Shahbulag Castle (Azerbaijan)

Shahbulag Fortress or Tarnakut Fortress dates back to the 18th century, built by Karabakh khan Panahali khan in 1751–1752. Construction of the architectural monument began in the Shahbulag area of ​​Agdam. Probably, the name of the fortress is taken from the name of the Gursulu spring located here - Shahbulag. Shahbulag fortress is the second fortress built in the Karabakh khanate territory.

Shahbulag fortress was built as the administrative center of the Karabakh khanate before the Bayat fortress. Although the fortress, of a defensive type, was used for some time as a residence, it was later used only as a guard post. The monument, known in scientific literature as Shahbulag Castle, was in fact the interior of a large castle complex. Next to it was the khan's residence. This compact tower is rectangular in shape and its outer walls are reinforced with circular and semi-cylindrical towers.

The castle walls and towers were slightly thinner at the top and were complemented with a series of labyrinths and teeth typical of defensive structures. The walls are 7 meters high and the towers are 8.5 meters high. The entrance to the fortress was located in the middle of the eastern wall and was protected from the outside by adjacent two-story towers. The top floor of this tower was probably the khan's room. A stone staircase leads to the room from the castle courtyard. Recently, the Armenians use the fortress as a church.