شبكة طريق الحرير الصيني الإخبارية/

  Azerbaijan is restoring destroyed mosques in Karabakh

Konul Nurullayeva

Member of the Parliament of the Republic of Azerbaijan
Member of the Delegation to PACE
Head of Azerbaijan-Croatia Inter-parliamentary Working Group
Member of Executive Board of ISSF
Country Ambassador to WPL

As a part of the Islamic world, Azerbaijan has always ensured the protection of Islamic values ​​at its utmost highest level. All religious monuments belonging to celestial religions are protected at the state level in Azerbaijan. The post-war era that ended with the great victory of Azerbaijan in Karabakh on November 10, 2020 marks a novel stage in the protection of Islamic heritage. It is a recovery phase and restoration process, as for almost 30 years, blatant acts of vandalism against the Islamic heritage have been committed in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. Over the years, Armenia has pursued a policy of destroying this heritage. However, with the return of Azerbaijanis to a native Karabakh, the restoration of the destroyed and looted heritage together with the establishment of prosperity in the region has successfully started.

On May 12, the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has laid the foundation of a new mosque in Shusha on the eve of the holy month of Ramadan during his participation in the iconic “Kharibulbul”music festival, exactly after 28 years, in the cultural capital of Azerbaijan, and the city with the charming nature and rich history. The leadership of Azerbaijan has made this decision immediately after the liberation of our historical land. We are a nation committed to our religion, and national and spiritual roots. Otherwise, we would never have been able to end the occupation. All these years we have lived with one utmost goal – to liberate our native lands, to restore justice, and to protect our national dignity. We have achieved the success.

Shusha, the land of ancient Azerbaijan, had 17 mosques, in overall. All of them, however, have been destroyed by Armenians during the years of occupation. Three mosques were in a state of disrepair – Upper and Lower Govharagha (built in 1768-1769, this mosque complex has also been a victim of Armenian vandalism during the occupation) and Saatli mosques. The instructions to also restore these mosques have already been ordered. The restoration of mosques in Shusha is carried out by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, the most active participant of humanitarian and charity projects in Azerbaijan and beyond. The building that in a sense dominates Shusha will soon be the building of mosque, the Islamic heritage.

Specifically, should I emphasise that all the mosques destroyed during the occupation were raised in the hearts of Azerbaijanis. Five years ago, before the liberation of our lands from occupation, the President of Azerbaijan ordered to build a mosque in the Jojug Marjanli settlement of the Jabrayil region, that would resemble the Upper Govharaga Mosque in our beloved Shusha. At the opening ceremony of the mosque in Jojug Marjanli, Mr. Aliyev had also stated that the day will come with us restoring mosques in Shusha and building new ones. Today we are once again convinced that our statements are also our signature.

The voices of Adhan in our holy mosques will be heard in all corners. We are truly witnessing the historical moments in Karabakh. For the first time in 30 years, a holiday prayer ceremony was held in Shusha. The groundbreaking ceremony of a new, soon to be built, mosque in the ancient city of Shusha on the eve of the Holy Ramadan holiday carries historic and symbolic meanings in itself. It exhibits that belonging to, preserving and protecting the Islamic heritage is, as always, a priority for Azerbaijan.

It is no coincidence that the Azerbaijani soldiers firstly prayed in the recently liberated areas. The holy voice of Adhan was heard from the destroyed mosques. This was the sacred dream of Azerbaijanis for 30 years. We will now live in Karabakh, our native land, forever. The voices of Adhan will always be raised in our restored mosques. From now on, the valuable heritage of Islam, the religion of peace, will eternally bepreserved in Karabakh.