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] It is the only building left standing in Aghdam as all of the town that was destroyed following the First Nagorno-Karabakh War by Armenian forces.[2][3]

Agdam Mosque
Ağdam məscidi
The mosque in 2018
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
Groundbreaking1868
Completed1870

History

The mosque was built by the architect Karbalayi Safikhan Karabakhi from 1868 to 1870. The mosque was built 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

The Agdam mosque is the only building left standing in Aghdam. The mosque has been vandalized, used as a cowshed and the roof and attic of the mosque have been pulled down, while windows, doors, interior finish and the marble floor have been destroyed.[3][5]

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.[6]

In November 2010 the government of Nagorno-Karabakh 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.

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.[8] Associated Press reported that the Agdam Mosque was the only structurally whole building in the city, which Armenians vandalized it with graffiti, and used it as a stable for cattle and swine for years.[9]

  • the roof
  • the entrance

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. 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. "Nagorno-Karabakh: Tough rebuilding ahead for devastated city of Agdam". france24.com. France 24. 28 November 2020. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  6. "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.
  7. "Works on preservation of Muslim cultural heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh underway". news.am. 17 November 2010.
  8. "Source".
  9. Manenkov, Kostya (20 November 2020). "Azerbaijani leader hails handover of region ceded by Armenia". Associated Press. Retrieved 20 November 2020.

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