Twenty six years have passed since the Armenian occupation of Aghdam, one of the ancient and historical Azerbaijani regions, during the brutal war fought by the two South Caucasus republics in the early 1990s.
The Armenians invaded most of Aghdam's territory on July 23, 1993. The Armenian aggressors seized 882 sq. km. of the 1,094 sq. km. territory of Aghdam, including one city and 80 villages. Some 128,000 people became internally displaced persons and 17,000 of them are adults.
The occupation of Aghdam was the third painful loss for Azerbaijan after the invasion of Lachin and Kalbajar around Nagorno-Karabakh. As result of the Armenian armed forces' attack on Aghdam the town was razed to the ground.
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The Armenians destroyed historical monuments, cemeteries, hospitals, libraries, schools, offices and facilities in the occupied territory. 122 villages, around 24,000 residential buildings, 48 industrial and construction enterprises, 160 schools, 65 health centers, 373 cultural centers, 1 theater, 3 mosques and 2 museums were burnt down and completely destroyed.
Most of the historical monuments were destroyed following the Armenian occupation. These include the Khanoglu tomb (17th century), the mansion of Karabakh Khan Panahali (18th century) and his tomb (19th century), and the twin-minaret Aghdam Juma mosque (1870).
As a result of the occupation of Aghdam, Azerbaijan faced material damage worth a staggering $6.179 billion. The damage inflicted to the region's agriculture alone is estimated at 992.8 million manats ($1.272 billion). Over 6,000 people died during the fighting in Aghdam.
About 130,000 displaced persons from Aghdam are settled in 875 settlements of 59 regions across Azerbaijan.
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