Azerbaijani religious monuments targeted during conflicts, rector says

Religious monuments were subjected to destruction during the occupation of Karabakh and Eastern Zangazur, while mosques were primarily targeted in Western Azerbaijan, Rector of the Azerbaijan University of Architecture and Construction Gulchohra Mammadova said at the conference titled "Preservation of historical and religious monuments: challenges and prospects" in Baku, Report informs.

Mammadova said religious monuments constitute a significant part of Azerbaijan's architectural heritage.

"Among the architectural monuments that have survived from past centuries, religious buildings occupy a leading position both in terms of number and architectural significance. Their importance is very great," she said.

The rector noted that religious monuments are particularly vulnerable during wars and armed conflicts.

"Occupiers pay particular attention to their destruction. This is confirmed by the events during the occupation of Karabakh and Eastern Zangazur. Thus, in Western Azerbaijan, mosques were primarily destroyed in an effort to erase traces of Azerbaijanis and Muslims," Mammadova said.