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Dear viewers! We present you a description of the map of Azerbaijan before 1920, located in one of the sections of the museum in the Genocide Memorial Complex. On the map, the regions where genocides were committed by the Armenian Dashnaks in 1918 are labled with red marks.

Among the documents collected by the EIC, and a photograph taken by a member of the commission, Belarusian photographer Lev Dashkeevich, was a photograph of the Juma mosque in Shamakha, which dates back to the 8th century. Historical and cultural monument of the people of Azerbaijan, “Juma” mosque was recognized as one of the oldest Muslim temples not only in the South Caucasus, but also in the Middle East.
Mosque destroyed during earthquake in Shamakhi and which was rebuilt several times, was seriously damaged during the 1918 genocide in Shamakhi. So, during the March genocide in Baku, representatives of the Dashnaktsutyun party in Shamakhi, led by Stepan Lalayan, launched genocide against the peaceful Muslim population, during which Armenian Dashnaks burnt the Juma mosque together with 1800 civilians, including women , children and the elderly. Numerous rare manuscripts and books were destroyed during the fire. Traces of this fire committed by the Armenian Dashnaks can still be seen on some walls of the mosque.
In 2009, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev issued a decree on the overhaul of this important historical and architectural monument, and in 2013, after reconstruction, it was inaugurated. Today this historical place serves as a mosque.

On the ethnic map of the world there is only one Khinalig village and the only Khinalig language
that belongs to the Guba region of the European part of Azerbaijan. The Khinalig people are the oldest inhabitants of Azerbaijan, and the village of
Khinalig is one of the highest settlements in the world. Local residents consider the village of Khinalig a sacred place that protects them from all evils and evil forces. The inhabitants of Khinalig, with a population of about 400 houses and 3,000 people, still preserve their ancient way of life and traditions.
According to historical sources, the inhabitants of Khinalig were one of the ancient tribes of Caucasian Albania. Because of its
location, this ethnic group belongs to the Caucasian language group and is called “Shahdag peoples” in historical and ethnographic literature . In addition to the official Azerbaijani language, local residents communicate in the Khinalig language, which is unique in the world and which is spoken
and understood only by them. Khinalig language is included in the list of endangered languages ​​by UNESCO.
The population of the village of Khynalyg is mainly engaged in animal husbandry, cattle breeding, vegetable growing. At the same time, local residents are engaged in carpet,palas weaving, weaving patterned clothing, shawls, colored socks. In Khinalig was popular wool scarf. It was bought in the surrounding villages for the manufacture of
outerwear. Chukha, made from wool shawls, was once the national costume of rich people in villages. Other activities of the villagers are collecting
and drying medicinal herbs, which are widely used in medicine and in the kitchen.
According to historians, the village of Khinalig was built before
our era. The ancient Greek scholar Strabo in his 17-volume book “Geography” notes that in Caucasian Albania there are 26 Albanian tribes, each of
which speaks its own language. The people of Khinalig are probably one of the 26 tribes. In other words, the inhabitants of Khinalig are aborigines
who have lived in the Caucasus for thousands of years.
The 5000-year-old village of Khinalig, located at an altitude of 2300 meters above sea level,
is included in the list of world-famous historical monuments of UNESCO and resembles an open-air Museum in Azerbaijan. This village, called “Island
in the mountains”, is located 57 km from the district center. You can also see tourists from all over the world. The antiquity, history, architecture
and geographical structure of the village attract the attention of tourists, especially the unique way of life of the residents of khinalyg.
Currently, this village is part of the Khinalig state historical, architectural and ethnographic reserve, protected and promoted throughout the
world.

The social-historical museum, built in a new style, collects information about the changes that took place in the lives of the population before, during and after the genocide. Architect Vahid Kasimoglu did not use any decorations or ornaments as a sign of deep respect for the memory of the victims of the genocide. The appearance of the museum is in the form of two swords stuck to the ground. The fact that these swords came out from under the ground shows the impossibility of hiding history, and the sharp point indicates the violence that breaks hearts.
Apple trees, which have long been a symbol of Guba and a symbol of life, have been planted in the garden of the complex. 40 symbolic marble stones for 3 age groups were placed in the apple orchard. These symbolic tombstones were created as a sign of respect for the memory of women, youth, children and the elderly who were victims of the 1918 tragedy.

Dear viewers! We present you brief information about the national composition of the “Guba area” in the exposition of the museum.
The Guba district included the present-day Guba, Gusar, Shabran, Khachmaz, and Siyazan districts. The center of the area was the city of Guba. This territorial division existed in Tsarist Russia, the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, and the Azerbaijan SSR until 1929.
The 1916 statistical data “Tifliskiye Vedomosti” show the national composition of Guba district as follows:
Of the total 198,204 people of Quba area, 64.15% were Azerbaijanis and Tatars, 24.72% were Lezghins, Kyrgyz, Buduks, Czechs, Avars, etc., 7.58% were Jews and 2.71% were Russians. , 0.78% were others.
The section shows a map of Guba district compiled during the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic.On that map, the villages that were subjected to genocide in 1918 are marked with special red labels.167 villages were exposed to massacre. 38 villages were destroyed in Guba , 27 in Gusar, 65 in Khachmaz, 21 in Shabran and 16 in Siyaz