ARMENIAN ACTS OF CULTURAL TERRORISM Cafer Kiyasi, Ibrahim Bozyel Aiikara, 1997 Thie Isittailiye BuiMiiig, which was bumied diowiiby the Armenians in March 1918, Baku Contents PREFACE ARMENIAN ACTS OF CULTURAL TERRORISM PRACTISED ON AZERBAIJANI- TURKISH CULTURE CULTURAL GENOCIDE, TURKISH PLACE-NAMES AND THEIR FUTURE LIST OF SITES IN WEST AZERBAIJAN (ARMENIA) WHOSE NAMES WERE CHANGED CULTURAL GENOCIDE CONTINUES BIBLIOGRAPHY Generated by Foxit PDF Creator© Foxit Software http://www.foxitsoftware.com For evaluation only. I^iaittahi Ciutia MJescidi, the aides mosque in Azeiiiaijaii.lt was diirneddjownhy the Arttieniatis ui 1918. PREFACE It is a fact that the most important factor which enables nations to last out, is their cultural identity. It goes down in history that a nation's failure to hold on to its cultural values tenaciously would lead to a total frustration. As pointed out by one writer, 'If we shoot bullets through our past, a cannonade by our future generations is next to come.' Therefore, in order to succeed in living up to standards of a dignified life, one has to protect, maintain, and transmit his cultural heritage, which in turn builds a bridge between the past and the future. Regrettably, even around the turn of the century, terrorism remains a grim fact. It is excruciating to witness innocent people falling victims to terrorism. However, what is more dangerous and utterly unpardonable is cultural terrorism. Fighting, plundering and arson have long been canonized as glorifying forms of action by some nations therefore it has been highly pertinent, in their view, to obliterate the cultural artifacts belonging to their adversaries which survived over centuries. Most probably, history will not excuse those nations that are committed to prove their dignity by destroying the cultural monuments of other civilizations. Dear readers, in its attempt to shed light on the question What is cultural terrorism?, this book constitutes a striking piece of document presented to the world public. You will be petrified to read about the cultural genocide exercised vigorously over Azerbaijani Turks by Armenian propagandists who unjustly misinform the world by spreading erroneous claims of ethnic Generated by Foxit PDF Creator© Foxit Software http://www.foxitsoftware.com For evaluation only. genocide -alleged mass killings of Armenians in Ottoman Turkey in 1915. It will raise a twinge of conscience to find out in this book that Armenian invaders who, with savage ferocity, eradicated the works of art embroidered with traditional and moral values could not abide even Turkish place names. One wonders how rational it is to merely feel sorry and have pangs of conscience for this. In that case, what should be done? We should explain the facts to the whole world, and especially to the international organizations that are supportive of the protection and maintenance of cultural monuments; and we should do so with full perseverance. We must and shall explain the undisputed facts despite those who present their lies to the whole world as the truth and who regrettably find thoroughly unjust and condoning supporters. I do not think we have any other options. None at all. This is a duty that should not be assigned exclusively to Azerbaijan. All the external institutions and organizations that believe in this rightful and honorable mission of Azerbaijani Turks' are also expected to garner support and contribute their best. The historic Azerbaijani mission is pivotal indeed. Even though we are a republic that proclaimed its independence not long ago, we have been in history for an in proportionately long time. Our voice goes back in time echoing around centuries. Sooner or later, we shall verify our rightful mission as well as our pride and dignity before the entire world. I do not have the slightest doubt about it. However, in order to achieve our ultimate goal, it is crucial to understand and explain this mission well, and set ourselves to work diligently on it. I hereby take the opportunity to wholeheartedly congratulate Cafer Qiyasi, author and architect of Azerbaijan, and Ibrahim Bozyel, author, lawyer and president of Igdir Azerbaijani-Turkish Cultural Association, on this wonderful and extremely valuable joint work. EDITORIAL The Old Mosque in Eiivan (19th centry) Absent today/ .»