Artist, astronomer, literary critic, painter, historian, calligrapher and musicologist Mir Mohsun Navvab was born in 1833 in Shusha. He was born in the family of Haji Seyid Ahmad and never left his hometown. Having received his primary education at a theological school, Navvab learned Arabic, Persian and Turkish languages well, and then mastered the basics of astronomy, chemistry, mathematics and other sciences at the Abbas Sarijali Madrasa.

Mir Mohsun Navvab is first known as a musicologist, the author of the treatise "Vuzuhul-arqam" ("Explanation of numbers") written in the Azerbaijani language. Written in the spirit of the best classical traditions, it is one of the last treatises of its kind in the East. In Azerbaijan, Navvab is one of the old chemists, astrologers and old school artists.

Throughout his life, Navvab took an active part in the cultural and social life of Shusha. He wrote poems, published books in the printing house he opened, taught in schools, wrote more than twenty books on various fields of science and art, organized literary and musical gatherings called "Majlisi-Faramushan" and "Majlisi-khananda". Poets Abdulla bey Asi, Fatma khanum Kamina, Mashadi Eyyub Bagi, Khan Garabaghi, Abdulla Hasan Shahid, performers and singers Haji Husu, Mashadi Jamil Amirov, Islam Abdullayev, Seyid Shushinski and others were members of those assemblies.

Among Mir Mohsun's works, the collection "Tazkireyi-Navvab" is more interesting. It contains information about the life and work of more than 100 poets who left Karabakh in the Middle Ages. The memoir was published as a book in 1913 in Baku.

Navvab was interested in mathematics, chemistry and astronomy. He built two telescopes, a small observatory and a chemistry laboratory in his house. In his textbook Kifayatul-atfal, written in 1899, he compiled tables on the location of celestial bodies and solar eclipses. 
In the book "Admonition" he gave more than 500 pieces of advice to young people. The ethical views of the well-known pedagogue and scientist are reflected in his books such as "Kifayatul-atfal", "Nurul-Anwar" and "Pandname".

Undoubtedly, the greatest contribution to the art of Karabakh and all Azerbaijan was made by Navvab with his artistic creativity. Many watercolour paintings, book miniatures and patterns painted on several buildings and mosques by him have survived to the present day.

Mir Mohsun Navvab's famous musical treatise "Vuzuhul-arqam" was first published in 1913 in Baku. In this treatise, Mir Mohsun examines the origin of separate mughams, some dastgahs, the roots of their names, the connection of mughams with poetic texts, the relationship between the performer and the listener, their optimal location in terms of acoustics. For the first time, Navvab used the term dastgah there, referring to the six dastgah known in Karabakh at that time: Rast, Mahur, Shahnaz, Rahavi, or Rahab, Chahargah and Nava. In that work, the scientist also mentioned the names of 82 songs and mughams performed by Karabakh musicians. Mir Mohsun investigated the origin of several mughams and the etymology of their names in that work.

The author's book "Tavarikhi-razm and shurishi-taifeyi-arameniyyeyi-Gafgaz ba firgeyimusalmanan" ("History of the war and unrest of the Caucasian Armenian tribe against Muslims") is written on the basis of real facts and fully reflects the atrocities and criminal acts committed by the Armenians against the Azerbaijani people in 1905-1906. This work, which became a desk book for historians, was first published in Baku in 1993 under the title "Armenian-Muslim conflict in 1905-1906".
Mir Mohsun Navvab died in 1918 in the city of Shusha.

Recommended literature:

1. Mir Möhsün Nəvvab. 1905-1906-cı illərdə erməni-müsəlman davası / M. M. Nəvvab ; tərt., tərc. K. K. Şərifli ; AMEA M. Füzuli adına Əlyazmalar İnstitutu. - Bakı : Qanun, 2014. - 180 s.
2. Əliyev, Əli Umud oğlu. Qarabağ ədəbi mühiti və Mir Möhsün Nəvvab : monoqrafiya / Ə. U. Əliyev ; elmi red. K. İ. Əliyev. - Bakı : Avropa nəşriyyatı, 2016. - 151 s.
3. Mir Möhsün Nəvvab. Seçilmiş əsərləri / M. M. Nəvvab ; ərəb dilindən translit.: Ə. Məmmədbağıroğlu, A. Ramazanov ; fars dilindən tərc. R. Ş. Kərimov ; bur. məsul Ə. Güləliyev. - Bakı : Şərq-Qərb, 2006. - 216 s.