Today, the next edition of the “Life Story” program by journalist Asgar Ibrahimov was prepared on Baku TV as part of the Chronicle of Western Azerbaijan project.
The program “We gave 216 martyrs in Zangibasar before the conflict began” is dedicated to the life story of Mirfaig Mirheydarli, a resident of the village of Demirchi in the Zangibasar district of the same name.
He recalled his childhood years in the village, the beautiful city of Yerevan, Mount Ağrı, the atrocities committed by Armenians against Azerbaijanis, the last deportation in 1988, the bitter memories of forced migration from his homeland: “You could see Mount Ağrı from our village. Therefore, Mount Ağrı was a symbol for us. The Zangi River flowed from the left side of our village and there were canals around the Zangi River.
According to him, the Zangibasar region has been the epicenter of Armenian aggression throughout history: “Armenian armed groups committed mass massacres in 1905, 1915, 1918, 1920. Our people were repeatedly displaced from their homeland. My grandmothers used to say that during the Soviet era, only 30 percent of the refugee population survived. It was unthinkable that Azerbaijanis would take first place in competitions. Finally, the situation became more tense when the events in Karabakh began. Even before the start of the war, 216 of our compatriots in Western Azerbaijan fell victim to Armenian aggression.”
Mr. Mirheydarli also mentions the tragedies that Azerbaijanis living in Western Azerbaijan suffered: “the events of 1915-1916, 1918-1920, 1929-1932, 1937-1938, 1941-1945, 1948-1953, and finally the deportation that we witnessed in 1988, we can write the word “bloody” in front of all of them. As one of the 300,000 Azerbaijanis in the last deportation in 1988, our family was forcibly expelled by the Armenians and we settled in the city of Baku.
A resident of the village of Demirchi believes that thousands of Azerbaijanis like him will return to their homeland despite all the difficulties: “We are sure that we will return to our homeland. We do not lose hope of returning to our homeland. Despite all these misfortunes and sorrows, we keep alive in our hearts the love for the homeland and the desire to return to our homeland. We are thinking of returning because that land is our ancestral home. We are realizing the concept of return.”
It should be recalled that the aim of the Chronicle of Western Azerbaijan project is to preserve and popularize the name of our historical and ancient lands, as well as the deportation of Azerbaijanis by Armenians, toponyms that existed in those territories, but their names have been erased, countless examples of underground and surface material culture are revealed: ancient settlements, necropolises, mounds, remains of castles, palaces and fortifications, caravansaries, bridges, burial chests, tombstones, statues of horses and rams, temples, churches, mosques, pyres and hearths, and facts confirming that the area is a pure Oghuz-Turk settlement are brought to the attention of the world community.
Also the president Ilham Aliyev Regarding West Azerbaijan, he said: “The map of the beginning of the 20th century once again shows that West Azerbaijan is the historical land of Azerbaijan, the names of cities and villages are of Azerbaijani origin, and we know very well that Azerbaijani people have lived on the territory of present-day Armenia throughout history. Now the main task is to “make this known to the world community”, it is the promotion of the duties arising from the Concept of Return developed by the West Azerbaijani Community according to its opinion.
It also aims to enlighten the thoughts of historians and researchers about West Azerbaijan and the life stories of people who were deported.
In the detailed plot:
Resident of Demirchi village: “Zangibasar West was the epicentre of the bloodiest years in Azerbaijan”