*, » Generated by Foxit PDF Creator© Foxit Software http://www.foxitsoftware.com For evaluation only. ARMENIAN ACTS OF CULTURAL TERRORISM PRACTISED ON AZERBAIJ ANI- TURKISH CULTURE The following verses by Husein Cavid, the great poet of Azerbaijan, who stood accused of having pan-Turkist inclinations and was sent to Siberia in exile, provide an impressive metaphorical description of societies undergoing structural deformation as well as the impasse endured by ambitious people and nations: Lames are practicing dancing. Cowards they are, only keen on boasting- if not arrogance! A weak and incompetent pretender aspiring to more than he is may become perilous for those in his realm at the earliest opportunity. Similarly, a relatively small nation having claims of power becomes a constant trouble to its neighbors. Even though they experienced such problematic instances, as was the case with Armenians, Azerbaijani Turks failed to learn from the disasters they were led into, and never took the due cautions to keep away from them. The inherent Armenian aggressiveness and cruelty of a malicious character stem from their history. Armenians have always lived under the hegemony of a superior power. That is, they long lacked an established tradition of political independence. Throughout their history, their social status had been that of a servant and this involved a slavish lifestyle dominated by successive masters. The Romans, Persians, Byzantines, Arabs, Ottoman Turks, Russians... Whenever a new master took over, Armenians rebelled against the former. As reported by the Russian scholar V.L. Velicko, Armenians systematically betrayed their own masters!!] (V.L. Velicko: Kavkaz, Baku, p. 75.). This perpetual sense of affinity with slavery prevailed over more human qualities -such as nobility and magnanimity, thereby allowing such negative qualities as appetite for power, jealousy, and hypocrisy to emerge. This small nation, which created the myth of Great Armenia and chronically failed to realize this ambitious aspiration, was struck down by delusions of grandeur, and trapped itself into an ecstasy of self destruction. Armenians voraciously adopted the material and spiritual heritage of the Near Eastern people. This was realized in order to base their claims of grandeur and immortality, which stemmed from their slavish dreams, on empirically acceptable principles. In addition, they wanted to disguise their professionally fabricated lies, and turn the history of Old Age to their own advantage. In the last century, Armenians and Armenian scholars called for a nation-wide maneuver to create historically and scholarly acceptable arguments explaining the motives behind the map of Great Armenia faked by Russian politicians. Armenian politicians, as well as the intellectual elite, chose terrorism, a clear indication of cowardliness, weakness and fear, as their medium of struggle. They embarked on a massive destruction of the Turkish historical and cultural heritage in the area plotted as Armenia on the imaginary map mentioned earlier. Since this particular land had long belonged to Azerbaijan throughout its entire history, such acts of terrorism were, in fact, directed to Azerbaijani-Turkish cultural heritage. Armenian attacks on Turkish cultural heritage have been carried out in several different ways: Cultural plagiarism: promoting other peoples' monuments as if they were Armenians', Armenianization: with some alterations confiscating the monuments of their neighbors, Armenian style cultural terrorism: destroying the monuments not recognized by the international public... Generated by Foxit PDF Creator© Foxit Software http://www.foxitsoftware.com For evaluation only. Serdar Palace (19th centiy) - Erivaii). Artist^ G. Gagarin, it Tvas pulled down by the Armemaiis between 1913-1918/ Ruins of a fortress in the vicinity of Sardarabad - 06/18/1925 Nansen Archive Generated by Foxit PDF Creator© Foxit Software http://www.foxitsoftware.com For evaluation only. Cultural plagiarism has manifested itself mostly in the field of musicology. A considerable number of folk songs and dancing tunes of Azerbaijan are introduced as Armenian even without bothering to change their names: San Gelin, Gogeri, Uzundere... In addition, selected yallis, Turkish folk dancing figures -such as Anadolu and Nahgivan, extend the repertoire of Armenian folk dancing. Contemporary Armenian composers, especially A. Hachaturyan, often borrow pieces of Azerbaijani folk music in their operas and ballets. They have never had hesitations in adopting mugams -musical modes- of Azerbaijan, either. As strikingly evident from their names, the musical instruments known to be Turkish in origin are also claimed to be Armenian: Ney, zurna, keman, tar... This situation resulted from the Armenian trend of plagiarism on the one hand, and the superior Turkish musical culture on the other. In the Middle Age, under the dominance of Turkish culture, Armenian music faded out through its own low standards of quality. There has been a considerable destruction on Turkish decorative craftsmanship, especially on rug weaving. Turkish rugs were pillaged from Azerbaijani villages that were under occupation, and displayed at Erivan Rug Museum as if they had been samples of Armenian craftsmanship. One wonders if Armenians