The Azerbaijani city of Shusha has been declared the cultural capital of the Islamic world in 2024. The city's candidacy for obtaining status at the 12th Conference of Ministers of Culture of the Islamic World, held on Monday in the capital of the State of Qatar, Doha, was presented by Minister of Culture of Azerbaijan, Adil Karimli. He proposed Shusha as part of the ISESCO "Cultural Capital of the Islamic World" program. The forum participants unanimously supported the initiative of the Azerbaijani side, according to the website of the Ministry of Culture of Azerbaijan.

Let us recall that the International Organization of Turkic Culture TURKSOY awarded Shusha the status of the cultural capital of the Turkic world in 2023. And earlier, Azerbaijan declared 2022 the “Year of the City of Shusha” to revive the cultural life of the city. Music festivals, poetry days, numerous national and international cultural events and actions are constantly held here.

The ministerial conference in Doha is held under the motto “Towards a renewal of cultural activities in the Islamic world.” Forum delegates discuss the basic principles of cultural policy and indicators of sustainable development, mechanisms for the development of the “Cultural Capital of the Islamic World” program, expansion of joint activities in the fight against illicit trafficking in cultural resources and other relevant topics.

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