Each one of our citizens is well informed about the Armenian vandalism, the violence committed by the Armenians against human beings as well as our historical, material-cultural and religious monuments on the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. Certainly, presentation of these data, these historical facts to the world community is a vital issue, and the consistent and targeted work done, actions taken by Heydar Aliyev Foundation in this field are of special importance.

These statements were expressed at the conference on “Armenian Vandalism Against Azerbaijan’s Religious-Cultural Monuments” jointly held by Baku International Centre of Multiculturalism and the State Committee for Work with Religious Organizations on 3 July at Juma Mosque of Shamakhi in the frames of “The Plan of Actions on the 100^th Anniversary of the 1918 Genocide Against Azerbaijanis”.

The Deputy Head of the District Executive Power, who made a speech at the conference attended by the staff members of the appropriate state institutions, the leaders and representatives of religious confessions, scholars, public figures, Gulnisa Alakbarova, the Acting Executive Director of Baku International Cenre of Multiculturalism Ravan Hasanov, the Deputy Chair of the State Committee for Work with Religious Organizations Gunduz Ismayilov and the Deputy Chair of the Caucasian Muslims’ Office Fuad Nurullayev pointed out the vitality of the event and emphasized  its importance from the point of view of exposing the Armenian mendacity. It was stated that scientific discussions related to our religious monuments destructed on the historical Azerbaijani territories occupied by Armenia and public presentation of historical facts discovered during the new studies must always be in the focus of attention.

The conference audience listened to the speeches by the Senior Researcher of the Institute of Eastern Studies of the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan Solmaz Rustamova on “The Mosques Exposed to Massacre in the City and Okrug of Shamakhi in 1918”, the Head of the Department at the Presidential Library of the President’s Office of Affairs Nazim Mustafa on “Armenian Vandalism Against Azerbaijani Monuments in the City of Iravan”, the Deputy Director of the Institute of Architecture and Art of the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan Khazar Aliyev on “The Theme of Genocide in Azerbaijani Art”, the Head of the Department of the “Icherishahar” State Historical-Architectural Reserve Office Kamil Ibrahimov on “The Land of Ancient Shirvan and the Genocide of 1918”, the journalist-researcher Mubariz Khalilov on “Armenian Vandalism and Pir Huseyn Khanagahi”. There was a wide exchange of ideas on the speeches.

The researchers-scholars said that Juma Mosque presently hosting the conference was exposed to Armenian vandalism in 1918, genocide was committed against the Azerbaijanis and that there still remain the traces of blood and horror of those years on the walls of the mosque as one of the historical places. All this was emphasized as a bright example of the real character of the Armenians who had found refuge in our territories.

Shamakhi Juma Mosque, which is one of the unique pieces of Azerbaijani and Eastern architecture, one of the most ancient mosques not only in the South Caucasus but also in the Near East, was constructed in 743. In 1918 the Armenian armed groups devastated 13 mosques in the quarters and over 20 mosques in the villages, along with Juma Mosque in Shamakhi. In the okrug of Shamakhi 10 thousand 341 Azerbaijanis were killed, among them 4365 were women and children. The historical facts emphasized by Solmaz Tohidi generated a bitter feeling of pity in everybody at the meeting. She told the participants how the local Armenians betrayed the people, and brutally burnt the old people, women and children, who had found refuge in the mosques, and how the Armenians tortured to death Akhund Jafargulu and his family in Yukhari Gala Mosque.

The speeches also drew attention to the fact of fundamental reconstruction of Juma Mosque, which is the “witness” of those bloody events, by President Ilham Aliyev’s instruction and with the financial resources allocated by him, touching upon the high and sensitive attitude towards our national values by our state and our people benefitting maximum from the potentials granted by our independence. They also spoke of our mosques, historical, material and cultural monuments devastated in our territories.

The speeches were accompanied by the slides demonstrating the historical photos reflecting Armenian brutalities.

Запись The Conference on “Armenian Vandalism Against Azerbaijan’s Religious-Cultural Monuments” in Shamakhi впервые появилась Baku International Multiculturalism Centre.