pride themselves on these. The apparent disposition to change the Turkish names of tales, legends and bayatis -musical modes and rhythm- has been part of efforts to create an Armenian Folklore. The Armenian translation of our famous Koroglu Legend is now introduced as if it was the original version. Worst of all, this clear case of cultural plagiarism has never been withstood byAzerbaijanis. Architectural and archaeological monuments have always attracted more attention in the Armenian program of cultural terrorism since they are the best guarantee of the lands they were erected on. These lands of neighboring countries have always been the envy of the Armenians, who, in the name of realizing their myth of Great Armenia, habitually introduced the architectural monuments of their neighbors' as their own. At the beginning of the 20th century, V.L. Veligko wrote: 'Armenians ruthlessly wiped out the history of Georgia, in the archaeological sense. They scraped off the Georgian inscriptions on the monuments. They broke into the old churches of Orthodox, burgled and ransacked the Georgian churches.' [21 Armenians claim themselves to be the only inheritors of the Christian culture in the Caucasus. The Caucasus Albanian monuments symbolizing the Christian-Turkish civilization founded in Azerbaijan have been carefully researched by the Armenians as if they were their own, and the results have been published internationally. The purpose behind such propaganda is to bolster up their case and create an image of an Armenian society having a deep-rooted and enduring culture. Solid traditions of Christian-Turkish architecture have seemingly prevailed in Azerbaijan. The rich Christian architectural heritage remained within the territories of the Caucasus Albania comprises the essence of these traditions. Furthermore, in the 18th century, even when Islam reached its height, a great number of Mongolian landowners, who professed Christianity, had constructed countless number of churches and monasteries. Mongolians providing patronage for the Christian had built new churches in Maraga and Tebriz in 1272 and 1282 respectively. In addition, they built a large monastery in the north of Maraga between 1 294 and 1 301 . Their traditions allowed Mongolians to erect a church next to the sovereigns' pavilion in military camps. They also built churches and monasteries in Karabag, a favorable pastureland. In the ancient cemeteries of Karabag, the graves having tombstones with figures of Turkish-Mongolian horsemen are that of Generated by Foxit PDF Creator© Foxit Software http://www.foxitsoftware.com For evaluation only. Christian-Mongolian commanders'. Hulagu Han, the founder of the Mongolian Dynasty, had respect for the beliefs of his oldest wife Dokuz Hatun, a Christian from Kereit. Following her request, he built churches in every town on his land. [3] Dokuz Hatun used to be known to set up mobile churches wherever she took rest on her journeys. Among them the Gencesar Monastery is considered to be the most important one. It has the reputation of being the most harmonious Turkish-Christian monument in the entire Transcaucasus. The name Dokuz Hatun was inscribed on its manuscripts. Traits of Turkish tradition can be clearly observed on the architectural design of the church - its wealth of decoration came from Turkish style embellishments and Jesus was portrayed as having Turkic features. The church is introduced as an Armenian edifice in Armenia. The Armenian appetite could not be satisfied with the confiscation of only Christian architectural heritage standing in some parts of the Caucasus Albania (Azerbaijan). They also claim for Turkish built houses, caravanserais, bridges and fortresses comprising Muslim-Turkish monuments on the lands of West Azerbaijan, which is currently called Armenia. It is beyond empirical rationale and moral ethics to understand the attitude of the experts who have invested a gross effort in Armenianizing the Seljuk Mescid, built in the village of Kirne of Naxgivan, and Momine Xatun Turbesi, known as the pearl of Turkish architectural history. The forgery of Armenianizing the Turkish-Albanian monuments dates long back in history. More than occasionally, Albanian features on these monuments were either scratched or scraped off, and Armenian writings and architectural elements were clung therein. For these operations, special expedition teams as well as destructors were sent from Armenia, and thereby Christian-Turkish monuments on the lands of Azerbaijan were Armenianized in all. In seventies, I was told the following by a teacher in the area of Gedebey of Azerbaijan: There appeared an idle Armenian in the area with an axe in one hand and a bag on the shoulder Wherever he sees a stone, a rock or a wall, he would carve a crucifix with his chisel.' I