ICESCO adds Azerbaijan's Shusha, Aghdam monuments to its Islamic World Heritage pre-list

The monuments of Azerbaijan's Shusha and Aghdam cities have been included in ICESCO's preliminary list of Islamic World Heritage Sites, Trend reports via the country’s Ministry of Culture.

According to the ministry, the 12th session of ICESCO’s Islamic World Heritage Committee held on October 8-9 in Shusha, which has been declared the "Cultural Capital of the Islamic World" for 2024, discussed various nominations submitted for the above list.

The discussions covered a proposal by the Ministry of Culture to include two nominations in the preliminary list - the Shusha Historical-Architectural Reserve and the Aghdam Complex of Imarat and Juma Mosque.

The event first featured a speech of expert Rizvan Bayramov, representing Azerbaijan on the Islamic World Heritage Committee, on the topic, followed by a presentation titled "Pearls of Aghdam" by Head of the Department for Cooperation with International Organizations at the Ministry of Culture, Araz Baghirli.

The participants were shown photos depicting the current state of iconic monuments such as the Imarat Complex, the Juma Mosque, the Aghdam State Drama Theater, the Bread Museum, and the Tea House.

The session highlighted that Azerbaijan’s experience in cultural heritage restoration serves as a unique model for post-conflict cultural heritage restoration worldwide.

After discussions, the committee members decided to include Azerbaijan's two nominations, the Shusha Historical-Architectural Reserve and the Aghdam Complex of Imarat and Juma Mosque, in the preliminary list of Islamic World Heritage Sites.

To note, the extraordinary session of the Islamic World Heritage Committee in 2019, held in Rabat, included Icherisheher (along with the Maiden Tower and Shirvanshahs’ Palace Complex), the historic center of Shaki (along with the Khan’s Palace), and the Gobustan rock carvings were added to ICESCO’s List of Islamic World Heritage Sites.