In 1978, the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh celebrated the 150th anniversary of their immigration to Azerbaijan by constructing a monument in the village Maragashen of Leninavan Mardakert – Agdara area. The village was named Maragashen because its first inhabitants were immigrants from Maragha, a village in Iran. The monument had a legend “150 years of the transfer”. (See Photo 1).
Photo 1. The monument with the legend “150 Years of the transfer” in Aghdara (Mardakert), 1978
This monument was destroyed by Armenians in 1988, during the initial period of the Karabakh war. Since Armenian nationalists claimed that Karabakh was their historical land, they had to remove all evidence demonstrating that the Armenians of Karabakh were in fact descendants of those who had immigrated to Karabakh over a hundred years ago. The monument was completely changed and the inscription referring to “150 years of the transfer” of Armenians to Karabakh was erased (see Photo 2).
This monument was destroyed by Armenians in 1988, during the initial period of the Karabakh war. Since Armenian nationalists claimed that Karabakh was their historical land, they had to remove all evidence demonstrating that the Armenians of Karabakh were in fact descendants of those who had immigrated to Karabakh over a hundred years ago. The monument was completely changed and the inscription referring to “150 years of the transfer” of Armenians to Karabakh was erased (see Photo 2).
Photo 2: The monument to the Armenian transfer in Aghdara (Mardakert) in 1987. The commemorative legend “150 Years of the transfer” is missing.