told him, 'He was not an idle, but an ignorant destructor sent to Azerbaijan on duty. The real idles are the imprudent regional administrators and their local guards who let this insidious destruction take place unnoticed.' The communist leaders of Azerbaijan had simply ignored these acts of destruction for years. Above all, they cooperated with Armenians who propelled this cultural terrorism, and marketed both the lands and cultural heritage of Azerbaijan. Armenians holding top ranking government positions were not the only ones who espoused the virtual Armenian destruction in Azerbaijan. Among them, there were also leaders of workers and bureaucrats -having Armenian mothers, wives, or secretaries- who were sympathetic to the Armenian cause. This code of behavior encouraged the Idle Armenians with axes to travel freely around Karabag, Kelbecer, Gedebey, Kazax and Kubatli conducting operations of Armenianzation on Turkish-Christian monuments and giving an irreparable damage to our architectural heritage. In order to make more convincing their claims of Grandeur and Immortality, in the last century Armenians hired external researchers, most of whom were chosen among the Russians, and tried to reinforce their thesis with the help of the, so called, external authorities. Their efforts to immortalize their history -which does not even belong to them- through Azerbaijani monuments has become so absurd that they are no longer taken seriously even by the Armenian paid, the so called, 'scholars'. In a number of articles, S. Ayvazyan, an Armenian researcher, provided an insight into Armenian hieroglyphics used in the 1 9th century BC. It was so imprudent and ignorant of him to argue that all of the writing systems used in the world originated from this particular orthography. The Generated by Foxit PDF Creator© Foxit Software http://www.foxitsoftware.com For evaluation only. inscriptions on the rocks and stones found in Mesamor\Nere suggested by him as empirical evidence for this argument. [4] Paradoxically, orientalists proved that these were in fact tombstones from the 1 9th century that belonged to Azerbaijani Turks and that they had names carved on them such as, Ali Kasimxan, Muhammed Ali and Hasan, written in Kufi style of the Arabic script. Near these stones there was a village called Zeyve where Azerbaijani Turks used to live. The unknown Armenian researcher made a mistake that cost 38 centuries by reading the Arabic script incorrectly from left to right considering it was Armenian. With these fantastic lies and forgery, S. Ayvazyan left his dead ancestors' spirits to God's mercy. Hay-Armenian historians, who have been well experienced in providing inaccurate accounts of the truth, have fortified their work with these methods. A detail of vrall decoration of EiivaiiSerdar Palace (1928). Artist^ V. Moslikov The fact that Armenians did not have any particular medium of exchange, which is considered to be a designation of sovereignty, makes for verification for not having a state tradition. Armenian researchers conduct Armenian-style empirical explorations In order to bridge this gap. In 1967, B. Mikirdichyan, in a Czechoslovakian journal, published an article in English entitled Thel9th Century, BC, Hay-Coins. The inscriptions carved into these coins were read backwards again, and they were later proved to be the legacy of leniz Tribe (11 33-1 225). [5] 'Research on Armenian coins' is still being carried out. B. Piotrovsky, a paid scholar from St Petersburg and an admirer of the Armenian having an Armenian wife, encourages Armenians in one of his writings to avoid such ignorant Generated by Foxit PDF Creator© Foxit Software http://www.foxitsoftware.com For evaluation only. theories. Most of the time, the illusions of Armenian researchers, which are the products of an unbalanced psychology, lead their very supporters, also, into a difficult moral conflict. The most ruthless method that has paramount importance to the mission of Armenian cultural terrorism has been that of a savage annihilation of artistic monuments transmitted through centuries as our heritage. Armenians systematically tear down the architectural monuments that they dared to steal and forge, which include artistic works and cemeteries mostly belonging to the Islamic Period. In the last century, after the Russian invasion of the lands of Revan Dynasty, the common policy directed by the Russians and Armenians to form an Armenian region around Erivan headed for the expulsion of the Turks, the local people, and a total destruction of their artistic monuments. Erivan, one of the new towns of Azerbaijan, was constructed to be a solid fortress at the time of Ottoman-Safavid struggle. In his Book of Travels, Eviiya Celebi wrote: "...in 910 (1504 AD) Sari Ismail Safavid summoned Revan Kulu