General information


As a result of the military aggression of Armenia against Azerbaijan in the years 1991-1994, the Nagorno Karabakh Autonomous Region of Azerbaijan and 7 adjacent districts (Aghdam, Jabrayil, Fuzuli, Kalbajar, Gubadli, Lachin and Zangilan) came under occupation. Over 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed, 4866 were reported missing and almost 100,000 persons were injured while 50,000 of our compatriots became disabled people with various degrees of bodily injures. The military aggression led to the occupation of 17,000 square meters of the most fertile lands and the destruction of 900 living districts, 130939 houses, 2389 industrial and agricultural facilities, 1025 educational and 798 healthcare institutions, 1510 cultural institutions, 5198 km of highways, 348 bridges, 7568 km of water pipelines and 76940 km of electricity lines in the country.
Armenian aggressors have brutally destroyed the cultural masterpieces that form the cultural heritage of Azerbaijan in the occupied territories. In those lands, they plundered and set alight 12 museums, 6 art galleries and 9 palaces of historical importance. 152 sacred places and temples, including 62 mosques remaining in the occupied territories have fallen victim to Armenian aggression. 4,6 million books and samples of rare manuscripts were destroyed in 927 libraries which were razed to the ground or set on fire. It is impossible to assess exactly the damage caused by Armenian aggressors to the cultural sites of Azerbaijan in Nagorno Karabakh and neighboring regions because the riches plundered or destroyed are considered the exceptional masterpieces of not only Azerbaijan, but also the whole human civilization. Besides the moral and psychological trauma caused to the population, according to the preliminary calculations, as a result of aggression of the Armenian Armed Forces, the damage inflicted on the Azerbaijani economy exceeds 300 billion USD.
The Armenian armed forces occupied 7 villages of Gazakh and 1 village in Sadarak district in Nakhchivan. In addition, 1 village in Aghjabedi district bordering Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia, 2 villages in Gadabay district, 8 villages in Tovuz district, 1 village in Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic were damaged as a result of the military aggression of Armenia. Following the results of eighth meeting of the State Commission on the State Border Delimitation between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Armenia and the Commission on Delimitation of the State Border and Border Security between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan, held on April 19, 2024, on the border of the two countries, an agreement was reached with Armenia on the return of 4 villages of Gazakh to Azerbaijan. At the initial stage of the delimitation process, the sides previously agreed on individual sections of the border line stretching directly between the settlements of Baghanis (Armenia) - Baganis Ayrim (Azerbaijan), Voskepar (Armenia) - Ashagi Askipara (Azerbaijan), Kirants (Armenia) - Heyrimli (Azerbaijan) and Berkaber (Armenia) - Gizilhajili (Azerbaijan) to bring them into line with the legally valid inter-republican border that existed within the Soviet Union at the moment of its collapse.
Shusha, Aghdam, Fuzuli, Jabrayil, Zangilan and Gubadli cities were completely ruined and plundered by the Armed Forces of Armenia during the occupation years. Views of Aghdam and Fuzuli cities resembled Hiroshima and Nagasaki cities destroyed by an atomic bomb in 1945 during the occupation period. There existed over thousand Azerbaijani residential settlements, hundreds of historical and architectural monuments, caravanserais, mansions, mosques, mausoleums, cemeteries, sepulchres, tombstones, etc. in the territory of the present Armenia which is the historically Azerbaijani land. As a result of the ethnic cleansing of Azerbaijanis and act of vandalism against the historical monuments committed by Armenians in the 20th century, Armenia became monoethnic state and all the historical and architectural monuments reflecting the existence of Azerbaijanis were wiped off the map, the cemeteries were demolished. But international organizations doidn't want to see all of these and said “Stop!” to the Armenian occupation and Armenian vandalism that has lasted for more than 20 years.
The e-resource titled "ARMENIAN VANDALISM against the monuments of Azerbaijan" reveals the true nature of Armenian vandals who try to introduce themselves to the world as “a civilized nation”.


List of historical and cultural monuments located on the Azerbaijani territories during the occupation
Extract from the Decree No 32 of 02.08.2001 of the Cabinet of Ministries of the Republic of Azerbaijan


Immovable historical and cultural monuments of world importance

ARCHITECTURAL MONUMENTS

Name of the monument

Construction date

Location

The Mausoleum of Gutlu Musaoghlu

1314

Aghdam district, Khachindarbatli village

Ganjasar monastery

1216-1238

Aghdere district, Vangli village

Khudavang monastery

13th c.

Kalbajar district, Vang village

11 arch Khudafarin bridge

11th-12th cc.

Jabrayil district, Gumlag village

15 arch Khudafarin bridge

13th c.

Jabrayil district, Gumlag village

Shusha State Historical-Architectural Reserve

18th-19th cc.

Shusha town


ARCHAEOLOGICAL MONUMENTS

Name of the monument

Construction date

Location

Azikh cave camp

Paleolit

Khojavand district

Taglar cave camp

Paleolit

Khojavand district

Uzarliktapa settlement

The Bronze Age

Aghdam town

Khojali barrows

Bronze-Early Iron Age

Khojali town

Niftali barrows

The Bronze Age

Jabrayil district

MUSEUMS EXPOSED TO PLUNDER DURING THE OCCUPATION PERIOD

  1. The History and Ethnography Museum. Khankendi city.
  2. State Art Gallery. Khankendi city.
  3. Shusha Museum of History. Shusha city.
  4. Uzeyir Hajibeyov's House-Museum. Shusha city.
  5. Bulbul's House-Museum. Shusha city.
  6. Shusha branch of the State Museum of Azerbaijani Carpet Weaving and Folk Applied Arts. Shusha city.
  7. Karabakh State Museum of History. Shusha city.
  8. Karabakh Museum of Literature. Shusha city.
  9. Mir Mohsun Navvab’s House-Museum. Shusha city.
  10. State Art Gallery. Shusha city.
  11. Aghdam History and Ethnography Museum. Aghdam city.
  12. Bread Museum. Aghdam city.
  13. Gurban Pirimov's Memorial Museum. Aghdam city.
  14. Battle Honour Museum named after Rahib Mammadov. Aghdam city.
  15. Aghdara History and Ethnography Museum. Aghdara city.
  16. Fuzuli History and Ethnography Museum. The exhibits of the auxiliary fund. Fuzuli city.
  17. The Museum of the Folk Applied Arts. Fuzuli city.
  18. Hadrud History and Ethnography Museum. Hadrud city.
  19. Gubadli History and Ethnography Museum. Gubadli city.
  20. State Art Gallery. Gubadli city.
  21. Lachin History and Ethnography Museum. Lachin city.
  22. State Art Gallery. Lachin city.
  23. Sari Ashug's Memorial Museum. Gulabird village of Lachin district.
  24. Kalbajar History and Ethnography Museum. Kalbajar city.
  25. Jabrayil History and Ethnography Museum. Jabrayil city.
  26. Zangilan History and Ethnography Museum. Zangilan city.