Great Return

A Karabakh carpet. Karabakh carpets make up a separate group of Azerbaijani carpets. Armenia tries to portray them as “Armenian Artsakh carpets”
Only ruins of some of these monuments remained on the spot and they sustained tampering and vandalism. In addition, 855 cultural facilities have been revealed during the preliminary monitoring in Shusha, as well as the Jabrayil, Fuzuli, Zangilan, Khojavand, Gubadly, Agh- dam and Kalbajar districts. These included 457 libraries, 345 clubs, 20 museums, 25 children’s musical schools, a movie theater, two theaters, two galleries and three film clubs.



Large-scale restoration and rebuilding work has been launched in the territories liberated from the Armenian occupation. Overall, this process could be considered as the beginning of a new stage in the country’s social and cultural life. It is reassuring that the Azerbaijani people tackled the efforts made under the leadership and su- pervision of the head of state with great vigor and vic- torious zeal.
Firstly, extensive construction operations are being carried out in Shusha. President Ilham Aliyev and First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva visited the city four times since the beginning of 2021. Close familiarization with the ongoing rehabilitation and rebuilding activities indicates the attention and care provided by the country’s leader- ship for this ancient cradle of Azerbaijani culture.
Rehabilitation is currently underway upon the tombs, caravanserais, house museums and mosques that were affected by Armenian vandalism in Shusha during the occupation, as well as the Gazanchi Church, whose his- torical looks had been altered. The church, built in the 1880s, was listed among the monuments under state protection in the Soviet era (according to a decision No.145 passed by the Council of Ministers of Azerbaijan SSR on April 27, 1988). Furthermore, it was recorded by the government in a relevant register approved under the ruling No.132 of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Re- public of Azerbaijan on August 2, 2001 (inventory item No.358). Restoration of the Gazanchi Church based on historical documents and archival material is envisaged in compliance with its initial art style and architectural appearance, just like all other historical-cultural monu- ments in Azerbaijan. The ongoing overhaul and reha- bilitation efforts in Shusha are expected to reinstate its historical and cultural image and turn the ancient city into a new and attractive destination on the world cul-


tural heritage map. The primary goal of the rehabilita- tion endeavors is to restore the city of Shusha, which has been declared the “Cultural Capital” of Azerbaijan by the President, and its historic role in the country’s cul- tural heritage, as well as inform the international com- munity that it is a cradle of national art and music. The “Kharibulbul” music festival was organized by the Hey- dar Aliyev Foundation on the Jidir Duzu plain in Shusha on President Ilham Aliyev’s instructions on May 12-13, 2021, which marked our glorious return to the capital of Azerbaijani culture. Just six months after its liberation from a long-lasting invasion, the ancient city once again embraced the environment of national music and art, which was embedded in history as an overall triumph of Azerbaijani culture.
On June 15, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed the Shu- sha Declaration. In addition to other significant clauses, the historic document inked in Shusha envisions over- haul of the socio-economic and cultural infrastruc- ture in the liberated Karabakh, as well as cooperation

in ensuring that the region regains its previous fame. Shusha will host a plethora of traditional cultural events in the future. This year, Days of Vagif Poetry will be held in the city. Organizations from Turkic and Islamic world countries are expected be closely involved and support these events.
ICESCO recently made a tremendously important proposal with regard to Shusha. During a visit by its di- rector-general to Azerbaijan in January, the organization suggested announcing Shusha the cultural capital of the Islamic world. Moreover, the International Organization of Turkic Culture (TURKSOY) suggested declaring Shusha as Cultural Capital of the Turkic World in 2023. These pro- posals indicate the high appreciation of the Turkic and Islamic world to the cultural richness of this ancient city.
Comprehensive rehabilitation is also underway in the city of Aghdam, the largest residential area in Kara- bakh that was razed to the ground entirely during the occupation period. A number of foreign nationals who witnessed Armenian vandalism in Aghdam, regarded those ruins as “Hiroshima of the Caucasus”. During an- other visit to the region by President Ilham Aliyev on May 28, Republic Day, the foundation was laid for the rehabilitation of Aghdam, the city’s general plan was drawn up and a number of infrastructure projects, in-
cluding Victory Museum and Open Air Museum of Oc- cupation, were presented.
In addition to implementing construction and reno- vation operations in all residential areas liberated from occupation in line with high standards on the President’s instructions, Museums of Occupation will be established outdoors. These museums will be instrumental in con- veying internationally the acts of vandalism perpetrated by Armenia in the occupation period and will also in- form future generations of this page in history.

The liberation of Karabakh from occupation signi- fies not only restoration of Azerbaijan’s territorial in- tegrity and the return of Azerbaijanis to their homes, but also the return of culture to this land on a broader scale. Therefore, the Ministry is implementing relevant projects and events under the “Getting culture back to Karabakh” slogan. Having brought back culture and re- stored historical-cultural heritage in these territories, we will demonstrate to the rest of the world that the Azer- baijani people are the real and indigenous possessors of Karabakh, in contrast to those who had been engaged in barbaric actions and plundering of these territories for about 30 years.