The festival was attended by notable figures including the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva. This event not only celebrated Shusha’s cultural significance but also marked its designation as a cultural capital within the Islamic world for the year 2024.
President Ilham Aliyev, in his speech, extended a heartfelt welcome to all attendees, highlighting the symbolic importance of Shusha in the Islamic world and the broader international community. He expressed his gratitude towards ICESCO, its leadership, and the member states for acknowledging Shusha’s cultural heritage and its contributions to Islamic culture. He remarked on Azerbaijan’s continued commitment to fostering Islamic solidarity and mentioned past instances where Azerbaijani cities were honored similarly, with Baku in 2009 and Nakhchivan in 2018.
The President reflected on Shusha’s profound cultural heritage, recalling the city’s contributions through its numerous distinguished cultural figures. He emphasized that for 28 years, the absence of Azerbaijani influence in Shusha was felt deeply, referring to it as a period of “spiritual suffering.” However, with recent developments and the return of the first residents, a significant revival is underway. Efforts to restore Shusha’s historical and religious sites were specifically noted, including the reconstruction of four mosques.
Aliyev also connected Shusha’s cultural resurgence with its historical and recent military significance. He described the liberation of Shusha from occupation as a pivotal moment in Azerbaijani history, which he characterized as a display of heroism and a step towards peace. The president’s address concluded on a hopeful note, expressing a desire for peace and the continuation of cultural celebrations rather than conflict, emphasizing that music should be the sound that defines Shusha going forward.
This festival, therefore, not only served as a platform for cultural exhibition but also as a statement of peace and resilience, symbolizing a new chapter for Shusha within Azerbaijan and the Islamic world at large.
