Aghdam Ağdam | |
|---|---|
 From top left: | |
  Aghdam  Aghdam | |
| Coordinates:39°59′35″N46°55′50″E / 39.99306°N 46.93056°E /39.99306; 46.93056 | |
| Country |  Azerbaijan |
| District | Aghdam |
| Elevation | 369 m (1,211 ft) |
| Population (1989) | |
• Total | Currently uninhabited Pre-war population was 28,031[1] |
| Time zone | UTC+4 (AZT) |
Aghdam (Azerbaijani:Ağdam) is a town and the nominal capital of theAghdam District ofAzerbaijan.[2] Founded in the 18th century, it was granted city status in 1828 and grew considerably during theSoviet period. Aghdam lies 26 km (16 miles) fromKhankendi at the eastern foot of theKarabakh Range, on the outskirts of theKarabakh plain.
Before theFirst Nagorno-Karabakh War, butter, wine andbrandy, machine, and silk factories, and an airport and two railway stations functioned there. By 1989, Aghdam had 28,031 inhabitants. As Azerbaijani forces withdrew fromKarabakh following political turmoil in the country during the war,[3] Armenian forcescaptured Aghdam in July 1993. The heavy fighting forced the city's population to flee eastwards. Upon the seizure, Armenian forces sacked the town. Until 2020, it wasde facto a part of thebreakawayNagorno-Karabakh Republic, and was almost entirely ruined and uninhabited.[4][5][6]
As part of theagreement that ended the2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, the town and its surrounding district came under Azerbaijani control on 20 November 2020.
The Azerbaijani government opened the town to Azerbaijani tourists in January 2022.[7][8]
The city's name is ofAzerbaijani origin, meaning "white house", whereağ means "white" anddam is "house" or "attic", thus referring to a "bright sun-lit, white house" which was given byPanah Ali Khan of theKarabakh Khanate in reference to theImarat cemetery.[9][10][11] Another possibility presented by Azerbaijani authors is that it was derived from ancientTurkic glossary meaning "small fortress".[12]
In November 2010, it was renamedAkna (Armenian:Ակնա) by the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic authorities,[13][14] who controlled the town until 2020.
Aghdam lies in the vicinity ofTigranakert of Artsakh, an ancientArmenian city dating to the 2nd–1st centuries B.C.[15]
The area where present-day Aghdam is located remained uninhabited till the establishment of theKarabakh Khanate. Aghdam was founded in the middle of the 18th century byPanah Ali Khan Javanshir after taking control ofShusha and ordering the construction of a hunting resort in the area. The first inhabitants of Aghdam wereAzerbaijani Turks who came under the incentive of Panah Ali Khan; later various otherTurkic tribes fromPersia migrated and established a settlement here.[16] In addition, it was the location of Panah Ali Khan’s summer palace and theJavanshir family cemetery.[17] By 1805, Aghdam was already known as a large village. In 1828 following theRussian conquest of the Caucasus, it received the status of a city in theShusha Uyezd ofElisabethpol Governorate. In 1868, when the city had 458 residents, a local Sunday fair was opened in Aghdam and theAghdam Mosque was built.[16] During theSoviet period, Aghdam became an administrative centre and was turned into a town-type settlement in 1930.[16] Aghdam had multiple industries such as butter, wine, brandy, and silk factories, as well as hardware and tool factories.[18][19] An airport and two railway stations functioned there. Aghdam had technical, agricultural, medical, and music schools.[20]
Aghdam was the scene of brutal fighting in theFirst Nagorno-Karabakh War. According to journalist Robert Parsons, Azerbaijani forces used Aghdam as a base for attacks on Karabakh, launchingBM-21 Grad rockets and bombing raids from there against civilians, while Armenian forces indiscriminately shelled Aghdam.[21][22]
According toHuman Rights Watch, Armenian forces exploited the power vacuum in Azerbaijan at the time, and seized Aghdam in July 1993. As the city fell, its entire population fled eastward.[23] HRW reported that "during their offensive against Aghdam, Karabakh Armenian forces committed hostage-taking, indiscriminate fire, and the forcible displacement of civilians" and that "after the city was seized, it was intentionally looted and burned under orders of Karabakh Armenian authorities".[24] HRW considered these actions serious violations of the rules of war, but noted that given the tit-for-tat nature of the conflict, it considered the actions of Aghdam Armenian forces a revenge for the Azeri destruction ofMardakert, which, according to Thomas Goltz, who was in Mardakert in September 1992, became "a pile of rubble", noting "more intimate detritus of destroyed private lives: pots and pans, suitcases leaking sullied clothes, crushed baby strollers and even family portraits, still in shattered frames".[25] The city has sometimes been referred as theHiroshima of theCaucasus.[26][27][6][28][29]
