguie at the foot of its citadel, which stands on a plateau at the exit of Latchine on the road leading to Stepanakert, 7 km of which separate it, the small town of Shushi leaves almost no hint of a glorious past. Historic capital of the Artsakh, it is nevertheless a symbol for both Armenians and Azerbaijanis, and was devastated twice during the 20th century. Burned down during the Armenian-Tatar wars, it suffered serious damage in 1992 when the Azeris, who had made it their military headquarters, had to retreat in front of the Armenian forces and evacuate it, not without blowing up many buildings, including the Church of the Holy Saviour. In other words, Shushi, a beautiful urban complex with its streets lined with typical stone houses with elaborate wooden balconies, had suffered greatly, but the local authorities were working to rehabilitate it, while implementing a policy of repopulating the town, which had fewer than 8,000 inhabitants. As a sign of this political will to restore the city's status as a cultural centre, the Ministry of Culture of Artsakh is located there and 4 museums have been created, but infrastructures for tourists are still scarce.