Azerbaijani authorities worry of condition of historical monuments in Nagorno-Karabakh

As reported by Intigam Gumbatov, press secretary of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Azerbaijan, in his conversation with the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent, a great damage to the country's cultural heritage was caused by the occupation of the territory of Azerbaijan.

Mr Gumbatov asserts that in the territory controlled by Armenian troops 12 museums and 6 picture galleries were destroyed, 9 palaces of historical value were ruined, and 44 temples and 18 mosques were desecrated.

The city of Shusha in Nagorno-Karabakh was a global-value historical and cultural reserve as such, as reported by Zakhid Abbasov, head of the Department of Culture and Tourism of the Shusha District, which is temporarily located in Baku.

According to Mr Abbasov, before the war in Shusha 248 historical monuments were under protection of the state; the city operated 8 museums and 1 picture gallery; however, now the majority of them are destroyed and plundered.

Under his statement, a purposeful change of the cultural shape of Shusha is obvious, same as an aspiration to root out all the traces of the Moslem-Azerbaijani culture. Besides, Azerbaijani toponyms are renamed into Armenian ones.

Mr Abbasov believes that the world community should interfere into the situation with the monuments of history and culture in Nagorno-Karabakh for the sake of preserving the cultural heritage of Azerbaijan in Karabakh as such and Azerbaijani districts around.

According to the nongovernmental "Organization in defence of Monuments of History and Culture in Occupied Territories of Azerbaijan", about 600 religious monuments - mosques, mausoleums, etc. were ruined in grounds areas; 200 cemeteries were completely and 600 more - partially - were destroyed.