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Agdam Mosque

(Redirected from Aghdam Mosque)

For Juma Mosque, see Juma Mosque (disambiguation).

The Aghdam Mosque (Azerbaijani: Ağdam məscidi) or Juma Mosque (Azerbaijani: Cümə məscidi) is a Shia Islam mosque, located in the ghost town of Aghdam, Azerbaijan.[1] Completed in the 1870s, the mosque was desecrated during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War and restored following the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War.

Aghdam Mosque
Azerbaijani: Ağdam məscidi
The mosque in 2024, after restoration
Religion
AffiliationShia Islam
Ecclesiastical or organisational status
StatusActive (restored)
Location
LocationAghdam
CountryAzerbaijan
Agdam Mosque is located in Azerbaijan
Agdam Mosque
Location of the mosque in Azerbaijan
Geographic coordinates39°59′N 46°56′E / 39.983°N 46.933°E / 39.983; 46.933
Architecture
Architect(s)Karbalayi Safikhan Karabakhi
TypeMosque architecture
Style
Groundbreakingc. 1868
Completedc. 1870
Specifications
Dome(s)Nine (maybe more)
Minaret(s)Two
MaterialsBrick; iron; marble; timber

History

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Construction

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The mosque was built by the architect Karbalayi Safikhan Karabakhi from 1868 to 1870, in the typical style for mosques in the Karabakh region, which included the division of stone columns on the two-story gallery and the use of domed ceilings. Other mosques in this style include Barda Mosque, the Yukhari Govhar Agha Mosque in Shusha, a mosque in the city of Fuzuli and one in the village of Horadiz.[2][3]

Armenian occupation

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During the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, Aghdam was used by Azerbaijani forces to fire BM-21 Grad long-range missiles at the Armenian populace of Stepanakert.[4][5] Aghdam later came under the control of Armenian forces. After the capture, according to eyewitnesses, the city was plundered, destroyed and burned.[6] The Aghdam Mosque, the only building left standing in Aghdam, has been vandalized with graffiti and used as a stable for cattle and swine.[7][8][9][10] A narrative of "barbarous Armenians who turn mosques into pigsties" would become an important component of mobilization in Azerbaijan in the prelude to the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war.[11]

In 2009, the Republic of Artsakh began funding measures to preserve Islamic monuments. According to Artsakh officials the surroundings of the Aghdam Mosque were cleaned from the rubble and fenced in 2010.[12][13] The RFE/RL journalist Stepan Lohr, who visited Agdam in 2011, posted photos of the mosque with no roof, and what he described as "the neglected and damaged interior of Aghdam's once-glorious mosque".[14] A satellite investigation conducted by the Caucasus Heritage Watch of Cornell University found that between 1977 and 2019, the structure and shape of the mosque remained unchanged. Since 1992, the mosque sustained minor damage under Armenian control, with only the modern roofing installed during Soviet times being removed.[15]

After the Second Nagorno-Karabakh war

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Following Azerbaijan's victory in the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War, it regained the district of Aghdam through the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement on 20 November 2020.[16] Three days later, president Ilham Aliyev and first lady Mehriban Aliyeva visited the ruins of the city and the Aghdam Mosque. Aliyev gifted a Quran from Mecca to the mosque.[17] In 2020, after the ceding of Aghdam back to Azerbaijan, the first Friday prayer in 28 years was held in the mosque by the last imam of the mosque and Azerbaijani soldiers.[18][19] Restoration of the mosque commenced in 2022, funded with the support of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation.[3][20]

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  •  
    Interior of the mosque in 2000
  •  
    Entrance of the mosque in 2013
  •  
    Mihrab of the mosque in 2018
  •  
    General view and surrounding landscape in 2018

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Paul, Amanda (May 17, 2011). "Agdam -- an Azerbaijani ghost town". Today's Zaman. Archived from the original on December 23, 2015. Retrieved October 13, 2015.
  2. ^ ВЛИЯНИЕ ХРИСТИАНСТВА НА АРХИТЕКТУРУ АЗЕРБАЙДЖАНА. Bakilililar.az (in Russian). Retrieved July 26, 2010.
  3. ^ a b "The Aghdam Mosque". Monument Watch. n.d. Retrieved December 23, 2024.
  4. ^ Denber, Rachel; Goldman, Robert K. (1992). Bloodshed in the Caucasus: Escalation of the Armed Conflict in Nagorno Karabakh. Human Rights Watch. p. 13. ISBN 9781564320810.
  5. ^ Denber, Rachel (July 1993). Bloodshed in the Caucasus: Indiscriminate Bombing and Shelling by Azerbaijani Forces in Nagorno Karabakh (PDF). Human Rights Watch/Helsinki. pp. 17–18.
  6. ^ Гурьянова, Лилия; Васильев, Дмитрий (2006). Мёртвая зона. Города-призраки [Dead zone. Ghost towns] (in Russian). Saint Petersburg: Вектор. p. 113. ISBN 5-9684-0495-7.
  7. ^ "Azerbaijani leader hails handover of region ceded by Armenia". AP NEWS. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  8. ^ Gall, Carlotta; Troianovski, Anton (December 11, 2020). "After Nagorno-Karabakh War, Trauma, Tragedy and Devastation". The New York Times. Retrieved December 12, 2020. The graceful 19th-century central mosque is the only building left standing in Aghdam. Defiled by Armenian graffiti, it was used as a cowshed.
  9. ^ "Nagorno-Karabakh: Tough rebuilding ahead for devastated city of Aghdam". france24.com. France 24. November 28, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  10. ^ "Azerbaijani leader hails handover of region ceded by Armenia". AP NEWS. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
  11. ^ Gamaghelyan, Philip; Rumyantsev, Sergey (2021). "The road to the Second Karabakh War: the role of ethno-centric narratives in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict". Caucasus Survey. 9 (3): 329. doi:10.1080/23761199.2021.1932068.
  12. ^ "Works on preservation of Muslim cultural heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh underway". news.am. November 17, 2010. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015.
  13. ^ "Armenian Karabakh Official Says Mosques Being Repaired". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. November 18, 2010.
  14. ^ "No-Man's-Land: Inside Azerbaijan's Ghost City Of Aghdam Before Its Recapture". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
  15. ^ Khatchadourian, Lori; Lindsay, Ian; Smith, Adam T.; Ghulyan, Husik (April 5, 2023). "Aghdam Mosque". Between the Wars: A Satellite Investigation of the Treatment of Azerbaijani Cultural Heritage in the Unrecognized Republic of Nagorno Karabakh, 1994-2020. Cornell Institute of Archaeology and Material Studies: Cornell University. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
  16. ^ "Armenia hands over Aghdam to Azerbaijan as part of Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire". France 24. November 20, 2020. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
  17. ^ "President Aliyev presents Holy Quran he brought from Mecca to Aghdam mosque". Trend.Az. November 24, 2020. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
  18. ^ "Nagorno-Karabakh: Azerbaijan enters Aghdam district handed over by Armenia". TRT World.com. Associated Press. November 20, 2020.
  19. ^ "Mosque partially destroyed during Armenian occupation comes alive after 27 years". www.geo.tv. November 22, 2020.
  20. ^ "Aghdam Juma Mosque". Projects: Culture: Azerbaijan – the address of tolerance. Heydar Aliyev Foundation. 2020. Retrieved December 23, 2024.
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