Aghdam

Aghdam
Ağdam
From top left:
Aghdam is located in Azerbaijan
Aghdam
Aghdam
Aghdam is located in Karabakh Economic Region
Aghdam
Aghdam
Coordinates: 39°59′35″N 46°55′50″E / 39.99306°N 46.93056°E / 39.99306; 46.93056
Country Azerbaijan
DistrictAghdam
Elevation
369 m (1,211 ft)
Population
 (1989)
 • TotalCurrently uninhabited
Pre-war population was 28,031[1]
Time zoneUTC+4 (AZT)

Aghdam (Azerbaijani: Ağdam) is a ghost city and the nominal capital of the Aghdam District of Azerbaijan.[2] Founded in the 18th century, it was granted city status in 1828 and grew considerably during the Soviet period. Aghdam lies 26 km (16 miles) from Stepanakert at the eastern foot of the Karabakh Range, on the outskirts of the Karabakh plain.

Before the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, butter, wine and brandy, machine, and silk factories, and an airport and two railway stations functioned there. By 1989, Aghdam had 28,031 inhabitants. As Azerbaijani forces withdrew from Karabakh following political turmoil in the country during the war,[3] Armenian forces captured Aghdam in July 1993. The heavy fighting forced the city's population to flee eastwards. Upon the seizure, Armenian forces sacked the town. Until 2020, it was de facto a part of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, and was almost entirely ruined and uninhabited.[4][5][6]

As part of the agreement that ended the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, the town and its surrounding district came under Azerbaijani control on 20 November 2020.

The Azerbaijani government opened the town to Azerbaijani tourists in January 2022.[7][8]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Demoscope-2014 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Gai︠a︡nė Novikova (2004). The Nagorno Karabakh Conflict: In Search of the Way Out : To the Question of the Readiness of Azerbaijani and Armenian Societies to a Compromise Resolution of the Conflict. Amrots Group. p. 138. ISBN 9789994131273.
  3. ^ De Waal, Thomas (2003). Black Garden: Armenia and Azerbaijan Through Peace and War. New York: New York University Press. p. 213. ISBN 0-8147-1944-9.
  4. ^ Specter, Michael (2 June 1994). "Azerbaijan, Potentially Rich, Is Impoverished by Warfare". The New York Times. Cities like Agdam have been emptied of people.
  5. ^ "The story of FK Qarabag: How a team born from war now prepares to host Chelsea in the Champions League". Independent.co.uk. 22 November 2017. Archived from the original on 2017-11-22.
  6. ^ Musayelyan, Lusine. "Life Among Ruins of Caucasus' Hiroshima". Institute for War and Peace Reporting.
  7. ^ "Azerbaijan to Launch Bus Tours to Liberated Territories".
  8. ^ Isayev, Heydar (21 March 2023). "Azerbaijan launches multi-day tours of Shusha". eurasianet.org.

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