On 8 May 1992, during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, the Armenian forces captured Shusha, and its Azerbaijani population of about 15,000 people, was forced to flee. Most of the city came into ruins, including the building, and Shusha turned into a "ghost town". According to the Azerbaijani officials, the Armenian forces destroyed and looted hundreds of paintings, carpets, miniatures, souvenirs and archaeological samples collected in the museum.