Baku, December 21, AZERTAC

Baku Higher Oil School (BHOS), jointly with the Ministry of Culture, held a webinar on the topic of “Culture and Spiritual Wealth of Karabakh”.

More than 300 participants took part in the event, which was conducted on the ZOOM platform.

The main speakers at the webinar were Rector of Baku Higher Oil School Elmar Gasimov, Head of the Administration of the Ministry of Culture Vasif Eyvazzade, Professor of the Petroleum Engineering Department of BHOS Fuad Veliyev.

Using historical facts and collected materials, the participants discussed the material and cultural wealth of Karabakh, which have been liberated from the years-long occupation.

Opening the event with an introductory speech, BHOS Rector Elmar Gasimov said that the Karabakh region has its own rich history, material and cultural heritage, including architectural monuments, literature, art and musical culture.

“The discovery of a large number of samples of ancient material culture during archaeological excavations is a clear proof that Karabakh is a cradle of the most ancient material and spiritual culture. It is also for this reason that we have been terrorized for many years by Armenian terrorists who want to misappropriate the history of this great land belonging to the Azerbaijani people."

The rector said that as a result of the Armenian occupation of the Karabakh region, which has an incredibly large number of material and cultural monuments, all mosques, monuments and museums have been destroyed there.

“The invaders have destroyed not only mosques, museums, but also cemeteries, tombs, temples, monuments of Caucasian Albania and other national monuments. Armenians violated all norms and principles of international law by carrying out archaeological excavations in Azykh,” Elmar Gasimov added.

Head of the Administration of the Ministry of Culture Vasif Eyvazzade said that the results of the initial monitoring have revealed that the invaders have destroyed 180 cultural institutions.

“Inspections have been conducted at 71 historical, cultural, architectural and archaeological sites. There were more than 2,600 historical monuments on the territory of Karabakh, 706 of which had passed the state registration. In the course of the investigation, it was found that the invaders have demolished more than 900 libraries, stolen or destroyed 4.6 million books, looted and destroyed 22 museums. Almost all historical and cultural monuments have been destroyed in Karabakh, and the origin of some objects of historical and cultural significance have been changed. All these crimes were committed by Armenians in gross violation of the norms and principles of international conventions. By destroying and appropriating historical and cultural monuments, the evaders violated the 1954 UNESCO Convention "On the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of an Armed Conflict" and the 1970 UNESCO Convention "On the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property”.

Head of the Administration of the Ministry of Culture Vasif Eyvazzade noted that at present, monitoring is being carried out in Zangilan, Gubadli, Jabrayil, Fuzuli and Aghdam by commandant's offices, created by order of President Ilham Aliyev.

“During the preliminary monitoring it was found that Armenians have destroyed 200 facilities and more than 100 historical monuments. Currently, a special group is conducting monitoring in Shusha in this respect. As known, there were more than 500 architectural buildings in Shusha alone. Their current state is being established now."

Vasif Eyvazzade also noted that letters of protest have been sent to more than 150 countries and leading international organizations in this regard.

Professor of the Petroleum Engineering Department of BHOS Fuad Veliyev said that thanks to its wealth and uniqueness, the Karabakh culture has been and will be the leading and integral part of Azerbaijani culture.

“The Karabakh region, which has a rich cultural heritage, is known for its music, mugam, opera, theater and art. The Karabakh music has centuries-old traditions that enrich the treasury of Azerbaijani musical culture. Shusha has always been considered the ‘Conservatory of the East’. It is no coincidence that Armenian aggressors carried away from Shusha to Armenia the statues of great figures of Azerbaijani music Uzeyir Hajibeyov, Bulbul, and of the poetess Khurshud Banu Natavan. Disregarding all moral norms, the invaders brutally shot these monuments and damaged them with heavy machinery.”

“Taking into account the fact that the beautiful nature, climate and natural resources of Karabakh had had a great impact on the development of artistic thinking and creativity in the region, we may conclude that Karabakh will soon turn again into a cultural cluster,” Fuad Veliyev stressed.