Han, his deputy, to build a fortress there. It was completed in seven years. Located in the South- eastofZengi River, the building constructed of brick and stone, is a beautiful one. It is a single storey building, though." [61 It is well known that the Revan Fortress, which was alternately taken over during the Ottoman-Safavid battles, was built with the order of Ferhat Pasa, the Ottoman army commander. [7] The town of Erivan reflecting the characteristics of Turkish architectural tradition consisted of the following districts: Kale, Shehir, Tepebasi, and Demirbulak. The Erivan Fortress had three gateways on its double line battlements: Tebriz, Sirvan and Korpu. As of 1864 the destruction began; the fortress, which looked like Baku's ceri Sheher, and which had been inhabited only by Muslims, was torn down, Muslim cemeteries were destroyed and the names of old districts were changed. There are no statistical data regarding the number of mosques in Erivan before the Russian invasion. At the beginning of the 20th century, there remained only eight mosques in the town which was exposed to a heavy practice of Armenianizing promoted by the Russians initiated in 1 828. [8] Among them, the oldest one was built with the order of Shah smail (1 501 -1 524). This beautiful mosque, which was frilly a treasure representing the period of Safavid- Turkish Dynasty, was burned down by Armenians in 1918 with Muslim Turks crammed into it. Cuma Mescidi was built in 1 606 with the order of Shah Abbas I (1 587-1 625) who took Erivan from the Ottomans in 1604. Erivan and Gence Cuma Mescidi, built in the same period by Sheykh Bahaeddin, the distinguished scholar and artist of the Orient, shared similar constructional designs. This monumental mosque, located in the east of Serdar Palace in Erivan Fortress, made an incredible architectural complex comprising a theological school, a library, a guest house and a vast courtyard surrounding all. In 1 918, when vigorous action took place, it was inspected by Isabey Azizov, Azerbaijani archaeologist in a half demolished position. This holy place was later knocked down by Armenians. In Erivan Fortress, there located Recep Pasha (1725) Mosque and Abbas Mirza (early 18th century) Mosque. After the Russians descended on Erivan, Recep Pasha Mosque was pulled down and in its place the Russian built Pravoslav Church was erected. Abbas Mirza Mosque was destroyed completely. Outside the fortress, in the area called §eker in Erivan, were Zaihan City Mosque, Novruzeli Xan Mosque, Huseyneli Xan Mosque (Goy Mescid), Xoca Cafer Bey Mosque and Mehemmed Sertibxan Mosque. The last three of these were demolished, and Zaixan Mosque, whose artistic design was totally corrupted, was converted into an art gallery after WW II. In today's Erivan, only Huseyneli Xan Mosque, also called Goy Mescid, survived as the sole witness of Turkish Islamic Period. Goy Mescid is a remarkable monument with its Generated by Foxit PDF Creator© Foxit Software http://www.foxitsoftware.com For evaluation only. large courtyard encompassing 71x47 m of land, ritual areas, domes, and a minaret decorated with blue gini, encaustic tiles. However, it is remembered by the elderly as an outstanding edifice with four minarets, three of which were demolished after WW II. Mosques of Erivan used to have large courtyards, in the middle of which was a fountain pool made of stone, surrounded by small cells. Erivan, which used to be a town of great minarets, has only one mosque today, Goy Mescid, with its name and architecture the last mark of the nation that created it. The most distinctive monument of Erivan about which the European travelers and painters had been most complimentary, was Serdar Palace -also called Han Palace. The complex of Serdar Palace looking over the Xan Vineyards on the opposite coast of Zengi Stream had vanished without trace. At the beginning of the 1 6th century, when the foundation of the town was laid, Turkish Shahs of the Safavids built the Han Palace complex certainly for their regents. However, until the mid 19th century, the palace was enlarged by outhouses several times. In addition, during the process of restoration and maintenance, a serious of alterations had been carried out. The palace complex was located in the inner castle of Erivan. As Chardin, a French traveler wrote in the 17th century, '... The Regent palace in the castle, stands at the edge of the steep cliff. This immense and beautiful building is especially impressive in summer' This building that Chardin wrote about was reported to be one of the palaces designed in hest-behi§t (Eight Heavens) style. Such buildings used to be built in the capitals and town centers of the Turkish Safavids (The Qinili K6§k in Istanbul is representative of this style). In the 18th century, Huseyneli Xan Xoylu had Memar