There is a rich historical and cultural heritage of Azerbaijan in the territory of present-day Armenia. Unfortunately, although many of them have been destroyed by radical Armenians in the last 30 years, traces of our existence in our historical lands have not been completely erased. Today, in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, the only mosque in the country, the Blue Mosque, is operational. Despite attempts to present our historical heritage as part of Iranian culture, many of our historical and religious monuments are inactive today. It should be noted that today, within the framework of the normalization process between the two countries, proposals are being voiced for the restoration of our historical and religious monuments and their transfer to the jurisdiction of the Caucasus Muslims Office, as was the case in the past.
In a statement to **Modern.az**, **Fazil Mustafa**, Chairman of the Milli Majlis Committee on Public Associations and Religious Organizations, stated that Armenia should restore the mosques in its territory:
“Yes, if they restore the mosques, there will be no Muslims praying inside them. But they should preserve them as historical monuments. We can demand this. We have restored and preserved the Armenian church. Even if there are no Armenians praying, it remains a monument. If Armenia makes a humanitarian gesture and restores those mosques, that is another matter. They should show the same attitude towards mosques as we have shown towards the Armenian church. The issue in interstate relations should be regulated in such a way that it can be seen as a certain mutual goodwill step for the establishment of future relations.”
However, **Jeyhun Mammadov**, a member of the Milli Majlis Committee on Public Associations and Religious Organizations, stated that historically, more than 300 Azerbaijani mosques existed in the territory of Armenia:
“Unfortunately, a large part of those mosques has been destroyed, and the remains of some are still present. As an example, we can mention the Sardar Mosque in Yerevan. Or today there are many other mosques like Tepebashi that are historical Azerbaijani mosques. At the same time, we have numerous mosques in Zangazur and other territories of Western Azerbaijan. As we mentioned, the absolute majority of these mosques have been barbarically destroyed by Armenians.”
The MP noted that historically, mosques, houses of worship, and Muslims in general in the territory of Armenia were subordinate to the Caucasus Muslims Office:
“Today, one of the Azerbaijani mosques in Armenia is the Blue Mosque. However, unfortunately, it is presented as a Persian mosque. In this sense, we believe that other mosques in the territory of Armenia should also be restored over time. That is, unlike Armenia, today we protect mosques, churches, and places of worship in Baku, and they have not been destroyed. And I believe that against the backdrop of normalizing relations, the restoration of mosques should also begin. The administration of these mosques, and religious places of worship in general, should be handed over to the Azerbaijani side. The Caucasus Muslims Office has also appointed its representative for Western Azerbaijan. I believe this is also a correct decision. And the Armenian side should take into account this approach and opinion of the Azerbaijani side and take steps for this process to be implemented.”
