26 years have passed since occupation of Zangilan district of Azerbaijan. On the night of October 29, 1993, Armenian aggressors completed the occupation of 20 percent of Azerbaijani lands with the occupation of Zangilan.
After the Armenian occupation of the Jabrail and Fizuli districts, the Zangilan residents, caught in complete blockade for 67 days, fought against Armenians. In the four-day battles starting from October 25, 1993, 235 Zangilan residents fell martyrs and went missing. However, Armenian tanks attacked the area from all sides, and the population could not resist the armed forces.
The Armenians intended to bring about a second Khojaly tragedy in Zangilan, but they did not succeed. The population could escape another genocide by crossing the Araz River into Iran.
The area of Zangilan region is 707 sq. km, and the population during the occupation exceeded 35,600 people. Currently, the population of Zangilan is 44,413 people.
The structure of the Zangilan region includes the city of the same name, the village of Mindjivan and 83 villages. There were 14 medical institutions, 11 kindergartens, 62 secondary schools, 23 clubs, 8 culture houses, and 70 libraries in the region. Zangilan's economy relied on agriculture - viticulture, tobacco growing and livestock.
After the occupation, the Minjivan station of the Baku-Minjivan-Gafan railway line was completely destroyed. The 41-kilometer section of the Baku-Nakhchivan-Yerevan railway passing through Mekhri fell into blockade.