CHW has concluded a year-long investigation into the treatment of Azerbaijani cultural heritage under Armenian control between the Nagorno-Karabakh wars. We used a vast trove of satellite imagery and other sources. Our findings paint a complex picture.
Our unprecedented site-by-site analysis shows that the fate of mosques, mausolea, and cemeteries varied. Of the 109 sites we assessed, 42 were structurally unchanged since the late Soviet era, 9 sustained minor damage, 39 major damage, 16 destroyed, 2 renovated, 1 restored.
Our investigation also shows that the treatment of heritage sites changed over time. Major damage, consisting mainly of large-scale looting, predominantly took place in the decade after the 1994 ceasefire, as at the Chukhur Mahalla Mosque in Shusha.
Monuments with metal roofs that could be stripped and sold as scrap metal were more impacted than structures with earth or stone roofing. In several cases, Soviet-era metal roofs were removed, exposing the domes of a mosque that were left unharmed.
While the rate of outright destruction was low, the deliberate targeting of mosques and mausolea increased over time, with most destruction episodes occurring after 2011, as at the Haji Alakbar Mosque.
In our report, we contextualize these findings and examine other patterns, like the geographic distribution of impacts in relation to Armenian settlements and the relative condition of heritage sites compared to the surrounding properties from which Azerbaijanis were expelled.
Armenian authorities failed to prevent widespread looting and acts of destruction. But there was no attempt to erase the material traces of Az. cultural life. A plurality of sites was unchanged from before the war, some intact, some already in ruins.
For each of the 109 sites, we have compiled interactive ArcGISStoryMaps that provide the evidence behind our assessments. Findings can also be accessed as a PDF report titled “Between the Wars”. Read the full, 330-page report or an abridged version.
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