Vagif Mausoleum
Encyclopedia
Vagif Mausoleum was built in honor of Molla Panah Vagif
, a poet, prominent statesman and diplomat and vizier
- the minister of foreign affairs
in the Karabakh Khanate
.
in Karabakh
region of Azerbaijan
. The construction of the mausoleum started in 1970s and was completed in 1982. It was inaugurated by then the First Secretary of Communist Party of Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev
.
The mausoleum was built by sculptor A. Mustafayev based on the design by member of the National Academy of Sciences
Abdul Vakhav Salamzade and well known architect E.I. Kanukov. It is located in the southwestern part of Shusha, by the Jidir Duzu plain, where the poet was killed and is a part of Shusha State Historical and Architectural Reserve
. The design of the mausoleum follows the pattern of Azerbaijani mausoleums architectural compositions such as Nizami Mausoleum in Ganja
. It rises to 18 meters in height.
The bottom part of the monument is built with reddish Karabakh marble plates, white and grey marble. Aluminum is used for the decoration pattern in the entire length of the mausoleum. The poet's name was engraved above the entrance door.
The mausoleum was severely damaged after occupation of Shusha by Armenians. Azerbaijani prisoners of war in Armenian captivity were forced to pull off the valuable marble. At the present time is in a ruined condition.
Molla Panah Vagif
Molla Panah Vagif was an 18th-century poet, the founder of the realism genre in the Azerbaijani poetry and also a prominent statesman and diplomat, vizier – the minister of foreign affairs in the Karabakh khanate.- Life :...
, a poet, prominent statesman and diplomat and vizier
Vizier
A vizier or in Arabic script ; ; sometimes spelled vazir, vizir, vasir, wazir, vesir, or vezir) is a high-ranking political advisor or minister in a Muslim government....
- the minister of foreign affairs
Foreign Affairs
Foreign Affairs is an American magazine and website on international relations and U.S. foreign policy published since 1922 by the Council on Foreign Relations six times annually...
in 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...
.
The monument
The mausoleum is located in the city of ShushaShusha
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...
in 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...
region of 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...
. The construction of the mausoleum started in 1970s and was completed in 1982. It was inaugurated by then the First Secretary of Communist Party of Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev
Heydar Aliyev
Heydar Alirza oglu Aliyev , also spelled as Heidar Aliev, Geidar Aliev, Haydar Aliyev, Geydar Aliyev was the third President of Azerbaijan for the New Azerbaijan Party from June 1993 to October 2003, when his son Ilham Aliyev succeeded him.From 1969 till 1982, Aliyev was also the leader of Soviet...
.
The mausoleum was built by sculptor A. Mustafayev based on the design by member of the National Academy of Sciences
Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences
Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences , located in Baku, is the main state research organization in Azerbaijan...
Abdul Vakhav Salamzade and well known architect E.I. Kanukov. It is located in the southwestern part of Shusha, by the Jidir Duzu plain, where the poet was killed and is a part of Shusha State Historical and Architectural Reserve
Shusha State Historical and Architectural Reserve
Shusha State Historical and Architectural Reserve is an Azerbaijani state reserve and is on the Azeri tentative list of future World Heritage Site located in Shusha district of Karabakh region of Azerbaijan.- Historical overview :...
. The design of the mausoleum follows the pattern of Azerbaijani mausoleums architectural compositions such as Nizami Mausoleum in Ganja
Ganja, Azerbaijan
Ganja is Azerbaijan's second-largest city with a population of around 313,300. It was named Yelizavetpol in the Russian Empire period. The city regained its original name—Ganja—from 1920–1935 during the first part of its incorporation into the Soviet Union. However, its name was changed again and...
. It rises to 18 meters in height.
The bottom part of the monument is built with reddish Karabakh marble plates, white and grey marble. Aluminum is used for the decoration pattern in the entire length of the mausoleum. The poet's name was engraved above the entrance door.
The mausoleum was severely damaged after occupation of Shusha by Armenians. Azerbaijani prisoners of war in Armenian captivity were forced to pull off the valuable marble. At the present time is in a ruined condition.