BBC journalist Roy Parsons reported that "every single Azeri house in the town was blown up to discourage return" as during the war, the Azeris used Aghdam as a base from which to shell Karabakh and Armenians could not trust them not to do it again.[21]
The Armenians used the city as abuffer zone until November 2020; as a result, Aghdam was empty, decaying, and usually off-limits forsightseeing.[30]
The ruined city once had a population of almost 30,000 people,[1] but today it is an almost entirely uninhabitedghost town.[31][32] AnOSCE Fact-Finding Mission that visited the town in 2005 reported that the entire town of Aghdam was "in complete ruins with the exception of the mosque in the center". FFM observed activity of scavenging for building materials in the town.[33] According to former U.S. Co-chair of theOSCE Minsk GroupCarey Cavanaugh, the city was destroyed not in fighting, but by being dismantled "brick by brick".[34] TheAghdam mosque, the only building left standing in Aghdam, has been vandalized with graffiti and used as a cowshed.[35][36][37]
Aghdam's cemeteries, including the historic 18th-century tombs ofImarat Garvand were destroyed, desecrated and looted. Western diplomats reported unearthed graves and only just one damaged tombstone remaining in the Imarat Garvand cemetery.[38]
In June 2010, Andrei Galafyev, a photographer who visited Aghdam in 2007, reported that "the floor in the mosque is entirely dirtied with manure of cattle, which wander on the ruins of Aghdam in the daytime."[39] His photographs showed cattle within the Aghdam mosque.[40] Its derelict condition, including a purportedly missing roof, drew criticism from Azerbaijani and Turkish communities, who wrote a letter in 2010 toPope Benedict XVI asking him to "warn Armenians".[41] In 2009, Shahverdyan then-head of Nagorno-Karabhakh's tourism department reported that the upper roof of the mosque had been restored in early 2009 and that their surroundings were cleaned from rubble and fenced in order to preserve Muslim cultural heritage in the area.[42] In November 2010, thegovernment of Artsakh announced that the mosque and its surroundings had been cleaned.[43] They also announced that the mosque of Aghdam, as well as the mosques ofShusha, had been refurbished.[44] HoweverRFE/RL journalist, who visited Aghdam in 2011, posted photos of the mosque with no roof, and what he described as "the neglected and damaged interior of Aghdam's once-glorious mosque".[45]
As part of theagreement that ended the2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, the town and its surrounding area were returned to Azerbaijani control on 20 November 2020.[46] On 24 November 2020, presidentAliyev and vice presidentAliyeva visited the ruined city and made a speech.[47] Shortly after the return to Azerbaijani control, clean-up of the city began. The government predicted that it would take 2–5 years for people to be able to live in the city again and that the last landmines would be removed in 15 years' time.[48]
On 22 May 2021, Azerbaijani news outlets announced government's plans of rebuilding Aghdam city center. In addition, construction of a road betweenBarda and Aghdam started.[49][50] On 28 May presidentAliyev visited the city and announced that its reconstruction had begun. He laid the foundation stones of the city's school No1, "Victory Museum" and "Open Air Occupation Museum", "the Industry Park", the first residential building and visited thePanah Ali Khan palace, the Imarat tombs and other reconstruction projects.[51][52][53][54]
According to the announced plan of the city, eight nearby villages will be merged with Aghdam, with a projected population of around 100,000. The residential areas will consist of multi-storey buildings and private houses. The city will be surrounded by gardens and be rebuilt as "smart city", to become agreen energy zone. Inside the city, a large green belt covering an area of 125 hectares, an artificial lake, canals and bridges, motorways, pedestrian and bike paths, and electricity powered public transportation are also planned.[55]
Reconstruction efforts speed up in 2025 with the inauguration of multiple facilities. New infrastructure such as a secondary school, a kindergarten, a digital energy management center, and a second residential housing complex with 1,268 apartments.[56]
![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg) | This sectionneeds expansion. You can help byadding missing information.(November 2014) |
Aghdam has atemperate climate (Cfa) according to theKöppen climate classification.
