Since 2021, Azerbaijan has been promoting the concept of "Western Azerbaijan," which refers to the current territory of Armenia. Through this narrative, Azerbaijan's propaganda machinery advances territorial claims over Armenia. These efforts are characterized by the use of distorted historical and demographic "facts" and manipulated archival data. This campaign, both indirectly and directly, reflects Azerbaijan's territorial aspirations towards Armenia's sovereign territory, aiming to reshape historical narratives to support these claims.

In 2022, the "Community of Western Azerbaijan" was officially registered, following a name change in August 2022 from the "Azerbaijani Refugee Union" NGO. Azerbaijan granted this organization an official status, underscoring its significance by having President Ilham Aliyev visit the community's office. Furthermore, on May 1, "West Azerbaijan" state television was launched in Baku.

First and foremost, Yerevan city and its mosques have been targeted by the Azerbaijani propaganda machine. The central thesis of this campaign is that the Armenian side deliberately destroyed the city's Islamic cultural heritage because it is Azerbaijani. Numerous programs and videos have been produced on this topic in recent years.

In this regard, it is essential to mention that there are numerous publications about the mosques in Yerevan dating back to the 19th century. These mosques were described and appreciated by Armenian researchers and travelers, who valued their architectural and decorative features. The topic continued to receive attention from Armenian scholars in the 20th century as well. Works dedicated to Yerevan naturally include discussions of the city's mosques and Islamic structures (see, for example, Shahaziz 2003, pp. 165-166; Hakobyan 1971, p. 366).

Most of Yerevan's Islamic monuments were built in the 17th-19th centuries, during a period when the city, along with all of Eastern Armenia, was under Persian rule, and Yerevan served as the center of the Persian Khanate. The Islamic population of Yerevan was ethnically diverse, comprising Persians and members of various Turkic tribes, who were referred to as Tatars in 19th-century documents. The mosques in Yerevan are prime examples of Persian religious architecture from the 17th to the 19th centuries, claiming that they represent Azerbaijani architecture is unfounded and misleading.

When Yerevan and all of Eastern Armenia were annexed to the Russian Empire, the first detailed descriptions of Yerevan's mosques and their physical conditions emerged and were published. Evidence indicates that the largest number of mosques simultaneously existing in Yerevan dates back to the second half of the 19th century and the early 20th century. In the 19th century, there were mentions of six operational mosques in Yerevan, and according to some sources, there were as many as seven (Petrosyan 2018, p. 179). It is worth noting that, according to 19th-century archival data and descriptions, some of these mosques were not functioning and others were in a state of disrepair. This condition was largely due to the effects of the Russo-Persian War and subsequent reconstructions by the Russian authorities. Consequently, the mosques within the Yerevan fortress were in a state of emergency. The Yerevan fortress itself was under the control of the Russian military authorities (Petrosyan 2018, pp. 177-179, 196-197).

The Azerbaijani propaganda machine advances the thesis that most of Yerevan's mosques were allegedly deliberately destroyed by Armenians during the Soviet years to "Armenianize" Yerevan. Unfortunately, the historical narrative promoted by Azerbaijan, with its highly politicized and propagandistic emphasis, interprets the issue of mosques in Yerevan in a one-sided manner.

It should be noted that in the 1930s and 1940s, many mosques in Yerevan were destroyed as a result of Soviet atheist policies. During this same period, most of Yerevan's historical churches were also destroyed, including the Poghos-Petros Church, the Katoghike Surb Astvatsatsin Church, the Surb Simeon Tseruni and Surb Astvatsatsin churches in the Old Nork district, the Gethsemane Chapel, the Surb Gregory the Illuminator Church (which served as the main cathedral of Yerevan and was built at the beginning of the 20th century), the Russian Surb Anna's Church of Nikolaev in the center of Yerevan, the Mler Cemetery Church, the historical Kozern Cemetery Church, and others. The Azerbaijani side overlooks this context, failing to acknowledge that the Soviet regime's policies led to the destruction of various religious and cultural sites, not just Islamic ones. This selective narrative implies that "Armenians obsessed with making Yerevan Armenian" deliberately targeted Islamic heritage, while, in reality, the Soviet atheist campaign indiscriminately destroyed many of the city's old and historical churches, cemeteries, chapels, and khachkars.

