BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 10. The Azikh Cave
in Azerbaijan had been used by Armenia as a weapons depot at the
beginning of the occupation, Head of the State Service for the
Protection, Development and Restoration of Cultural Heritage under
the Ministry of Culture, Sabina Hajiyeva, said at an event held
within the framework of the Baku Climate Action Week, Trend's correspondent
reports from the event.
According to her, years later, illegal archaeological
excavations were conducted in the cave with the participation of
foreigners, and many samples were taken away from the cave.
She noted that the world-famous Azykh cave is a monument of the
Paleolithic era and combines a large number of protected elements,
cultural parts, and samples.
Besides, according to the official, as of November 3, 2020, an
inventory has been conducted on 575 out of 749 monuments, including
196 monuments in Shusha city.
"During the inventory work, field surveys were conducted,
digital maps of monuments were prepared, and photo documentation
and drone filming were carried out. Archival documents and other
resources were also examined," the official pointed out.
Hajiyeva said that the monitoring showed that during the
occupation, the cultural heritage of Azerbaijan was seriously
damaged, and monuments were subjected to destruction and
vandalism.
"In general, 68 monuments were completely destroyed in the
liberated territories. These figures refer to monuments registered
in the official list of monuments in the territory of Azerbaijan.
However, the number of monuments in the territory of Karabakh and
East Zangezur is much higher," she emphasized.
The head of the state service noted that the last official list
of monuments was adopted in 2001, precisely during the occupation.
According to her, as a result of the currently conducted
monitoring, a large number of other interesting monuments are also
being discovered in those territories.
She added that 115 monuments suffered serious damage, while
others were damaged to varying degrees. The total material damage
to 434 monuments is currently estimated at 700.15 million manat
($411.8 million).
"This is a general figure that reflects only the damage to the
walls and does not include the damage to culture," Hajiyeva
explained.
According to her, during the inventory, it was determined that
many monuments, including Islamic religious monuments, were
vandalized, desecrated, and used as stables by Armenia.
Hajiyeva noted that in general, Islamic religious monuments were
either completely destroyed or desecrated.
"In particular, 9 tombs, 3 cemeteries and 7 mosques registered
in the liberated territories were destroyed. 25 mosques, 14 tombs
and 2 crypts were damaged to varying degrees," she said.
The service chief further highlighted that Christian monuments
were also vandalized.
"During the inventory work, it was determined that several
monuments, including Islamic religious monuments, were subjected to
vandalism. Christian monuments were also subjected to vandalism,"
Hajiyeva said.
According to her, many of the small monuments were not
preserved, and in relation to large monuments, illegal restoration
work was carried out, aimed at falsifying history, among other
things.
Hajiyeva cited the 13th-century Khudavang Monastery as an
example and noted that restoration work had been carried out here
in the last 10-20 years of the occupation period. According to her,
these works were not only illegal, but also aimed at falsifying its
history.
She said that the frescoes on the walls of the monastery were
later stolen.
"One of the most important points is that the frescoes restored
by them were stolen from the walls. These frescoes were not painted
separately; they were on the walls. The frescoes were stolen after
the Armenians left the area," the official said.
According to Hajiyeva, information about the theft of the
frescoes was submitted to Interpol.
"We have sent this information to Interpol, and I hope that the
entire international community will help us return these parts of
our heritage," she stressed.
