Decades-long Armenian occupation wreaked havoc in Karabakh

A once famous cultural and business city in the Karabakh region of southwestern Azerbaijan was turned into a ghost town after being completely destroyed during 27 years of Armenian occupation. 

Armenian forces occupied 77% of Agdam in 1993, displacing thousands of civilians from the district which was recaptured and liberated by Azerbaijani forces on Nov. 20, 2020.

Thousands of homes, shops and historical and religious centers were destroyed by Armenian forces after they occupied the city in the 1990s and caused billions of dollars’ worth of damage to the civilian infrastructure.

"The city has been completely destroyed. Even historical and religious places were demolished by the occupying forces of Armenia," Umid S. Isazada, the special envoy of the president for Agdam district, told Anadolu Agency.

So far, the exact figures for destroyed homes and shops are not available as a survey is underway, but the numbers are in the thousands, he added.

On Sunday, Anadolu Agency along with a media delegation from Pakistan visited Agdam district, where Isazada briefed them on reconstruction efforts and the destruction carried out by Armenian forces during the occupation.

Before 1993, Agdam was famous and the largest city of the Karabakh region, with thousands of civilians and tens of thousands of hectares of cultivated land. It also had an airport and railway stations, which are now in ruins.

The city was founded in the 18th century and according to local officials was named Agdam (meaning “White Roof”) by the Karabakh ruler Panah Ali Khan, whose tomb and fortress were also located there.