Under the leadership of leading researcher, PhD Mahira Abbasova, staff from the Department of History of Geographical Thought and Toponymy at the H. Aliyev Institute of Geography of the AR MSE conducted an expedition to the territory of Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur.
Toponyms are a national and spiritual treasure created by a people over centuries, and their transmission to future generations is a critical issue. The emergence and development of geographical names is closely linked to the dynamics of social development. Regional studies are of exceptional importance in the study of Azerbaijani and Turkic toponymy.
The researchers, set themselves the goal of uncovering changes that occurred during and after the occupation of our territories, as part of the research project "History of Exploration and Toponymy of the East Zangezur Economic Region," such as population distribution, the names of obsolete and newly emerging geographic features, restoration and construction work carried out, environmental conservation measures, etc.
The staff familiarized themselves with the industrial, agricultural, and transport infrastructure operating in the East Zangezur and Karabakh economic regions, met and exchanged views with representatives of relevant organizations, and collected various materials related to their research. According to the department head, the destruction of villages, towns, cities, and tangible cultural monuments during the occupation led to the devastation and annihilation of hundreds of settlements and countless geographical features.
The most valuable construction, improvement, and economic projects carried out in the lands liberated from occupation include the reconstruction of settlements, the expansion of various infrastructure zones, the permanent resettlement of refugees and displaced persons on their ancestral lands in connection with the "Great Return," and the creation of new settlements and large-scale production facilities. The reconstruction of the villages of Zabukh, Sus, and Beylik in the Lachin district, the construction of the Hakari Boulevard on the Hakari River, and the unification of Lachin Airport, the Lachin Hotel, and the villages of Birinji, Ikinji, and Uçyuncu Agaly in the Zangilan district, with their renaming as "Agylly village" (smart) as part of a pilot project, are welcome.
According to Mahira Abbasova, identifying the locations where atrocities against our people were committed at different times and in different places, perpetuating each place in history in accordance with the tragedy that occurred there, and conveying this information to future generations are among the most pressing and important tasks.
