On April 18, the State Service for Protection, Development, and Restoration of Cultural Heritage under the Ministry for Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the ICOMOS Azerbaijan National Committee hosted a forum commemorating the International Day of Monuments and Historic Sites at the International Mugam Center.
Azad Jafarli, Chief of the Civil Service spoke at the event about the significance of commemorating the International Day of Monuments and Historic Sites. He stated that this important day, which aims to draw people’s attention to the preservation of monuments and historical sites, is widely observed in our country every year.
He noted that three historical examples of cultural heritage created by the Azerbaijani people for centuries – Icheri Shahar, Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape, and Sheki Khan Palace, as well as the Shirvanshahs Palace and Maiden Tower-Sheki’s historical center-are now on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
He emphasized that, under the leadership of President Ilham Aliyev and First Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva, significant progress has been made in preserving, studying, and passing on our national cultural heritage to future generations, as well as restoring historical monuments in liberated territories.
Azad Jafarli stated that the issues raised at today’s event, as well as the exchange of views on them, will highlight key points for each of us: “I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Mrs. Zeynab Gul Unala, Vice President of ICOMOS, for her participation.” We went to Agdam yesterday and saw the ruins of the occupation while also witnessing a new reality, the construction of our state.
ICOMOS Vice President Zeynab Gul Unal provided detailed information about the organization’s activities. He stated that ICOMOS—the International Council on Monuments and Historic Sites—is an organization that works in the fields of cultural heritage protection and historical monument restoration and is a UNESCO consultative body on material and cultural heritage. ICOMOS is the world’s only non-governmental organization dedicated to promoting the use of theoretical, methodological, and scientific methods for the preservation of architectural and archaeological heritage. ICOMOS, according to Zeynab Gul Unal, is a large international network of architects, historians, archeologists, art historians, geographers, anthropologists, engineers, and urban planners. He congratulated Azerbaijan on the establishment of the ICOMOS National Committee in Azerbaijan and wished the organization success. In addition, Zeynab Gul Unal also emphasized the significance of UNESCO’s establishment of the International Day of Monuments and Historic Sites in 1983, at the suggestion of ICOMOS, in terms of cultural heritage protection.
Elbay Gasimzadeh, Chairman of the Azerbaijan Union of Architects, drew attention to the international promotion of our country’s historical and cultural monuments. He noted that great work is being done in our country to study, protect, and restore historical monuments, as well as promote cultural heritage in the international arena, thanks to President Ilham Aliyev’s great attention and care. All of this ensures Azerbaijan’s integration into the global world, along with its material and spiritual culture. He emphasized the significance of mitigating the various natural effects of cultural heritage.
