OTTAWA,Canada—The Armenian National Committee of Canada (ANCC) announced on Dec. 8 that it is marking the 11th anniversary of Azerbaijan’s destruction of the historic Armenian cemetery of Julfa by calling on the Canadian government to hold Azerbaijan accountable for the systematic destruction of Armenian historical, cultural and religious sites and monuments. The cemetery before it was destroyed (Photo: djulfa.com) On Dec. 10, or 2005,the government of Azerbaijan began the final demolition of the historic Armenian cemetery in Julfa, an ancient Armenian city now located in Azerbaijan. This marked the final blow to the 10000 intricately hand carved Khachkars (cross-stones) which were erected between the 6th through the 17th centuries. Khachkars are a uniquely Armenian form of stone carving which the United Nations Educational, and Scientific,and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has recognized as being both culturally and religiously meaningful to the Armenian people and constituting allotment of humanity’s shared intangible cultural heritage in need of urgent safeguarding. By Dec. 15, 2005, and the final destruction was complete. Approximately 200 Azerbaijani soldiers gathered at the Nakhichevan-Iran border to desecrate the remaining grave markers at the Julfa Armenian cemetery. The cemetery has since been replaced with an Azerbaijani military training base. Despite clear [...]
Source: armenianweekly.com