Mirza Cafer rebuild the Erivan Place Complex. In 1 791 , his son Muhammed Xan had added on to the complex a hall with mirrors and a summer room called Yay mareti. In 1 793, it was Mahmud Xan, who had new buildings added on to the palace this time. According to H.F. Lince, an English traveler, Serdar Palace formed the essence of Erivan Fortress. Serdar Palace in Erivan had been the pride of the royal architecture used in the Safavid and Quajar Periods of Azerbaijan. The palace complex and a lot of outhouses having various functions were grouped around the yards. Fountain pools and flower gardens created a heavenly atmosphere in the courtyards of the palace. This charm was evoked even more strongly by the interior design of the palace. Embellishments on the walls and the wooden parts, battle and hunting scenes, portraits with various designs adorned interiors with a magnificent touch. The last samples of wall pictures and portraits in the Serdar Palace were painted in 1850 by Mirza Gadim Erivani (1 825-1 875), a distinguished 1 9th century Azerbaijani painter. Between 1913 and 1918, this architectural treasure was torn down as a result of Armenian-Russian cooperation. It is not difficult to visualize the outstanding architectural and aesthetic texture of the Serdar Palace of Erivan by looking over the plans, pictures and photographs from the last century, and the engravings made by travelers and artists. There used to be a great number of caravanserais (Serdar, ^eyhul Islam, Tagli, Sulu, Susuz, Haci All, Komurgu, Gurcu, Culfa, Haci llyas and so on) in Erivan designed and built under the influence of Islamic-Turkish architectural tradition. They offered prolific services to the benefit of Erivan's business arrangements. Those who were strongly motivated to destroy all the traces of Turkish-Islamic architectural tradition did not certainly leave out these samples of civil architecture. The bridges and houses in old Erivan that mirror characteristics of Turkish architecture are kept under careful artistic examination as if they were Armenian made. In not more than half a century, Islamic-Turkish monuments were confiscated by Armenians, which gradually made the old Turkish town Revan/Erivan into Armenian Yerevan. Generated by Foxit PDF Creator© Foxit Software http://www.foxitsoftware.com For evaluation only. Armenians systematically decimated all the Islamic monuments in West Azerbaijan (today's Armenia) as well as the architectural samples belonging to the periods of Akkoyunlu, Karakoyunlu, Safavid, and Qajar. The tombs found in the village of Caferabad (today's Aragvand) belonging to emirs from the region of Saadlu of Quhur Seed town were later destroyed completely.[91 The wholesale decimation of the Islamic-Turkish monuments by Armenians was substituted, with a cunning maneuver, by the so-called restorations, which in fact fostered the construction of churches with fake dates. The underlying intention was to document that they were the 'original' owners of these lands. Armenian acts of cultural terrorism are not confined to the lands of West Azerbaijan (today's occupied lands known as Armenia). At the beginning of the 20th century, during the period of Armenian-Muslim conflict, dozens of Turkish monuments were destroyed in violent conflagrations. In 1918, Armenian bandits deliberately set a number of buildings in Baku aflame. Among them were the building of smailiye Xeynyye Cemiyeti -a rare architectural sample, the 14th century Keykubat Mosque -one of the buildings of Shirvanshahlar Palace Complex, and Cuma Mescidi -one of the oldest mosques of Azerbaijan. In October of the same year, in collaboration with the Russians, they burned down the town of Urumiye in South Azerbaijan that was inhabited by Af§ar Turks. At that time, Armenians systematically exposed Turks to ethnic cleansing through such diabolic methods as burning people after being crammed into mosques. In other words, cultural genocide were simultaneously accompanied by ethnic genocide. In 1920, after the Russian Empire had become the Soviet Union, attacks against the Turkish civilization increased in number and became more systematic. The communist bureaucrats of Armenia and Armenians who promoted to the high ranking government positions in Azerbaijan differed greatly from the paid /ntemat/ona//st communist leaders of Azerbaijan. They exhaustively employed atrocious and subversive anti-Turk, anti-Islam policies. Ahmet Bey Ziverbeyov, the great artist and the first Chief Architect of Baku, committed suicide in 1 925 since he could not abide the oppressive attitude of the Armenians and Jews. In the letter he left behind, wrote: There is no place for us, Azerbaijanis, here as long as Rohlins and Baqdararovs are around.' In that period, the Azerbaijan's architectural monuments were fated to