Old Orthodox church in Ganja damaged in Armenian missile attack
By Ayya Lmahamad
An Orthodox Church was among the buildings damaged during Armenia’s missile attack on Ganja, Azerbaijan’s second largest city on October 11.
Armenian launched an overnight missile attack on October 11 at apartment buildings in the central part of Ganja, the second largest city of Azerbaijan, located far from the frontline.
The attack killed 10 civilians, and injured 35 civilians – including four children.
More than 10 apartment buildings and above 100 different facilities were severely damaged during the attack. An Orthodox church with a half-century history, were also damaged during the attack.
“One of the missiles fired from Armenia at Ganja fell near the grave of the fifth grandson of the Prophet Muhammad and the mosque of the 9th century located around it, causing serious damage. Moreover, the missile also damaged an Orthodox church with a half-century history. This shows that there is nothing sacred for Armenians,” authorized representative of the Chairman of the Caucasian Muslims Office for the Western Region, Haji Tahir Abbasov, told journalists in Ganja.
Sheikh Baba mausoleum, an architectural monument of national importance was severely damaged during the attack on Ganja on October 4. The attack on Ganja also damaged Men's gymnasium in Ganja, that is under state protection.
At the same time, a shell that fell near the historical site posed a serious threat to the Imamzade Sanctuary Complex.
It should be noted that there are over 2,600 historical and cultural monuments in the occupied territories. However, most of these monuments have been destroyed or Armenianized.
This list includes 6 architectural and 5 archaeological monuments of world importance, 119 architectural and 121 archaeological monuments of national importance, 393 architectural monuments of local importance, 22 archaeological monuments, 23 monumental, memorial and garden complexes, 17 samples of decorative and applied art.
Armenian armed forces launched a large-scale operation in the front-line zone on September 27 at 6 am, shelling the positions of the Azerbaijani army from large-calibre weapons, mortars, and artillery installations of various calibres. Armenia has been targeting Azerbaijan’s densely populated areas and infrastructure projects.
Forty one civilians have been killed and 207 others have been injured since the outbreak of large-scale hostilities on September 27, after Armenia launched another attack along the line of contact. As a result of the shelling of civilian infrastructure facilities by the occupying country's armed forces, 1,185 houses and 57 multi-apartment residential buildings, as well as 148 civilian facilities were severely damaged.
Azerbaijan and Armenia are locked in a conflict over Azerbaijan’s Nagorno-Karabakh breakaway region, which along with seven adjacent regions was occupied by Armenian forces in a war in the early 1990s. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and around one million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities.
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Ayya Lmahamad is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @AyyaLmahamad
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