Yukhari Govhar Agha Mosque

Yukhari Govhar Agha Mosque before the 1992 Battle of Shusha

The Yukhari Govhar Agha means "The Upper Govhar Agha Mosque" in Azerbaijani, referring to the location of the mosque in the upper section of Shusha town and to distinguish it from the Ashaghi Govhar Agha Mosque, the same-name mosque located in the lower section of the town. Both mosques are considered symbols of Shusha and masterpieces of Eastern architecture.[1][2] The Yukhari Govhar Agha Mosque is located on Shusha's main square, Yusif Vazir Chamanzaminli street and makes up a big part of the architectural complex including madrasa, shops, and houses built by the same architect.[3][4] According to historian and author of "Karabakh-name", Mirza Jamal Karabakhi, construction of the mosque was started with orders of Ibrahim Khalil Khan in 1768 (1182 according to the Islamic calendar) but was stopped for a long time. The construction was then restarted and completed in 1883–1885 by architect Karbalayi Safikhan Karabakhi ordered by Govhar Agha, daughter of Ibrahim Khalil Khan.[5]

^ "PACE – Urgency to prevent the destruction of cultural monuments in the Armenian-occupied town of Shusha of Azerbaijan". Retrieved 20 July 2010. ^ "Чудеса Азербайджана". Archived from the original on 20 November 2021. Retrieved 26 July 2010. ^ Cite error: The named reference Karabakh was invoked but never defined (see the help page). ^ "Наши культурные ценности – Шушинский район". Archived from the original on 23 October 2010. Retrieved 26 July 2010. ^ Elturan Avalov (1977). Архитектура города Шуши и проблемы сохранения его исторического облика. Baku: Elm. p. 54.