As a result of the 44-day Patriotic War, which was written in golden letters in the history of Azerbaijan, the occupation of Azerbaijani lands was brought to an end. Currently, under the direct leadership of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Ilham Aliyev, the process of revitalization of all territories liberated from occupation is being implemented.

The occupation of 20 percent of Azerbaijani territories for nearly 30 years has caused catastrophic consequences for our historical, material and cultural heritage in those areas. An analysis of the 26-year period following the declaration of a ceasefire in 1994 shows that the destruction of Azerbaijani monuments by Armenia was conducted on an even larger scale in the post-war period.

Armenia launched a full-scale war against Azerbaijan in late 1991 in order to realize its illegal and unfounded territorial claims, resulting in the occupation of a significant part of Azerbaijan’s territory, which was rich in natural resources and cultural heritage. As a result of the war, tens of thousands of people lost their lives, cities, towns and villages were destroyed, subjected to Armenian vandalism. More than 700,000 Azerbaijanis were subjected to ethnic cleansing in all occupied territories, and the region’s infrastructure was seriously damaged.

More than 700 historical monuments, 22 museums, including 100,000 museum exhibits, 927 libraries, 58 archaeological settlements, 26 fortresses and fortress walls, as well as other historical, material and cultural heritage monuments have been appropriated, destroyed and looted by Armenia.

The policy of deliberate destruction of this heritage as a result of the occupation inflicted an irreparable blow to both Azerbaijani culture and world civilization. By purposefully changing the cultural appearance of settlements, destroying monuments, changing architectural features, and conducting archaeological excavations in the occupied territories, Armenia aimed to eliminate signs indicating the Azerbaijani origin of these sites. 

However, in order to prevent Armenia’s aggression against Azerbaijan, the Azerbaijani Army launched a counteroffensive along the entire front on September 27, 2020, and began to liberate the territories occupied by Armenia during the First Karabakh War in the early 1990s. The 44-day war, known as the Patriotic War, ended with the victory of Azerbaijan, demonstrating the power of our army under the leadership of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Victorious Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev. Immediately after the liberation of Shusha, the cultural capital of Azerbaijan, by the Glorious Azerbaijani Army, Azerbaijan restored its territorial integrity as a result of the Trilateral Statement signed between Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Russia on November 10, 2020. Later, on September 19–20, 2023, as a result of decisive local anti-terrorist measures carried out by the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, state sovereignty over the internationally recognized territories of Azerbaijan was fully ensured.

The portal “Since the Victory”, prepared in four languages—Azerbaijani, Russian, English, and Spanish—presents the official chronicle of the revival process underway in our liberated territories.