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President Ilham Aliyev has inaugurated new projects in Azerbaijan’s liberated Shusha city in Nagorno-Karabakh region that he visited on May 12, Azertag reported.

Aliyev laid the foundation stone of a new mosque in Shusha city.

Addressing the ceremony, Aliyev reminded that 17 Azerbaijani mosques were destroyed during the Armenian occupation of Shusha.

He stressed that the groundbreaking ceremony of a new mosque in the ancient city of Shusha on the eve of the Ramadan holiday has a great historical and symbolic meaning.

"We have returned to Shusha and we have returned forever!...From now on, the architects will deal with the entire mosque project and construction work will begin," he said.

Aliyev said he had suggested the design of the mosque.

“I suggested that the shape of the mosque reflect figure “8” because we liberated Shusha from the occupiers on 8 November, and 8 November is officially Victory Day in Azerbaijan. The two minarets of the mosque should reflect figure “11” because it was in the eleventh month that Shusha and Karabakh were completely liberated from occupation. Based on these ideas, architects began to work, and the presentation demonstrated here reflects the future appearance of the mosque.”

The president also visited the restored Khan Gizi spring in Shusha.

"We have restored the “Khan gizi” spring. When I last visited Shusha in January, I said that we would restore the Natavan spring. The spring will be at the disposal of Shusha residents and visitors again. The enemy had dried up this and all other springs. This shows that Shusha has always been an alien city to Armenians. But now Shusha is reviving and the “Khan gizi” spring, one of the symbols of Shusha, has been restored. I drank water from this spring today," the president said.

Aliyev arrived in Shusha today that is hosting traditional Khari Bulbul music festival.

First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva and their daughters Leyla and Arzu Aliyeva are accompanying the president during the visit.

Khari Bulbul music festival used to be held in Shusha every year before the city’s occupation by Armenian forces in 1992.

The festival has been resumed after Shusha’s liberation on November 8, 2020. Shusha has was declared Azerbaijan’s cultural capital on May 7.

A groundbreaking ceremony for a school No1 was held in Shusha on May 12. The head of state laid the foundation stone for the school.

President Ilham Aliyev was informed that the foundation of the first secular school in Azerbaijan and the South Caucasus was laid here in 1830. In 1980, on the initiative of great leader Heydar Aliyev, the 150th anniversary of this school was marked. Armenian vandals have completely destroyed the school which functioned as school No1 prior to the occupation.

President also viewed the work done at Shusha Art Gallery. President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva were informed of the work done at the gallery.

The gallery will feature an exhibition of returned Karabakh carpets, as well as the "Karabakh before and after the occupation", "Karabakh on the motives of Azerbaijani artists" exhibitions.

Furthermore, President Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva, their daughters Leyla Aliyeva and Arzu Aliyeva attended the inauguration of 110/35/10 kV Shusha substation.

The inauguration of the newly renovated “Khari Bulbul” hotel was also held in Shusha.

The head of state viewed conditions created at the hotel. There are 49 rooms in the hotel. All of them are provided with all necessary infrastructure for visitors to stay and relax.

President then viewed conditions created at a 48-apartment block and the cottages under the “Khari Bulbul” hotel in Shusha.

The head of state and the First Lady were informed of the work done at the block and the cottages.

The head of state and the First Lady were also informed of the restoration work done at the Special representation in Shusha.

The head of state then gave instructions on the work to be carried out at the the building of the Shusha Creative Center.

President Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva, their daughters Leyla Aliyeva and Arzu Aliyeva also inspected the palace of Khan gizi Natavan in Shusha.

The house of Khan gizi Natavan in Shusha was also destroyed during the occupation.

The head of state was informed that an assessment of the damage caused to the building during the occupation had already begun. After this process, the restoration work will be launched here.

Notably, Shusha, along with 300 other city centers, villages and settlements were liberated from around 30 years of Armenian occupation during the war between September 27 and November 10.

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