Restoration of Uzeir Hajibeyli’s Statue

General Information

The statue of Uzeir Hajibeyli, a distinguished composer, musicologist, and founder of modern Azerbaijani professional music and opera, was destroyed during the First Karabakh War by Armenian occupational forces.

As part of numerous projects implemented by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation for the restoration of cultural heritage in the liberated territories, the newly commissioned statue was unveiled in Shusha city on August 29, 2021, with the participation of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Ilham Aliyev, and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva.

The project was carried out under the initiative and order of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation with financial support from the Karabakh Revival Fund .

The new statue was created by sculptors Aslan Rustamov, Teymur Rustamov, and Mahmud Rustamov.

Monument Specifications:

• Height: 320 cm
• Length: 130 cm
• Width: 80 cm

The material of the statue Bronze.

It is worth noting that in 1985, a statue of Uzeyir Hajibeyli was erected in the city of Shusha to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the composer's birth. The monument, created by sculptor Ahmad Salikov, was completely destroyed in 1992 during the First Karabakh War due to Armenian vandalism.

In accordance with the instructions of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Ilham Aliyev, a new statue of the composer has been created.

Since the original model of the statue did not survive, the new monument was crafted based on photographs published in the press of that time and preserved in archives.

Completed Works:

• Development of monument drawings.
• Creation of sketches from drawings.
• Construction of a small-scale model.
• Creation of an actual scale monument from gypsum.
• Molding and casting works.
• Pedestal construction.
• Preparation of inauguration cover.
• Delivery and installation of the monument in Shusha.

Please see the video link here for detailed information about the monument's development

President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva participated in the unveiling ceremony of Uzeyir Hajibeyli's statue in Shusha.