Gara Boyuk Khanim Castle (Azerbaijani: Qara Böyük Xanım sarayı; Armenian: Շուշիի առաջին մելիքական ապարանք) is an 18th century palace-castle located on a hill in the southeastern part of the town of Shusha (Shushi) in the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan.

[1][2] By the order of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan dated with 2 August 2001, the castle was taken under the state protection as an architectural monument of national importance (No.

It corresponds to the newly-built Palace of Karaglukh, constructed by the Armenian commander of the sghnakh (military district) of Shushi, Avan Yuzbashi, in 1724.

[5] After the death of the Sparapet Avan in 1736, the castle passed into the hands of the Melik-Shahnazarian family, the traditional rulers (Meliks) of the Armenian principality of Varanda.

This rebuilding was also accompanied by a Persian language inscription on the main gate entrance dating the castle to 1182 Hijra (1768 AD).

These citadels, which were the architectural and planning dominant of the newly created cities, housed the palace complex, fortifications and other structures designed to serve the ruler and ensure his safety.

For example, in the middle of the 19th century, the newspaper Kavkaz noted: Among the various houses and residential buildings of the city, the castles where the khan's family members live, immediately catch the eye: they are unique.