Agdam Mosque
| Agdam Mosque | |
|---|---|
The mosque in 2010
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| Basic information | |
| Location | Agdam, Azerbaijan |
| Affiliation | Islam |
| Province | Agdam Rayon |
| Country | Azerbaijan |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Mosque |
| Architectural description | |
| Architect(s) | Karbalayi Safikhan Karabakhi |
| Architectural type | Mosque |
| Architectural style | Islamic |
| Completed | 1870 |
| Minaret(s) | 2 |
The Agdam Mosque (Azerbaijani: Ağdam məscidi, also transliterated as Aghdam Mosque) is a mosque in the ghost town of Agdam, de jure part of Azerbaijan, but de facto controlled by the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. It was one of the few buildings of the town that was not destroyed during the Nagorno-Karabakh War.
The mosque was built by the architect Karbalayi Safikhan Karabakhi from 1868 to 1870. The mosque was built in the typical style for mosques in Karabakh region, which included the division of stone columns on the two-story gallery and the use of domed ceilings. Other mosques in this style include Barda Mosque, the Govhar Agha Mosque in Shusha, a mosque in Fizuli and one in the village of Goradiz.
After Khojaly's invasion by Karabakh-Armenia forces on 29 February 1992, 200 bodies were first placed in this mosque. However, according to mosque's director Seyid Sadiqov, the mosque had 477 corpses.
Among the Aghdam's residential buildings, the mosque is one of the best preserved. Azerbaijani sources, however, report that the roof and attic of the mosque have been pulled down, while windows, doors, interior finish, even the marble floor have been destroyed.
In June 2010 Andrei Galafyev, a photographer who visited the mosque in 2007, reported that "The floor in the mosque is entirely dirtied with manure of cattle, which wanders on the ruins of Agdam in daytime.” His photographs showed cattle within the mosque. This report generated criticism from Azerbaijani newspapers and a Turkish organization, who complained, claiming that the mosque is being used as a cowshed and pigpen.
In November 2010 the government of Nagorno-Karabakh announced that the mosque and its surroundings had been cleaned. They also announced that the mosque of Agdam, as well as the mosques of Shusha, have been refurbished.
Coordinates: 39°59′N 46°56′E / 39.983°N 46.933°E
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