Meidan (Shusha)
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 Meidan in the winter of 1992 | |
| Type | square |
|---|---|
| Location | Shusha, Azerbaijan |
| Construction | |
| Completion | XIX century |
Meidan (Azerbaijani: Meydan) is the main city square of Shusha. Starting from Divankhana Square near the Ganja Gate of Shusha fortress, Rasta Bazaar Street, Shusha's main commercial thoroughfare, ends at the Meidan, thus connecting the Meidan and Divankhana.
E. Avalov notes that Meidan Shusha also played an important socio-commercial role in the designation of buildings located around it; big religious ceremonies were held here. The main architectural elements of the square are religious and commercial buildings, which is characteristic of the squares built in the cities of Azerbaijan in the 17th and 18th centuries.[1]
According to the master plan of the city of Shusha, the history of which is unknown, Meidan, the main architectural and commercial complex of the city, was formed around the first religious building. Later, the commercial and other buildings built around such mosques belonged to mosque endowments; the expenses for the maintenance of mosques and madrasahs were covered by the income obtained from the use of these buildings.[2]
By following the formation of the Meidan, it is possible to learn the way of creation of other medieval squares of Shusha. The southern end of the eastern side of Rasta Bazaar Street has been extended in depth by means of adjacent buildings. The method of creating a square by widening a part of the street can also be observed in the example of Shusha's Bazarbashi and Mardinli neighborhood squares. This method, which creates contrast as a result of the intersection of streets, creates a spacious effect even in a small area.[3]
Buildings in the southern part of the square, which continued the one-storey shopping rows extending only from the Ashaghy Bazaar Street, were used for commercial purposes. On the other side, the two-storey building facing the mosque and the other two-storey buildings connected to it on both sides are madrasa buildings. П-shaped madrasa buildings create a large courtyard around the Juma mosque.[4]