| Climate data for Agdam (1971-1990) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 6.2 (43.2) | 7.0 (44.6) | 11.2 (52.2) | 18.6 (65.5) | 23.1 (73.6) | 27.8 (82.0) | 31.3 (88.3) | 30.1 (86.2) | 25.9 (78.6) | 19.1 (66.4) | 13.0 (55.4) | 8.6 (47.5) | 18.5 (65.3) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 2.3 (36.1) | 2.8 (37.0) | 6.1 (43.0) | 12.3 (54.1) | 16.1 (61.0) | 20.4 (68.7) | 24.6 (76.3) | 23.3 (73.9) | 18.6 (65.5) | 13.5 (56.3) | 8.2 (46.8) | 4.1 (39.4) | 12.7 (54.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −0.9 (30.4) | 0.0 (32.0) | 3.2 (37.8) | 8.9 (48.0) | 13.5 (56.3) | 17.8 (64.0) | 21.2 (70.2) | 20.0 (68.0) | 16.4 (61.5) | 10.6 (51.1) | 5.8 (42.4) | 1.5 (34.7) | 9.8 (49.6) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 15 (0.6) | 24 (0.9) | 32 (1.3) | 48 (1.9) | 73 (2.9) | 64 (2.5) | 33 (1.3) | 27 (1.1) | 30 (1.2) | 50 (2.0) | 32 (1.3) | 19 (0.7) | 447 (17.6) |
| Average rainy days | 4 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 66 |
| Source: NOAA[57] | |||||||||||||
| Year | Population | Ethnic groups | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1908 | 931 | Mostly Tatars (later known as Azerbaijanis) | Caucasian Calendar[58] |
| 1923 | 1,660 | [59] | |
| 1926 | 7,910 | 93.6% Turks (i.e. Azerbaijani) | Soviet census[60] |
| 1939 | 10,746 | 83.3% Azerbaijani, 8.7% Russian, 5.3% Armenian | Soviet census[61] |
| 1959 | 16,061 | 92% Azerbaijani, 3.6% Russian, 3.4% Armenian | Soviet census[62] |
| 1970 | 21,277 | 94.9% Azerbaijani, 2% Russian & Ukrainian, 2% Armenian | Soviet census[63] |
| 1979 | 23,483 | 97% Azerbaijani, 1.3% Russian & Ukrainian, 1.2% Armenian | Soviet census[64] |
| 1989 | 28,031 | Soviet census[1] | |
| 1993 | Capture by Armenian forces. Expulsion of the Azerbaijani population | [65] | |
| 2005 | 0 | [citation needed] | |
Before theFirst Nagorno-Karabakh War, butter, wine and brandy, machine factories and a railway station functioned in the city.[18][19] On 28 May 2021, the Aghdam Industrial Park was announced, with construction ongoing.
By 2025, the Aghdam Industrial Park had directed more than 65% of its territory to residents. The park has 29 resident business entities with a combined investment portfolio of $160 million which creates 380 permanent jobs.[66]
Mugham music, a musical tradition from the Karabakh region, is an important part of Aghdam's musical heritage; the city was home to Aghdam Mugham School and its "Karabakh nightingales" ensemble.[67][68]
Anassociation football team used to be based in the town. That team is now based inBaku. It competes in theAzerbaijan Premier League under the nameQarabağ FK.[69] TheImarat Stadium was destroyed from bombardments by Armenian military forces in theFirst Nagorno-Karabakh War.[27][70][71][72]
Prior to the war, the city had bus and tram lines and an airport which no longer function.[73] In November 2020,Azerbaijan Railways announced that it was discussing plans to build a 104 km railway line fromYevlakh toStepanakert via Aghdam.[74] On May 10th, 2025, president of the Republic of AzerbaijanIlham Aliyev visited the newly builtAghdam Railway and Bus Station Complex for its inauguration.[75] The railway station is expected to see between 800 and 1,000 passengers a day, while the Bus Terminal will serve 1,300 to 1,500 passengers a day. After the inauguration, the first train departed the station on the Barda-Aghdam Railway line.
| This sectionneeds expansion. You can help byadding missing information.(November 2014) |
Prior to the city's destruction and subsequent abandonment, it contained 74 schools, none of which are functioning now.[76]
Some of the city's notable former residents include military commandersAllahverdi Baghirov andAsif Maharammov, footballersRamiz Mammadov,Mushfig Huseynov andVüqar Nadirov, mugham singersGadir Rustamov,Mansum Ibrahimov,Arif Babayev andSakhavat Mammadov, actorJeyhun Mirzayev, scientistZakir Mammadov, writerNushaba Mammadli, publicist and singerRoya andGünel Zeynalova, guitaristRamish.
Cities like Agdam have been emptied of people.
The graceful 19th-century central mosque is the only building left standing in Aghdam. Defiled by Armenian graffiti, it was used as a cowshed.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)In July, Armenian forces forced out the defenders of Agdam, Azerbaijan.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