the Armenian rationale. In 1930s, the Russian colonies, allied with Armenians, orchestrated new policies to destroy religious monuments in Azerbaijan under cover of suppressing religious affiliation. This campaign was held in all parts of Azerbaijan and dozens of mosques and tombs were bashed up and wrecked. Armenians were the ones again to be held responsible for the appalling destruction of Bibiheybat Mescidi under the pretext of road construction. In different regions of Azerbaijan, especially in Baku, restoration of architectural monuments was taken in hand by the Armenian mafia, which destroyed the last surviving relics for decades. In the Armenian fashion, they scraped the ancient stone manuscripts, changed dates, corrupted artistic harmony, added some characteristics -mainly a crucifix- to Islamic monuments. These acts which were assisted by the Armenian craftsmen were carried on till 1990. Armenian experts who had no architectural, mechanical or cultural training grievously wounded the architectural tradition of Azerbaijan. Companies designing the projects of dams and hydroelectric plans to be built on the lands of Azerbaijan would assign, in principle, Armenians to the most important positions. The plan was to place the dams strategically enough to harm Azerbaijan both ecologically and culturally. For example, dams would be constructed in residential areas where historical and architectural monuments were located, deliberately allowing our cultural heritage to perish. It was for this reason that projects of hydro-technical constructions (Xudaferin Dam, Qiz Qalasi Dam, and Tovuz Dam) caused public indignation. Policy toward a large-scale cultural genocide through decimation of villages, towns and Turkish-Islamic Generated by Foxit PDF Creator© Foxit Software http://www.foxitsoftware.com For evaluation only. monuments, and the uprooting of their population through ethnic cleansing -which, in turn, would transform Armenia into a mono-national homogeneous republic- had been in conformity with the search for territorial expansion of Armenia created by the Russians on the land of immortal Azerbaijan. Armenians who had lost their spirits because of their synthetic ideal of Great Armenia, which had no historical grounds at all, strove to realise this sickening ideal with the backing of more powerful nations. However, they only managed to create a blind and savage abhorrence toward Islam and Islamic civilization. In order to achieve their ultimate goal, the inhumane Armenian government, which lacked all the spiritual and ethical norms, encouraged terrorism and onslaughts against the Islamic tradition and Azerbaijani nation for years. The Armenian hostility toward Turkish culture became rampant after 1 988. The International 10-Year Program of Cultural Improvement \Nh\ch was agreed to be implemented by UN's General Committee between 1988 and 1997 failed to protect cultural assets -if not eased and maximized the pretexts for Armenian transgression. As of April 1 993 when the Armenian attacks accelerated, the town of Nagorno-Karabakh belonging to the Republic of Azerbaijan and all the historical and cultural assets in the areas neighboring Armenian border were gunned down, and towns and villages were destroyed. Mosques were plundered and burned down. During the Baku events, a church in the town was set aflame; the actors of the arson were later found to be Armenian. They confessed that they accused Azerbaijani Turks of burning the church to humiliate Azerbaijan before the world public. With God's blessing, though, Azerbaijani Turks freed themselves of the guilt of burning a holy place. In 1992, when Xocali Massacre took place, the so called Xocali Civilization, comprising the monuments belonging to the Bronze Age and Iron Age, castles, and cemeteries, was severely damaged during the attacks organized by the Russian-Armenian collaboration. In May 1992, Shusha, the pride of the Middle Age architecture and urban planning, was invaded and torn down with the cooperation of the Russian Army and internationalist terrorist groups. Shusha was one of the four cities to be preserved for its authentic characteristics of Azerbaijani-Turkish architecture and urban planning. Therefore, they have applied to UNESCO in order for it to be enlisted among international traditional towns for owning such remarkable architectural treasures. It is a sorry fate that such a rare cultural and natural heritage fell to Armenian chauvinists. Only recently, a specially trained Armenian military team was sent out to deliberately destroy Lagin Turbesi, Zengilan Turbesi, Kelbecer Mabedleri and other architectural monuments in Agdam and territorial boundaries. This bashful savage continues even today. So far, no one has ever remembered to arrange heavy campaigns to redeem the samples of