Satellite evidence reveals systematic destruction of Armenian heritage in Azerbaijan

Researchers from Cornell University's Caucasus Heritage Watch have documented the near-total destruction of Armenian cultural heritage in Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic over three decades. Their interactive web platform, based on declassified US satellite images from the 1970s-80s, Soviet maps from the 1930s-90s, and recent satellite imagery, shows that 108 of 110 medieval and early modern Armenian monasteries, churches, and cemeteries disappeared between 1997 and 2011. The same pattern of cultural erasure is now occurring in the Karabakh region, which Armenia ceded to Azerbaijan after the 2020 war. In July 2022, the St Sargis church in Mokhrenes village was destroyed, indicating systematic continuation. Co-author Lori Khatchadourian states Azerbaijan conducts this destruction clandestinely as a 'state secret,' unlike ISIS or the Taliban who publicize such acts. Azerbaijan has invested in UNESCO branding as a 'land of tolerance' while pursuing heritage demolition. The research was funded by various Armenian emigre groups. This week, Armenia reported Azerbaijan attacked towns including Goris, Kapan, and Jermuk inside its main border, with dozens of soldiers killed in return fire. Historically multiethnic Nakhchivan, situated between Armenia, Turkey, and Iran, gradually excluded Armenians from the Soviet period onward.