One of the biggest obstacles to the return of people to the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan is mines and unexploded ordinances, which range from small hand grenades to big rockets, reads the article “Inside the war-torn lands of Azerbaijan's 'Hiroshima'” published by Express, a British outlet, Report informs.
“By some estimates, there are at least 400,000 land mines that are scattered over the territory - the most heavily mined area being the former line of contact,” reads the article.
“The destruction and devastation is almost total, yet very little of it was inflicted by military means and warfare. The evidence speaks overwhelmingly of a calculated and deliberate attempt to eradicate any trace of the Azerbaijani people and their culture from these lands,” the author says after visiting Azerbaijan’s Aghdam district.
“The region was once famous for its silk and textile manufacturers who among other things produced Karabakh carpets, known for their vivid and flamboyant colours. It is also home to the Karabakh horse that is the national animal of Azerbaijan - one of which was presented as a gift to the late British monarch Queen Elizabeth II last May,”
The author noted that Azerbaijan regained its lost territories in late 2020. “Tensions between the two sides currently remain high, with no real prospect of a lasting peace deal in sight.”
The author notes that perhaps the most glaring and stark testimony to the overwhelming destruction wrought by the Armenians is the city of Aghdam, sometimes referred to as the "Hiroshima of the Caucasus".
Founded in the 18th century, the city was famous for its palaces made from white stone and boasted 58 homes belonging to the local nobility - many over two hundred years old.
“Aghdam was a dynamic trading centre and had a pre-war population of over 40,000 people - but today it has been reduced to a heap of rubble, resembling a city subjected to an unrelenting aerial campaign of carpet bombing. Only some walls of the former drama theatre, the post office and a central hotel remain standing,” reads the article.
The British journalist notes that the liberated territories will be restored like a "phoenix rises from the ashes", and Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev has made the reconstruction and repopulation of Karabakh a centrepiece of his political agenda and has ambitious plans:
“One of the most striking features of the regeneration programme is the commitment to renewable energy and zero CO2 emissions. Karabakh has a lot of green energy sources in the form of sun, wind and hydropower. Its renewable potential is estimated to be more than 10 gigawatts a year.”