The head of the Social Research Center (SRC), Zahid Oruc, expressed hope that the Ministry of Culture will include heritage examples from Western Azerbaijan in the unified national fund.

According to a report by “EDnews,” he made this statement during the scientific-practical conference “Tracing the Legacy of the Deportation” organized jointly by SRC and the Western Azerbaijan Community. Oruc noted that Afqan Valiyev, the author of three scientific works written as part of the “Return Encyclopedia” series, has studied 532 monuments:

“He provided detailed and comprehensive information on 144 valuable and significant monuments for the first time in 20 categories, including 21 shrines, hearths, and places of worship, 6 mosques, 21 temples, 16 fortresses, 5 caravanserais, 4 mausoleums, and 2 domes, all belonging to the people of Western Azerbaijan. The wealth of Western Azerbaijan belongs to our people as a whole.”

Z.Oruc emphasized that preserving the material and cultural heritage of the Azerbaijani people means immortalizing the homeland:

“It is impossible to separate a nation from its roots and transfer its historical memory and treasures to future generations. Heritage is the hard drive of a nation. By creating technical specifications, identity passports, and ownership registries for each monument in the lost lands of Western Azerbaijan, we prove our right to the land and the heritage of our ancestors. Thus, the unity of the people’s visual, oral, and material memory is formed.”

Madina Mammadova//EDnews