Agdam Mosque

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Agdam Mosque
Ağdam məscidi
Agdam Mosque2018-13.jpg
The mosque in 2018
Religion
AffiliationShia Islam
StatusDamaged; vandalised
Location
LocationAgdam, Azerbaijan
Agdam Mosque is located in Azerbaijan
Agdam Mosque
Shown within 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
StyleIslamic
Groundbreaking1868
Completed1870

The Agdam Mosque (Azerbaijani: Ağdam məscidi) or Juma Mosque (Azerbaijani: Cümə məscidi) is a mosque in the ghost town of Agdam, Azerbaijan.[1] It is the only building left standing in Aghdam as all of the town was destroyed following the First Nagorno-Karabakh War by Armenian forces.[2][3]

History[]

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 Fuzuli and one in the village of Goradiz.[4]

Armenian occupation[]

In June 2010, Andrei Galafyev, a photographer who visited the mosque in 2007, reported that "The floor in the mosque is entirely dirtied with manure of cattle, which wanders on the ruins of Agdam in daytime." His photographs showed cattle within the mosque. This report generated criticism from an Azerbaijani news site, who complained, claiming that the mosque is being used as a cowshed and pigpen.[5] In 2009, Shahverdyan then-head of Nagorno-Karabhakh's tourism department reported that the upper roof had been restored in early 2009 and that their surroundings were cleaned from rubble and fenced in order to preserve Muslim cultural heritage in the area.[6] In November 2010, the government of Artsakh announced that the mosque and its surroundings had been cleaned.[7] They also announced that the mosque of Agdam, as well as the mosques of Shusha, had been refurbished.[8] 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.[9]

After the ceding of Agdam 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.[10][11] Associated Press reported that the Agdam Mosque was the only structurally intact building in the city, and that Armenians vandalized it with graffiti and used it as a stable for cattle and swine for years.[12][3][13]

Gallery[]

  • Agdam Mosque2018-1.jpg
  • Agdam Mosque2018-9.jpg

  • the roof

  • the entrance

  • Agdam Mosque2018-15.jpg

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Paul, Amanda (17 May 2011). "Agdam -- an Azerbaijani ghost town". Today's Zaman. Archived from the original on 2015-12-23. Retrieved 2015-10-13.
  2. ^ "Armenian Karabakh Official Says Mosques Being Repaired". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 18 November 2010.
  3. ^ a b Carlotta Gall and Anton Troianovski (11 December 2020). "After Nagorno-Karabakh War, Trauma, Tragedy and Devastation". The New York Times. Retrieved 12 December 2020 – via nytimes.com. The graceful 19th-century central mosque is the only building left standing in Aghdam. Defiled by Armenian graffiti, it was used as a cowshed.
  4. ^ ВЛИЯНИЕ ХРИСТИАНСТВА НА АРХИТЕКТУРУ АЗЕРБАЙДЖАНА (in Russian). Bakilililar.az. Retrieved 26 July 2010.
  5. ^ "Turks complain to Pope on vandalism in Karabakh church by Armenians". news.az. Archived from the original on 20 July 2010. Retrieved 26 July 2010.
  6. ^ "Works on preservation of Muslim cultural heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh underway". news.am. 17 November 2010. Archived from the original on 2015-04-02.
  7. ^ "Works on preservation of Muslim cultural heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh underway". news.am. 17 November 2010.
  8. ^ "Armenian Karabakh Official Says Mosques Being Repaired". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ "Nagorno-Karabakh: Azerbaijan enters Aghdam district handed over by Armenia". Nagorno-Karabakh: Azerbaijan enters Aghdam district handed over by Armenia.
  11. ^ "Mosque partially destroyed during Armenian occupation comes alive after 27 years". www.geo.tv.
  12. ^ Manenkov, Kostya (20 November 2020). "Azerbaijani leader hails handover of region ceded by Armenia". Associated Press. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  13. ^ "Nagorno-Karabakh: Tough rebuilding ahead for devastated city of Agdam". france24.com. France 24. 28 November 2020. Retrieved 12 December 2020.

Coordinates: 39°59′N 46°56′E / 39.983°N 46.933°E / 39.983; 46.933

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