A prominent 19th-century scientist, poet, and painter of Azerbaijan, Mir Mohsun Navvab created numerous masterpieces that are of special importance in Azerbaijani visual arts.

He illustrated his manuscripts with colorful pictures and portraits and also decorated the interiors of the buildings with various ornaments. Some of Navvab’s wall decorations were preserved in school where he taught and the Minarets of the Shusha’s main Yukhari Govhar Agha Mosque. He also drew the wall paintings in his house himself, where these paintings were restored and later on became part of his house-museum.

The house of Mir Mohsun Navvab was one of the architectural examples of the 19th century. In 1990, the House-Museum of Mir Mohsun Navvab was opened in that building. Exhibits about the life and work of Mir Mohsun Navvab were displayed in the Museum. The Museum’s collection included his typewriter, telescope, paintings drawn by him as well as Mir Mohsun Navvab’s personal belongings proving his printing activity.

As a result of the occupation of Shusha by the Armenian Armed Forces in 1992, the museum building and exhibits also suffered from Armenian vandalism and they were plundered and destroyed.

1. Ismayilova, Laman, “Culture Ministry spreads facts about Armenian vandalism”, AZERNEWS, 13 October 2020. https://www.azernews.az/culture/170600.html.
2. “About school of painting of Garabagh”, Garabakh.net. http://garabagh.net/content_109_en.html.