Azerbaijani scientists and public figures make appeal to UNESCO on cultural genocide committed against heritage of Azerbaijani people in Tapabashi quarter of Yerevan

2022-07-06

Azerbaijani scientists and public figures made an appeal to UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay on the cultural genocide committed against the heritage of the Azerbaijani people in Tapabashi quarter of Yerevan, the capital of Armenia. The appeal was signed by 102 well-known scientists and public figures.

AZERTAC presents the appeal:

“Dear Director-General,

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) seeks to encourage the identification, protection and preservation of cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding value to humanity. This is embodied in various conventions adopted by UNESCO. World Heritage sites belong to all the peoples of the world, irrespective of the territory on which they are located.

Historical cities and their territories are spatial formations which describe the evolution of society and its cultural identity. They are part of a large natural or artificial environment and cannot be separated from each other. Historical cities are vivid evidence of the past that has shaped them.

The material and cultural heritage currently located in the capital of Armenia, Irevan, is less than 200 years old. Although the reasons for this are obvious in historiography, the world community is not aware of them. The question is, why does not this city hold any sample of material culture which dates back to 200 years ago? The answer to the question is rather simple. These monuments, being examples of the material cultural heritage of the Azerbaijani people, were destroyed by the Armenians and have not reached our days.

Today, the last remaining samples of the material and cultural heritage of the Azerbaijani people are being destroyed in Irevan, the capital of Armenia. This appeal is intended to serve as a wake-up call, kindly inviting Your organization to mobilize and save the last material and cultural heritage of the Azerbaijani people belonging to all the peoples of the world.

The whole city of Irevan, solely excluding the fortress, was divided into a City, Demirbulag and Tapabashi. Azerbaijanis had been living in each of these parts of Irevan since the city's foundation until the beginning of the 20th century.

During the 19th and 20th centuries, the Azerbaijani people experienced a great national tragedy as a result of the targeted ethnic cleansing of Azerbaijanis on the territory of modern Armenia. This national tragedy was implemented in a staggered manner. Consequently, not a single Azerbaijani remained in the state now called Armenia. Azerbaijanis, being for millennials bound by a deep sense of attachment to their lands, were expelled from their ancestral historical and ethnic lands and subjected to mass killings; thousands of historical and cultural monuments and settlements belonging to

the Azerbaijani people were destroyed. Every now and then, the inhumane policy pursued against the Azerbaijani people was also carried out towards Azerbaijani monuments. As a result, Armenia destroyed the Irevan Fortress, Khan's Palace, Abbas Mirza Mosque, Zal Khan Mosque, Damirbulag Mosque, Sartip Khan Mosque, Haji Novruzali Bey Mosque, Haji Jafar Mosque, Qantar (bazaar) karvansaray, Haji beyim bathhouse, Haji Ali bathhouse, Akhund Sheikhulislam bathhouse and many other religious monuments of the Azerbaijani people. Armenia left two existing mosques in Irevan – the Haji Imamverdi Mosque and the Blue Mosque to their fate, naming them Persian mosques. Nowadays, the Haji Imamverdi Mosque is on the verge of annihilation.

The general plan of the city of Irevan, approved in Armenia in 2006, specifies six territories where samples of Azerbaijani architecture are located, presented as Persian architecture. The total size of these lands as of 2006 was 29 hectares. However, only a quarter of Tapabashi (16 hectares) area remains today. In just 16 years, Armenia completely destroyed 13 hectares, which can be considered a historical city in the architectural style belonging to the Azerbaijani people, various urban infrastructures have been built in their place.

The historical city of Irevan is one of the most destroyed cities of the 20th century. Its destruction in the twentieth century pursued political goals and served to create the current appearance of the modern city of Yerevan. Research suggests that information about the city of Azerbaijan is still stored in the deeper layers of this city. Nevertheless, Armenia continues degradation in these strata as it does not accept the underground cultural heritage of this historical place upon which it is currently sited. As evidence, we can refer to the excavations carried out in 2003 on the Republic Square of the city of Irevan. Thus, when samples of Azerbaijani-Muslim architecture were discovered during excavations, the Armenian leadership suddenly gave instructions to cover the monument with soil again. The Armenian Government committed this act in violation of all norms of international law.

Today, the place reflecting the history of the city of Irevan and the only remaining evidence of the cultural heritage of Azerbaijanis is Tapabashi neighbourhood.

Dear Director-General,

The Tapabashi quarter of Irevan city (Armenians call it Kond) is the only sample of the historical city of Irevan that has survived to this day. This quarter keeps in its memory the historical code of Irevan from the 17th century to the present day. The Tapabashi neighbourhood, historically inhabited by Azerbaijanis and reduced to 16 hectares, is now under threat of annihilation. Information about the material and cultural heritage created by Azerbaijanis in Armenia is hidden and partially destroyed. For some time now, the Armenian leadership has been planning to completely demolish the Tapabashi quarter and build modern residential buildings on this site. Thus, they want to destroy the last sign (the historical code) of the Azerbaijanis who once were Irevan's main inhabitants.

Tapabashi is of great importance for Azerbaijani culture, as well as the culture of humanity. This quarter, being considered the core of the historical city of Irevan, reflects a unified historical and urban environment.

