ISTANBUL

President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan attended the opening of the newly restored Zangilan Mosque in the Karabakh region on Saturday. 

A new mosque is constructed adjacent to the historic 19th-century mosque, which was used as a stable during the Armenian occupation and lost up to 70% of its original structure.

The foundation for the new mosque was laid by Aliyev on April 26, 2021, following Zangilan's liberation from the occupation in the Second Karabakh War in 2020.

The mosque is reconstructed as part of efforts to revive historical, religious, and cultural sites in Karabakh.

An open-air exhibition at the site depicts the widespread vandalism inflicted on religious monuments in Karabakh and East Zangazur territories.

Aliyev also participated in several inauguration ceremonies and laid the foundation stone for the construction of internal roads, buildings, and communication networks in the liberated territories.