Karabakh Costumes

The Karabakh region of Republic Azerbaijan is a region of ancient history and rich tradition. It ranks high among our other historico-ethnographic regions as an independent historico-geographic, ethnic-cultural and historico-ethnographic region for its local characteristics, culture and unique social life. The richness of Karabakh’s cultural heritage has contributed global human values to the culture not only of Azerbaijan, but to that of the whole world. One of the outstanding values of its tangible cultural values, lies in the costumes of Karabakh. The region has been contributing to innovation in clothing culture and producing its own specific designs since the 18th century. The, city of Shusha, central to Karabakh, became a fashion centre of an Azerbaijani clothing culture that enjoyed golden ages in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Terms like ‘short Karabakh arkhaliq’, ‘Gala shoes’ and ‘Karabakh hats’ all date from that period.