Agdam Mosque

The Agdam Mosque (Azerbaijani: Ağdam məscidi) or Juma Mosque (Azerbaijani: Cümə məscidi) is a mosque in the ghost town of Agdam, Azerbaijan.[1]

Agdam Mosque
Ağdam məscidi  (Azerbaijani)
The mosque in 2021
Religion
AffiliationShia Islam
StatusDamaged; vandalised
Location
LocationAgdam, Azerbaijan
Shown within Azerbaijan
Geographic coordinates39°59′N 46°56′E
Architecture
Architect(s)Karbalayi Safikhan Karabakhi
TypeMosque
StyleIslamic and Azerbaijani architecture
Groundbreakingc. 1868
Completedc. 1870

History

Construction

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]

Armenian occupation

During the First Nagorno-Karabakh war, Agdam was used by Azerbaijani forces to fire BM-21 Grad long-range missiles at the Armenian populace of Stepanakert.[3] Aghdam later came under the control of Armenian forces. After the capture, according to eyewitnesses, the city was plundered, destroyed and burned.[4]

After the war, the mosque was used as a stable for cattle and swine.[5] In 2009, the Republic of Artsakh began funding measures to preserve Islamic monuments. According to Artsakh officials the surroundings of the Agdam mosque were cleaned from the rubble and fenced in 2010.[6][7] 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.[8]

  • Agdam mosque during Armenian occupation
  • 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

After Second Nagorno-Karabakh war

Following Azerbaijan's victory in the Second Nagorno-Karbakah war, it regained the district of Agdam through the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement on 20 November 2020.[9] Three days later, president Ilham Aliyev and first lady Mehriban Aliyeva visited the ruins of the city and the Agdam mosque. Aliyev gifted a Quran from Mecca to the mosque.[10]

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.[11][12]

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. ВЛИЯНИЕ ХРИСТИАНСТВА НА АРХИТЕКТУРУ АЗЕРБАЙДЖАНА (in Russian). Bakilililar.az. Retrieved 26 July 2010.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. Manenkov, Kostya. "Azerbaijani leader hails handover of region ceded by Armenia". apnews.com. Associated Press. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  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. "Armenian Karabakh Official Says Mosques Being Repaired". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty.
  8. 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.
  9. "Armenia hands over Aghdam to Azerbaijan as part of Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire". France 24. 20 November 2020. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  10. "President Aliyev presents Holy Quran he brought from Mecca to Aghdam mosque". Trend.Az. 24 November 2020. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  11. "Nagorno-Karabakh: Azerbaijan enters Aghdam district handed over by Armenia". Nagorno-Karabakh: Azerbaijan enters Aghdam district handed over by Armenia.
  12. "Mosque partially destroyed during Armenian occupation comes alive after 27 years". www.geo.tv.

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