The Khurshudbanu Natavan’s House is a historical and architectural monument of the 18th century located in the city of Shusha. It was built by the architect Karbalayi Safikhan Garabaghi by the order of the Khurshudbanu Natavan, the daughter of the Karabakh Khanate Mehdigulu Khan.

The House consists of two floors. On the first floor of the building, there are seven rooms, which are serviceable and intended for the living of the servants. There are three entrance gates in the south. Among them, the gate in the middle leads to the corridor and the other two gates – to the side rooms. The House also has a courtyard covering a big territory and a variety of service facilities in this courtyard.

On October 10, 1932, Shusha Music School, the first children’s music school, was established in Azerbaijan on the initiative of Bulbul, the founder of Azerbaijan’s vocal art. This musical school was operating in the Khurshudbanu Natavan’s House. Since 1984, this school was renamed the Shusha Children’s Art School named after Niyazi.

After the overhaul and restoration of the Khurshudbanu Natavan’s House in 1987, the Karabakh branch of the National Museum of Azerbaijani Literature named after Nizami Ganjavi began to operate in the House and named after Khurshudbanu Natavan.

The Khurshudbanu Natavan’s House was faced with Armenian vandalism after the occupation of Shusha city by the Armenian Armed Forces on May 8, 1992. As the result, hundreds of rare gems of art, paintings, carpets, miniatures, souvenirs, archeological samples collected in the museum were destroyed and seized.

1. Khurshudbanu Natavan’s House, Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan, 08 November 2020. http://mct.gov.az/en/common-news/13247.
2. Avalov, Elturan, “Khan’s Daughter Natavan’s Palace”, Art & Culture. https://artsandculture.google.com/culturalinstitute/beta/asset/khan%E2%80%99s-daughter-natavan%E2%80%99s-palace-elturan-avalov/OQGDBBBKR0pdSQ.