House Museum in Baku

In 1975, the House-Museum of Uzeyir Hajibeyli was opened in Baku. The museum was established in the residence where the composer lived from 1915 to 1942, located at 67/69 Academician Shamil Azizbayov street. On November 20, 1975, National Leader Heydar Aliyev delivered a speech at the museum’s grand opening.

The museum preserves materials, photographs, personal belongings, manuscripts, and rare books reflecting the composer’s rich life and creative work. It also features examples of works by prominent Azerbaijani painters and sculptors, carpets, national musical instruments, and various valuable gifts.

House Museum in Shusha

After Uzeyir Hajibeyli passed away on November 23, 1948, the Council of Ministers of the Azerbaijan SSR adopted a decision on February 16, 1949, regarding the immortalization of his name. Clause 4 of the decision stated: “The Department of Arts under the Ministry of Culture of the Azerbaijan SSR shall be instructed to establish a house-museum dedicated to Uzeyir Hajibeyli at 67 Ketskhoveli Street in Baku and in the city of Shusha".

The house where the composer was born and raised is an architectural monument of the 18th century. Since 1959, with the support of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, the Azerbaijan History Museum, the Ministry of Culture, and the Music Foundation, the Uzeyir Hajibeyli House-Museum has been operating in this residence. The museum’s exhibition prominently featured household items belonging to the Hajibeyli family, as well as Uzeyir bey’s personal belongings, photographs, books, and works dedicated to him that were donated to the museum. In 1978, the Uzeyir Hajibeyli House-Museum underwent renovation, and a spring complex was put into use in its yard. Until 1983, the museum operated with a staff of two, and later expanded to six employees, including a director, fund manager, research officer, restoration artist, supervisor, and guard. In 1985, Uzeyir Hajibeyli’s centennial jubilee was widely celebrated by UNESCO. Guests from many countries visited the Uzeyir Hajibeyli House-Museum in Shusha, where major jubilee events took place. The museum functioned until 1992, until Shusha was occupied by the Armed Forces of Armenia. After the occupation of Shusha by the Armenian Armed Forces on May 8, 1992, the museum ceased its activities, its exhibits were looted, and the building was destroyed. Of the museum’s existing 1,700 exhibits, only 136 were saved. Subsequently, the museum in Shusha resumed its activities at the Uzeyir Hajibeyli House-Museum in Baku.

On September 19, 2024, the composer’s house-museum in Shusha was reopened after restoration works carried out by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation. The President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev attended the reopening ceremony in Shusha on September 19. The restoration process included preparing analyses in accordance with the house’s original appearance, strengthening the foundations, restoring the floors, facades, and roof covering, as well as interior and exterior decorative works. The installation of doors, windows, and engineering and communication systems was also undertaken, alongside landscaping of the adjacent yard. Material samples were taken for analysis and studied at a laboratory in Turkey, with conservation and restoration reports prepared accordingly. Inside the house-museum, walls and partitions were rebuilt, and the floors were restored and reconstructed. The restoration of the yard’s stone wall involved excavation and concreting of the foundation, masonry work consistent with the historic appearance, and the installation of decorative elements.