The Swedish TV channel Kunskapskanalen has produced a film about Aghdam, an Azerbaijani city that was destroyed during the Armenian occupation following the First Karabakh War, Report informs.
The film begins by depicting Aghdam, which was once a modern and progressive cultural center of the region, but quickly turned into a “gunpowder keg” and became a ghost town.
“In Azerbaijan, in the shadow of the Caucasus Mountains, there is a ghost town with a dark past. Among the green trees are the ruins of hundreds of destroyed buildings. It’s an eerie sight that resembles a scene from a disaster movie. The roads and streets are empty, there are no people anywhere,” describes the voiceover in the film.
Chemical engineer Jaega Wise, author and historian Dominic Selwood, and author and journalist Jim Maids narrate the story of a mosque built in 1870, which survived several armed conflicts unscathed and was used by Armenian soldiers as a watchtower to direct artillery fire.
The film also addresses the significant landmine problem that hinders the full recovery of life in the region.
“Today, due to the danger of landmines, it is possible to move only on the main roads. If you want to change the route, the sapper group must check the area first. Hundreds of thousands of landmines were once buried in this region,” the film states.
Towards the end, the film discusses the revival of the city, the Master Plan of which was approved in May 2021. It is noted that 100,000 residents will live in the city, and the Aghdam football club, which has become a symbol of hope for the city’s return to life, will play there again.
“Almost nothing is left of Aghdam, but one amazing thing has survived this carnage and given hope for its future - this is the city’s football team. The fact that the club still exists gives hope that the city will come back to life again,” the film concludes.