Shahbulag Castle
Encyclopedia
Shahbulag Castle translated as "Spring of the Shah", is located in Agdam Rayon of Azerbaijan
, about 10 km away from the city of Agdam
.
s one of which was the Karabakh Khanate
founded by Azerbaijan
i ruler Panah Ali Khan Javanshir
. The first capital of the khanate was the Bayat Castle
built in 1748. The capital was soon moved to the newly constructed Shahbulag Castle located in lowland Karabakh
. Eventually, Panah Ali Khan moved the capital to its final location, Shusha
, a natural fortress located on a hardly penetratable mountain rock. Once construction of Shusha castle was completed, Panah Ali Khan relocated all of his court, nobles, meliks. Nevertheless, Karabakh khans kept about 3,000 strong horse cavalry in Shabulag Castle at all times for defense purposes. Designs of Shahbulag, Shusha
and Askeran
castles resemble.
and dimension stone
were used. Only the castle itself and the mosque on its northwestern end survived. The castle has a rectangular architectural design and its external walls are reinforced with circular and semicylinder towers. The walls and towers contain embrasure
s and merlon
s typical for defense structures. The castle walls are 7 metres and towers are 8.5 metres high. The entrance to the castle is located in the middle section of the eastern wall. During the reign of the khan, it was protected by two story tower like premises. The top floor was intended for the khan with a stone staircase leading to it from the castle yard. The castle was built from half-hewn whole stones.
directed towards the East (5.1 m by 2.5 m). The veranda beams
are based on quadrangular 8-edge pillars. Shahbulag architecture is thought to have influenced later architectural designs of buildings in all Karabakh region and especially that of Shusha.
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
, about 10 km away from the city of Agdam
Agdam
Agdam or Ağdam or Aghdam may refer to:*Agdam city, Azerbaijan*Agdam Rayon, Azerbaijan*Ağdam, Khojavend, Azerbaijan*Ağdam, Tovuz, Azerbaijan...
.
History
After the death of Persian ruler Nadir Shah, Azerbaijan split into several khanateKhanate
Khanate, or Chanat, is a Turco-Mongol-originated word used to describe a political entity ruled by a Khan. In modern Turkish, the word used is kağanlık, and in modern Azeri of the republic of Azerbaijan, xanlıq. In Mongolian the word khanlig is used, as in "Khereidiin Khanlig" meaning the Khanate...
s one of which was the Karabakh Khanate
Karabakh khanate
The Karabakh khanate was a semi-independent khanate on the territories of modern Azerbaijan and Armenia established in about 1750 under Persian suzerainty in Karabakh and adjacent areas. The Karabakh khanate existed until 1805, when the Russian Empire gained control over it from Persia...
founded by Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
i ruler Panah Ali Khan Javanshir
Panah Ali Khan
Panah-Ali khan Javanshir was the founder and first ruler of Karabakh khanate, initially under nominal Persian suzerainty and by 1748 an independent feudal state that existed in 1747–1822 in Karabakh and adjacent areas..-Origins and early life:Panah Ali Khan was from the Sarijali branch of the...
. The first capital of the khanate was the Bayat Castle
Bayat Castle
Bayat Castle is located in Kebirli village of Tartar Rayon of Azerbaijan.-History:After the death of Persian ruler Nadir Shah, Azerbaijan split into several khanates one of which was the Karabakh Khanate founded by Azerbaijani ruler Panah Ali Khan Javanshir. The first capital of the khanate was...
built in 1748. The capital was soon moved to the newly constructed Shahbulag Castle located in lowland Karabakh
Karabakh
The Karabakh horse , also known as Karabakh, is a mountain-steppe racing and riding horse. It is named after the geographic region where the horse was originally developed, Karabakh in the Southern Caucasus, an area that is de jure part of Azerbaijan but the highland part of which is currently...
. Eventually, Panah Ali Khan moved the capital to its final location, Shusha
Shusha
Shusha , also known as Shushi is a town in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh in the South Caucasus. It has been under the control of the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic since its capture in 1992 during the Nagorno-Karabakh War...
, a natural fortress located on a hardly penetratable mountain rock. Once construction of Shusha castle was completed, Panah Ali Khan relocated all of his court, nobles, meliks. Nevertheless, Karabakh khans kept about 3,000 strong horse cavalry in Shabulag Castle at all times for defense purposes. Designs of Shahbulag, Shusha
Ganja Gate
Ganja Gate of Shusha is one of four entrance gates to Shusha fortress in Shusha Rayon of Azerbaijan. Shusha is currently under control of Armenian forces since the occupation of Shusha on May 8, 1992.-Description:...
and Askeran
Askeran fortress
Askeran fortress is located in the town of Askeran in the de facto independent Nagorno-Karabakh Republic . It is located on the banks of the Qarqar River and was built by the Karabakh khanate ruler Panah Ali Khan and consists of two sections...
castles resemble.
The castle
The castle was called Shahbulag ("Shah's spring") honoring the nearby spring. The complex which included mosques, houses, baths and a market was built in 1751-1752. During the construction, limestoneLimestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
and dimension stone
Dimension stone
Dimension stone is natural stone or rock that has been selected and fabricated to specific sizes or shapes. Color, texture and pattern, and surface finish of the stone are also normal requirements...
were used. Only the castle itself and the mosque on its northwestern end survived. The castle has a rectangular architectural design and its external walls are reinforced with circular and semicylinder towers. The walls and towers contain embrasure
Embrasure
In military architecture, an embrasure is the opening in a crenellation or battlement between the two raised solid portions or merlons, sometimes called a crenel or crenelle...
s and merlon
Merlon
In architecture, a merlon forms the solid part of an embattled parapet, sometimes pierced by embrasures. The space between two merlons is usually called a crenel, although those later designed and used for cannons were called embrasures.-Etymology:...
s typical for defense structures. The castle walls are 7 metres and towers are 8.5 metres high. The entrance to the castle is located in the middle section of the eastern wall. During the reign of the khan, it was protected by two story tower like premises. The top floor was intended for the khan with a stone staircase leading to it from the castle yard. The castle was built from half-hewn whole stones.
Shahbulag Mosque
The mosque built during the construction of Shahbulag castle is located on the northwestern part of the castle. It includes a small stone prayer hall with a square dome (5.1 m by 5.1 m) and a veranda with facadeFacade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
directed towards the East (5.1 m by 2.5 m). The veranda beams
Beam (structure)
A beam is a horizontal structural element that is capable of withstanding load primarily by resisting bending. The bending force induced into the material of the beam as a result of the external loads, own weight, span and external reactions to these loads is called a bending moment.- Overview...
are based on quadrangular 8-edge pillars. Shahbulag architecture is thought to have influenced later architectural designs of buildings in all Karabakh region and especially that of Shusha.