Founded in 1752 by Panahali Khan, Shusha emerged as the political and administrative centre of the Karabakh Khanate. Its elevated position, approximately 1,300–1,600 metres above sea level, provided natural defensive advantages and made the settlement an important fortress in the mountainous landscape of Karabakh. Over subsequent generations, the city developed into one of the most prominent centres of Azerbaijani intellectual, artistic and political life. Its historical importance gradually acquired a cultural dimension that reached far beyond the borders of the Karabakh region.