Azerbaijan: Shusha to host culinary festival in 2023

Azerbaijan’s cultural capital Shusha, which was liberated from Armenia’s decades-long occupation after the 2020 war, will host a culinary festival in 2023.

State Tourism Agency Deputy Head Azada Huseynova made the remarks at an event on the topic "Prospects of Azerbaijan's gastro tourism", APA reports

She noted that work is also underway to develop tourism on the territories liberated from occupation.

"It is planned to open a gastronomic centre in Tugh," she said.

To recap, the first international food festival was held in Shusha on May 5-8, 2022.

Culinary specialists from different countries gathered in Shusha for the festival organised by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the State Tourism Agency.

The event was attended by 40 international food experts, food bloggers from Belgium, the UAE, France, Italy, Israel, Canada, Korea, Russia, Türkiye and other countries.

Shusha was named the cultural capital of Azerbaijan in an order signed by President Ilham Aliyev in May 2021, shortly after the city’s liberation from Armenian occupation in November 2020. In addition, in January, Aliyev declared 2022 the “Year of Shusha” in Azerbaijan, celebrating the 270th anniversary of the city’s foundation.

Currently, Shusha - which was destroyed and looted by Armenians during 28 years of occupation from 1992 to 2020 - is being rapidly rebuilt by the Azerbaijani government. It will reportedly be open for tourism in 2023.

Shusha is an important city in the Karabakh (Garabagh) region due to its geographical location and historical significance as one of the major cultural, economic, and administrative centres of Azerbaijan.