The Karabakh Albanian Heritage: What Do Historical Facts Say? – An Important Statement by a Political Scientist

"In recent days, discussions surrounding the Albanian-Christian heritage in Karabakh have intensified once again. The reason is yet another attempt by Armenia to turn historical facts into an instrument of political manipulation."

This was stated in a commentary for BAKU.WS by Doctor of Philosophy in Political Sciences, political analyst Shabnam Hasanova.

According to the political analyst, when examining the centuries-old history of Karabakh step by step - from the Karabakh meliks to the letters mentioning individuals called successors of Albanian ruling dynasties - their content once again confirms: Karabakh is an ancient Azerbaijani land.

"Without any doubt, the changing realities in the region, the arrival of various peoples over the centuries had a serious impact on the history of the land and the fates of the peoples inhabiting it. For example, after the arrival of the Arabs, the name 'Albania' took the form 'Agvan.' There existed toponyms here indicating the presence of a number of tribes, including Turkic ones. However, no historical source has revealed any traces of these lands being called Hayastan. In other words, Armenian toponyms in this region have not been reflected. And toponyms are one of the most important elements confirming historical facts.

The name Artsakh first appears in the 'Avesta' - the sacred book of Zoroastrianism, and it refers specifically to an Albanian province. Armenian historian Joseph Orbeli in his research himself proves that numerous words of Turkic origin existed in Karabakh.

All of this is reminiscent of the current situation, where Armenia, on the one hand, recognizes the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan, and on the other hand, revives revanchist sentiments."

The political commentator added that this is the true face of Armenia - saying one thing while doing another, falsifying history, passing distorted facts on to future generations:

"The alphabet of Caucasian Albania, consisting of 52 letters, also speaks volumes. This alphabet itself was discovered on the territory of Azerbaijan, near Mingachevir. That is, the Albanians used neither the Armenian language nor its alphabet. Up until their incorporation into the Arab Caliphate, they used their own language and script.

Starting from the 8th century and up to the beginning of the 20th century, the written sources of the Albanians, a number of works of art and literary monuments were systematically and deliberately destroyed in order to erase historical traces.

During the period of coexistence of peoples, the Albanians themselves also assimilated with local Turkic tribes. Friendly and family ties were formed here. They stand among the ancestors of the modern Azerbaijani people.

Consequently, Azerbaijanis are the successors of the Albanian cultural heritage, and we preserve and protect this heritage. Under no circumstances will we allow this cultural heritage to be turned into an element of Armenia's false historical concept."

Shabnam Hasanova also noted that Caucasian Albania adopted Christianity at the state level:

"The Albanian Church itself is one of the oldest churches of the South Caucasus. This is our historical reality - here, from the standpoint of religious beliefs, there exists both a Christian history and a Christian past.

Up until the 19th century, the monasteries of Ganjasar, Agoghlan, and Khudaveng were the residences of Albanian patriarchs. If we turn to that period of history and trace how Albanian temples came under the jurisdiction of the Armenian Church, we will witness harsh administrative decisions. And here once again the hand of the Russian tsars can be traced. In 1815, by decree of Russian Emperor Alexander I, the position of the Albanian Patriarch-Catholicos was abolished. Then the Ganjasar Patriarchate was also liquidated.

Thus, deliberate attempts were made to classify the Caucasian Albanians as Armenians. The main goal was to ensure that the traces of the Albanians were erased from these historical lands.

The plan was that when turning to the pages of history, when trying to trace the path to earlier generations and religious beliefs, neither documents nor evidence would remain. Armenians deliberately destroyed the Albanian religious and cultural heritage in Karabakh. Forged inscriptions were placed on historical monuments.

In the Ganjasar Temple, inscriptions on the facade and exterior walls of the church were replaced. And the addition of colorful stone slabs is a separate tragicomic part of the story.

In September 2023, Armenian priests, forced to leave these places, took with them a considerable number of historical relics. In simple terms - they 'stole history.'

This is the peculiarity of Armenians, of Armenianness: the falsification of history, the passing of revanchism to future generations, the sabotaging of achieved peace agreements, as well as the current position of the Armenian authorities themselves - saying one thing while doing something completely different."

Ziya SAJJAD