The historical Kond district of Yerevan and the mosque located there have recently become targets of Azerbaijani propaganda. Both have been declared Azerbaijani by this propaganda machine. In recent years, the "Azerbaijanization" of Yerevan has been promoted by historian and archaeologist Sabuhi Huseinov, who regularly shares his interpretations of Yerevan's past and existing facts on his Facebook page and television. Huseinov presents archival materials selectively, offering a one-sided view that supports the Azerbaijani narrative (https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=7814421941905404&set=a.355576257790047). The Kond district of Yerevan has recently become a specific target of Azerbaijani propaganda (https://baki-xeber.com/6708-irevanin-tepebasi-mehellesinin-satilmasi-azerbaycan-medeni-irsine-qarsi-cinayetdir.html).

The Kond Mosque is located in the center of the district of the same name in Yerevan. Unfortunately, there is no precise information regarding its construction, but it was most likely built in the 18th century (Petrosyan 2018, p. 193). The mosque is currently partially preserved, with significant damage resulting from a collapse in the 1980s. The building was already in a state of disrepair and partially collapsed due to the 1988 Spitak earthquake, although some residents note that the collapse occurred as early as 1987. There are very few references to the mosque, and no old photographs show its minaret. The mosque featured a central dome covered with colored glazed hyacinths (Fig. 1). Currently, several families reside inside the mosque. The ancestors of these families were refugees who took shelter in Yerevan in 1915, and according to oral accounts from residents, they lived in the mosque since it was already abandoned by that time.

Starting in 2021, the Azerbaijani propaganda machine began promoting the concept of "Western Azerbaijan" cultural heritage. Concurrently, the community called "Western Azerbaijan" started spreading claims that Armenians had supposedly destroyed Islamic cultural heritage located in the Republic of Armenia (RA), without providing any justification or factual evidence. This non-governmental organization also began regularly sending letters to international bodies, demanding the monitoring of "Azerbaijani" monuments within the RA. One of the most recent such communications was an open letter from Azerbaijani non-governmental organizations addressed to the Director-General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, on May 7, 2024. This letter reiterated the claims and demands regarding the preservation and monitoring of what they refer to as "Azerbaijani" cultural heritage sites in Armenia.

In the letter, it is explicitly stated that "We, the representatives of civil society of Azerbaijan," are urging UNESCO to take measures to halt the destruction of the material and cultural heritage of the Azerbaijani people in Armenia. The letter mentions that Azerbaijanis have historically resided in Armenia and highlights the implementation of a policy of destruction against all heritage belonging to Azerbaijanis. It is claimed that today, out of the 269 mosques registered in Armenia in 1870, only one remains preserved, and hundreds of Azerbaijani graves have been destroyed.

Continuing to read the letter, it is stated that Kond, known by the Azerbaijani name "Erivani Tepebashi" district, was once a city inhabited by Azerbaijanis, whose historical name was changed to Kond.

The letter urges UNESCO to designate the Tepebash district as a unique example of world cultural heritage and to place it under its protection. It concludes by suggesting that UNESCO should dispatch a fact-finding mission to the Republic of Armenia and take immediate steps regarding the Tepebash district, known as Kond, as mentioned in the Azerbaijani letter.

Our response

Since the onset of the 2020 war, Azerbaijan has repeatedly targeted the Armenian cultural heritage of Artsakh, in clear violation of numerous UNESCO norms regarding the protection of cultural heritage in times of conflict, as well as the principles outlined in the Hague and Geneva Conventions concerning the treatment of occupied territories during armed conflicts. In addition to physical destruction, Azerbaijan's actions have included efforts to defame, strip of Armenian authenticity, and distort Armenian spiritual values, thereby undermining the integrity of Armenian heritage sites. This destructive campaign has destroyed unique examples of khachkar art, which has been recognized as world heritage by UNESCO since 2010. These actions not only harm Artsakh but also constitute an affront to humanity's shared cultural heritage.

The lack of a tangible response from UNESCO to the destruction of the ground floors of three churches in Artsakh, including the Kanach Jam Church of Surb Hovhannes the Baptist in Shushi, as well as the destruction of seven documented and recorded historical cemeteries, is indeed concerning. It underscores the urgency for UNESCO to fulfill its mission in Artsakh promptly to prevent further cultural genocide.

Bibliography

1. Hakobyan 1971 - T. Hakobyan, History of Yerevan (1500-1800), Yerevan.
2. Shahaziz 2003 - Shahaziz E., Old Yerevan, Yerevan.
3. Petrosyan 2018 - Petrosyan L., The Mosques of Yerevan, Arabic Studies, Yerevan, N 10, p. 177-200.