The liberated Karabakh region of Azerbaijan is rich in historical and religious monuments. The existence of Christianity and Islam in Karabakh since ancient times has greatly influenced the social life of human society. This was also reflected in the construction works carried out in Karabakh.
According to Modern.az, the ancient state of Caucasian Albania existed on the territory of the present-day Republic of Azerbaijan. Caucasian Albania, which emerged in the IV-III centuries BC, existed until the VIII century AD. Christianity spread in Caucasian Albania before Islam. As a province of Caucasian Albania, the Karabakh region was one of the areas where Christianity spread at that time.
During those periods, a number of Christian monuments were built in Karabakh. One such monument is the majestic Gandzasar temple located in the village of Vangli in Karabakh. Located on the left bank of the Khachinchay river, this temple is a 13th-century Albanian monastery. The Gandzasar temple was the religious center of the Caucasian Albanian Catholicosate until the 19th century.
According to the epigraphic inscription on the stone tablet on the wall of this monastery, the monument was built by the Albanian prince Hasan Jalal and his mother Khorisha Khatun between 1216 and 1238.
The Gandzasar temple stands out from other Albanian monuments with the perfection and complexity of its design. This complex consists of a church, a corridor, and a group of public service and residential rooms.
The monastery is surrounded by fortress walls with two gates on the south and west sides.
It should be noted that Vangli, where the Gandzasar temple is located, is one of the unique settlements of Karabakh.
The village of Vangli was also historically the center of the Khachin principality in Caucasian Albania. The Khanabert fortress, the residence of Hasan Jalal, one of the most prominent leaders of the Khachin principality, is also located in Vangli.
The Gandzasar monastery stands out from other Albanian monuments with the perfection and complexity of its design. The complex consists of a church, a corridor, and a group of public service and residential rooms. The monastery is surrounded by fortress walls with two gates on the south and west sides. The church here is cross-domed and square-shaped, built of neatly cut stones.
In the 8th century, the adoption of Islam in Caucasian Albania (Azerbaijan), including Karabakh, marked the beginning of a new stage. Although a large number of mosques were built in the region, Christian temples were also preserved.
The Gandzasar monastery, restored in 1985, was included in the “List of Cultural Monuments of World Importance” by the Azerbaijani government.
Unfortunately, the village of Vangli was under the occupation of the Armenian armed forces and Armenian separatists in Karabakh from 1993 to 2023. During that period, the architectural structure and interior of the monument were illegally subjected to changes by Armenians. Wall inscriptions were damaged, several stone inscriptions of the monument, as well as a large number of ornaments and symbols from the Caucasian Albania period, were completely erased, and the form of many of them was changed beyond recognition. The inner walls of the Gandzasar temple were “decorated” with inscriptions in Armenian. At the same time, the tombstone on the grave of Prince Hasan Jalal inside the complex was broken. The goal of the occupiers was to falsify history, appropriate this ancient monument, and present it to the world as an “Armenian church.” They have repeatedly attempted such presentations.
However, until the 19th century, no Armenian ethnic group lived in Karabakh. They were relocated to the region from Iran in the 19th century under the patronage of the Russian Empire.
It should be noted that the Gandzasar monastery was the most visited monument by foreign tourists who illegally came to Karabakh during the 30-year Armenian occupation.
Even in 2010, the famous Italian pop singer Albano Carrisi visited the village of Vangli without Azerbaijan's permission and toured the Gandzasar monastery complex.
Finally, the village of Vangli, which remained under Armenian occupation for many years, was liberated on September 20, 2023, as a result of anti-terrorist measures carried out by the Azerbaijani Army in Karabakh. Thus, the historical Gandzasar temple also gained freedom.
On November 7, 2023, the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, also visited the historical village of Vangli, where the famous Gandzasar monastery stands, and showed the whole world that the true owners of these lands are Azerbaijanis.
The village of Vangli is located in a high mountainous area. Its weather is cool and rainy in summer, and cold and snowy in winter. The surroundings of the village are covered with forests, so its air is clean and healthy. It is not excluded that this village, famous for its historical and religious monuments, will attract the attention of foreign tourists in the near future.
A. Gafarli
