Shahbulag fortress, built in 1750-1752 at the request of Karabakh Khan Panahali Khan, is located in the area called Shahbulag near the city of Aghdam. It is believed that the name of the castle was taken from the name of the hot spring located here – Shahbulag. Shahbulag Castle is the second castle built in the territory of the Karabakh Khanate. Shahbulag Castle was built as an administrative center for Karabakh Khanate before Bayat Castle. Although the fortress, which is a defensive type building, was used as a residence for a certain period, it was later used only as a guard post. The monument known as “Shahbulag Castle” in the scientific literature was, in fact, the interior of a large palace complex, next to it was the residence of the khan. This compact fortress is rectangular in shape and its outer walls are reinforced with circular and semi-cylindrical turrets. After the occupation of Aghdam region by the Armenian armed forces, Shahbulag fortress is one of our monuments that was most subjected to Armenianization. Armenians used the fortress as a church until liberation from occupation. After the 44-day war, the city of Aghdam was liberated from the Armenian occupation, restoration and construction works are being carried out here.
