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Laman Ismayilova

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On the 10th, the 13th session of the Islamic World Heritage Committee of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) commenced in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, as part of an ongoing festival, AzerNEWS reports citing the Culture Ministry.

The session reviewed nominations submitted for inclusion in the Islamic World Heritage List and the Islamic World Heritage Tentative List.

During the session, a decision was adopted to inscribe the Aghdam Imarat Historical and Architectural Museum Complex and the Shusha State Historical and Architectural Reserve, both nominated by Azerbaijan Culture Ministry, on the ICESCO Islamic World Heritage List.

This marks the first time that monuments in Aghdam have been included in international cultural heritage lists.

The 18th-century Imarat complex, regarded as sacred by Azerbaijanis, is of profound historical and cultural significance. Alongside the Imarat Palace of Panah Ali Khan, founder of the Karabakh Khanate, the site encompasses the mausoleums of Panah Ali Khan himself, Ibrahim Khalil Khan, and his son Mehdi Gulu Khan, who ruled the khanate in different periods. It is also the final resting place of Khurshidbanu Natavan, daughter of Mehdi Gulu Khan and a distinguished Azerbaijani poet, as well as other prominent representatives of the Karabakh khans' lineage.

The establishment of the Imarat Historical and Architectural Museum Complex in the city of Aghdam, decreed by President Ilham Aliyev on February 20, 2025, stands as a vivid example of the special state-level attention being devoted to the revival of cultural heritage and the restoration of historical and cultural values in the Karabakh region.

President Ilham Aliyev attended the official reopening of the restored Aghdam Imarat Complex on September 19, 2024. Spanning 3.3 hectares, the complex includes facilities designed for ceremonial events, mausoleums, a historic cemetery, an equestrian complex for the presentation of Karabakh horses, and a visitor center. The Aghdam Imarat Complex is now open to visitors.

The inclusion of Shusha widely regarded as the cultural cradle of Azerbaijan on the ICESCO Heritage List serves as a powerful testament to the value placed on the revival of this reserve city's rich historical and cultural legacy.

The session will continue through the 13th as part of the festival's program.

With its rich cultural legacy, Azerbaijan joined the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (ICESCO) in 1991.

Since then, Azerbaijan has actively promoted the preservation of its Islamic cultural heritage.

The country successfully collaborates closely with various organisations, including the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, the Islamic Development Bank, the Islamic Conference of Parliamentary Union, and the Islamic Conference of Youth Forum.