The resettlement of Armenians to Tapabashi began with the policy of Tsarist Russia on the mass resettlement of Armenians from neighbouring countries to the South Caucasus after 1828. However, as a result of this resettlement, only 374 Armenians from Iran and 18 from Turkiye were temporarily placed in the homes of Azerbaijani families in the Tapabashi neighbourhood of Irevan. The relocated Armenians settled on the lands known to them as the Khan's Garden in the Tapabashi quarter. This first ethnic contact, which took place 190 years ago, did not change the ethnic composition of the Tapabashi unit, and the Azerbaijanis living there had always been permanent residents.

In the first half of the 19th century, names of streets and neighbourhoods in Tapabashi were in Azerbaijani language. Darakand, Akhund, Khan’s gardens, Asad bey, Adalyar, Tapabashi, Imarat and Dashli streets are some examples in this regard. Cameral descriptions, which are currently kept in the National Archives of Armenia, are the evidence showing inventory process and ethnic composition of those streets and neighbourhoods 190 years ago. Tapabashi with its own architecture and history constituted a part of the history of Azerbaijan.

This can be seen in later period plans of Irevan city as well. Cameral descriptions of 1831-1832 reveal that the streets and neighbourhoods located in Tapabashi quarter of the city retained the same name and ethnic composition in the later periods as well. Both the city plan of 1880, and B.Mehrabov’s Irevan city plan of 1906-1911 validate the accuracy of the above-mentioned facts once again. In the early 20th century, names of the streets located in Tapabashi quarter were also in Azerbaijani. All these are confirmed by the archival documents of the time as well. Despite the relocation of Armenians to historical Azerbaijani lands during the 19th century, it can be clearly seen that Azerbaijanis still dominated the ethnic composition of Irevan city population.

Ethnic composition of this neighbourhood, once consisted of Azerbaijanis, was artificially altered in 3 different stages of history (1918-1920, 1948-1953, 1988), and today, it has turned into a monoethnic neighbourhood of Armenians. While people living here call themselves natives of Irevan, only a few of them can bring evidence that they lived in this area before. Yet a significant part of the people living here is comprised of Armenians, who relocated from neighbouring states to the city still called Irevan in 1920s. Thousands of archival documents confirming this are kept in the archives of both Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Although the state of Armenia officially registered Haji Imamverdi (Tapabashi) Mosque located in Tapabashi as a Persian mosque, thus falsifying its history, no action is taken to preserve the monument, on the contrary destructive conditions are enhanced to speed up its collapse.

Talks between Armenian community and the state of Armenia on the fate of Tapabashi quarter are under way for years. However, in all these talks the tangible cultural heritage of Azerbaijani people is being doomed to destruction.

On February 4, 2022, as a result of the video conference held among the leaders of Azerbaijan, France, Armenia and the President of the European Council, enforcement of the UNESCO missions to Armenia and Azerbaijan was agreed upon. The Azerbaijani community has long waited for this news. We hereby appeal to and kindly ask UNESCO to make the historical Tapabashi quarter, as one of the destinations of its mission during the visit to Armenia – the country that has also taken the abovementioned commitment. We hope that Armenia will not hinder activities of the UNESCO mission in this direction.

Thus, there is an urgent need for collaboration with Armenian and Azerbaijan authorities to record the current state of historical and cultural monuments in Tapabashi – the only remaining architectural complex of Azerbaijani people in Irevan, ensure future monitoring and publication of the corresponding results. We believe that with Your influence and efforts You will contribute to Armenia’s fulfillment of its commitment to intact and secure protection, restoration, conservation, etc. of Azerbaijani monuments in Irevan in accordance with the principles enshrined in the international conventions. In this case, historical Tapabashi quarter of Irevan city, which is an integral component of world tangible heritage, will be saved from yet another act of vandalism.

We, the petitioners named below, hereby kindly ask You to help prevent the collapse of the neighbourhood system and the monuments in these neighbourhoods, which have historically belonged to Azerbaijanis, and establish special protection thereof in Tapabashi quarter of Irevan city.”

PETITIONERS:

1. Arif Hashimov

Doctor of Technical Science, Full member of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS), Vice-President of ANAS, acting President of ANAS

2. Govhar Bakhshaliyeva

Doctor of Philological Sciences, Professor, Full member of ANAS, Vice-President of ANAS

3. Isa Habibbayli

Doctor of Philological Sciences, Professor, Full member of ANAS, Vice-President of ANAS

4. Yagub Mahmudov

Doctor of Science in History, Professor, Full member of ANAS

5. Shahin Mustafayev

Doctor of Science in History, Professor, Full member of ANAS, Institute of Oriental Studies of ANAS

6. Nargiz Akhundova

Doctor of Science in History, Professor, Full member of ANAS, Institute of History of ANAS

7. Naila Valikhanli

Doctor of Science in History, Professor, Full member of ANAS, Museum of National History of Azerbaijan of ANAS

8. Anar Isgandarov

Doctor of Science in History, Professor, Member of Parliament

9. Aziz Alakbarli

PhD in Philology, Associate Professor, Member of Parliament

10. Karim Shukurov

Doctor of Science in History, Professor, General Director, Institute of History of ANAS

11. Jabi Bahramov

PhD in History, Executive Director,Institute of History of ANAS

12. Ilgar Niftaliyev

PhD in History, Head of Department, Institute of History of ANAS

13. Tofig Najafli

Doctor of Science in History, Associate Professor, Institute of History of ANAS

14. Rashad Mustafa

Doctor of Science in History, Institute of History of ANAS

15. Irada Baghirova

Doctor of Science in History, Institute of History of ANAS

16. Gultakin Najafli