One of the most renowned landmarks in the city of Shusha is the house-museum of Uzeyir Hajibeyli, where the illustrious Azerbaijani composer spent his formative years. This museum serves as a testament to Hajibeyli’s significant contributions to the development of professional music in Azerbaijan and the evolution of numerous musical genres. Notably, he was the creator of the first musical theater in the East.
Uzeyir Hajibeyli was born on September 18, 1885, in the village of Agjabadi, into the family of a local clerk. His family later moved to the city of Shusha, where he completed his education at a two-class Russian-Tatar school. Following this, he ventured to Georgia to attend the Gori Teacher’s Seminary, which emphasized musical education, including singing and instrumental training.
After graduating from the seminary, Hajibeyli began his career as a teacher in Gadhrut. However, the tranquility of rural life was soon disrupted by interethnic conflict. Recognizing that the ongoing tensions between Armenians and Azerbaijanis would hinder his ability to live and work in Gadhrut, he relocated to Baku. There, he initially worked as a journalist before deciding to pursue formal musical education in Moscow.
Hajibeyli’s compositions uniquely blended Western and Eastern musical styles, incorporating elements of Azerbaijani folk music into classical European traditions. This innovative approach led to the creation of his first Azerbaijani operetta, “Leyli and Majnun.” His magnum opus, however, is considered to be the opera “Koroghlu.” In addition to his extensive body of work, Hajibeyli composed the music for the State Anthem of Azerbaijan. He also served as the rector of the Baku Musical Conservatory, which now bears his name.
Uzeyir Hajibeyli passed away on November 23, 1948, in Baku due to heart failure. In 1959, a monument was erected in his honor, along with a bust in Shusha.
In the same year that the monument was established, Hajibeyli’s house was transformed into a museum, initially managed by Mirkyamal Agamirov and Gumru Gadjieva. Since 1980, the museum has been led by Nasiba Eyvazova.
The museum comprises four rooms. The first room features valuable materials related to Hajibeyli’s early life, including artifacts from his student years and photographs of his relatives and family members. The exhibition includes numerous items from the composer’s early works, such as manuscripts of his first compositions. The second, third, and fourth rooms showcase items reflecting Hajibeyli’s activities during the Soviet era, along with a bust of the composer.
Although the composer left behind few belongings in his Shusha home—most of which he moved to Baku after relocating—these items were returned after his death. Each year, the house was ceremoniously decorated to celebrate the birthday of this great composer.
In 1978, the house underwent renovations, and a spring complex was established in its courtyard. Plans for further improvements and expansion of the museum were made in 1983, which included converting it into a two-story building and constructing a cinema. Additionally, there were intentions to enhance the museum’s exhibition collection.
However, in 1992, Shusha was occupied by Armenian forces. Before the occupation, the Uzeyir Hajibeyli House-Museum housed 1,700 exhibits, but approximately 1,600 of these were destroyed by the Armenian armed forces. The museum staff managed to save only 136 personal items belonging to Hajibeyli, which are now preserved in the Baku house-museum. Among these precious artifacts are his personal belongings—a suit, glasses, a coat, the violin he played at the Gori Seminary, writing instruments, a personal album, photographs, and his mother Shirinbeim khanum’s wedding dress. The most treasured item is a handful of soil from Shusha, taken from beneath the composer’s favorite pear tree, which still grows in the museum’s courtyard.
In September 2024, the Uzeyir Hajibeyli House-Museum in Shusha reopened its doors following a complete restoration. The first floor of the restored house-museum displays documents, information, and various exhibits related to Hajibeyli’s family, childhood, and education. The second room on this floor features materials related to Hajibeyli’s education at Gori Teacher’s Seminary, his pedagogical activities, and his works and articles, including a fragment of the musical notation from the romance “Sensiz” (Without You).
The second floor showcases posters and programs from the premieres of Hajibeyli’s staged works, photographs of his students and travels, and a fragment of the musical notation from the opera “Koroghlu.” This floor also features a special wall dedicated to sketches of characters from Hajibeyli’s staged works, collages of his work programs and posters, and scenes from films inspired by his compositions.