The museum-mausoleum complex of Molla Panah Vagif in Shusha

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The museum-mausoleum of Azerbaijan’s poetic genius and public figure Molla Panah Vagif in Shusha was reconstructed by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation.

 

On January 14, 1982, inauguration of the grandiose mausoleum erected over the grave of Molla Panah Vagif in the city of Shusha, the cultural capital of Azerbaijan, took place on the initiative and with participation of Azerbaijani people’s National Leader Heydar Aliyev. The museum-mausoleum complex had been constructed over the grave of the poet in an area close to the Jydyr Plain. When taking a decision on constructing the four-cornered mausoleum, the compositional structure of tower-shaped mausoleums of Azerbaijan was used, considering the surrounding landscape and town-building features. Local traditions of popular architecture, monumental and decorative and applied plastics means were used in the construction of the mausoleum. A bust of Molla Panah Vagif, made by sculptor Albert Mustafayev, was installed inside the mausoleum.

 

As a result of the occupation of Shusha in 1992 by Armenia, the building of the complex and all exhibits here were destroyed. After the glorious Victory of the Azerbaijani Army, restoration and reconstruction works were launched here, based on the instruction of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev given during his visit to Shusha city on January 14th - on the same day as the inauguration of the mausoleum 39 years earlier- at the time of visiting the mausoleum.

 

Starting from March 2021, the mausoleum was subjected to structural examination in the primary stage, and reinforcement works were carried out on the required parts and working designs developed within this framework. Based on the working deigns, structural restoration of the parts was performed using the chemical materials recommended by foreign specialists, taking additional measures against corrosion. Using the data obtained as a result of topographical works, together with acquiring broken and destroyed facing materials by carrying out search works on the territory, architectural working designs were developed aiming to restore preliminary dimensions of the monument. And, based on these designs, walls of the interior parts and the façade were covered with marble, returning the monument’s historical appearance.

 

All ornaments and decorative patterns, including the entry door, were made of aluminium by casting method - based on the working designs developed on the basis of cast aluminium ornament samples found on the territory, keeping the original dimensions - and were installed according to the design, after they were brought to Shusha city. A tombstone made of black marble was placed over the grave in the centre of the salon, and a bust was prepared of white marble, considering the preliminary form’s restoration.

 

Historical form was maintained in every detail of the monument. All the infrastructure of the monumental complex was rebuilt, and rain water gutters and electricity lines were built. The supporting walls and the square on the landscape were covered with granite keeping their historical appearance. At the same time, rosebushes of different types - as depicted on pictures of that time - were planted.

 

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