Azerbaijani urban planning and architectural tradition, and to encourage international organizations to take concrete action against Armenian vandalism. CULTURAL GENOCIDE, TURKISH PLACE-NAMES AND THEIR FUTURE [101 A careful exploration of the lands and place-names is necessary in order to understand the history, culture and language of a dynasty. When tracing back the roots of a nation, history of the language and all the proper names play a particularly important role. Names of every surface feature -stream, lake, mountain, regions- bring to light a millennium of the nation's history. In short, proper names comprise the book of a nation's past and future. The more you read the book, the more you can find out sound information about the present and the past. Hydronims, oronims, etnonims and urbanonims that reflect the very identity of peoples are created and preserved in their mother tongue. Historical sources make it evident that districts, such as, Goyce, Zengezur, Vedi, Erivan, and so on, have been the ancestral and eternal lands of Azerbaijan. A thorough examination of the geographical names of these lands will reveal once again that they are the habitat of the Turks. Turkish place-names of West Azerbaijan, today's Armenia, have not yet been investigated. It is a historical fact that until the beginning of the 19th century, most of the place-names in Armenia were of Turkish origin. In his Population of Soviet Armenia, published in 1932, Z. Korkodyan reports that in the 19th and early 20th centuries, about 2000 cites of the total 231 were of Turkish origin. After the annexation of Azerbaijan by Russia following 1828 Turkmencay Agreement, some of the Armenians emigrated from Turkey and Iran were allocated in the Turkish villages in West Azerbaijan under provocations by the Russian Empire. At approximately the same time, Azerbaijani Turks were expelled from their ancestral lands. Their historical monuments were destroyed, and place-names were changed. The existing Armenian name changing policy was added a new parameter after the revolution. Names of hundreds of villages were changed into artificially produced Armenian ones by official decrees. This officially approved operation of name changing was enacted in 1935, and the Azerbaijani Turks were expelled from their lands. Villages were partially banned from being resided and they were ruined. These evacuated villages used Generated by Foxit PDF Creator© Foxit Software http://www.foxitsoftware.com For evaluation only. to be the sites having marks of deep-rooted Turkish history. They display important solid evidence suggesting the evil aspirations of the Armenians. Here are some examples: In the region ofZengibasan Hesen Aga, Qaracalar, Ozanlar, Tercan and so forth, In the region ofQernibasar: Mesimli, Bayrameli Qi§lagi, mamverdi Qalasi and so forth In the region ofVedibasar: Saray, §orsu, Hesen Qala, Gunluk, Qizilveren, Qazangi and so forth, In the region ofTalin: Narinhanli, Sutokulen, Qigekli, Qaltepe, Goyergin and so forth. In the region ofSerdarabad: tgoy, Qegili and so forth. In the region ofAbaran: Tezharab, §abanli, Emirii, Bitii, Porsuqiu, Eyribulaq and so forth. In the region ofDeregigel<: Elipapak, Qonaqgormez, E§§ek Quduran, Qoban Golu, Zeynalaga and so forth. In the region ofGoyce: Bugdatepe, Ugtepe, Agrica, Allahverdi Bey, Agsaq Tauz and so forth. In the region ofDereleyez: Kelyatagi, Boyadere, Bogacik, Quiu Bagi and so forth, have been the victims of cultural genocide. The names of Turkish tribes that let the racial heredity of Azerbaijani people simmer over centuries are reflected in place-names in West Azerbaijan (today's Armenia). This is, in a big way, a reconfirmation of the fact that Azerbaijanis are the everlasting inhabitants of this land. For example, Ayrim (Noyenberyan), Polad Ayrim ( cevan), Qacagan (Spitak), Qecalan (Afan), Ay§ar (Vedi), Qarli (Vardenis), Qipgaq (Artik) and so on, clearly verify what has just been mentioned. In Armenia, a former Turkish land, a linguistic genocide against Turks was in effect first. Geographical names having a long history were changed systematically. This evil aim was reached in different ways: 1. Some geographical names of Azerbaijani origin were translated word for word into Armenian: Agbulaq: Lusahpyur (Spitak Region, April 26, 1946), AInnali: Hndzorut (Ezizbeyov Region, November, 1946), Qarada^: Sevkar ( cevan Region), Qara Qala: Sevaberd (Abovyan Region, June 21, 1948), Da§ Qala: Karaberd (Ani Region, February 3, 1947) and so forth. 2. In order to look sympathetic to the Armenian friends, some of the historical- geographical names of Turkish origin were given new names in Azerbaijani Turkish non-arbitrarily under the pretext that they were the legacy from the Old Period: Aysesi: Qizilgul (Yegeknazdor Region, September 10, 1946), Bdyul