Azerbaijanis turn historical Armenian site into a barbecue restaurant

YEREVAN, November 12. /ARKA/. The Park of Royal Springs, a historical site near the town of Tigranakert in Nagorno-Karabakh (the town was built by the Armenian king Tigranes the Great (140 – 55 BC) also came under the control of Azerbaijan after 2020 autumn war in the Karabakh conflict zone.

According to Monumentwatch NGO, the site has been turned by Azerbaijanis into a barbecue restaurant.

The news was first announced by an Azerbaijani TV journalist Sadat Mamedova in a Youtube video posted on October 31.

"The video shows with special pride that the Park of Royal Springs has been turned into a barbecue area," the Monumentwatch said.

It says a concrete platform for barbecue cooking was built in the park next to the pool dug out by the Tigranakert archaeological expedition. One of the barbecue tools is located right on the edge of the pool.

Before the 44-day war the fortress, built near Tigranakert in the 18th century, hosted an archaeological museum, and the territory of the park was landscaped and served as a platform for cultural events.

“By turning the Park of Royal Springs into a barbecue area, Azerbaijan violates the history and integrity of the cultural heritage, as well as numerous international conventions, including the UNESCO Convention on the World Cultural and Natural Heritage. In addition, in accordance with Article 4 of the 1954 Convention On the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflicts and in accordance with paragraph "c" of Article 9 of the Second Protocol of 1999, any transformation of cultural heritage, as well as changing the way of its use, which aims to hide or destroy historical or scientific evidence is prohibited,” the Monumentwatch says.

According to it, Azerbaijan also violates the provisions of the 2001 Convention on the Protection of Cultural Diversity and the 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions, of which it is a member.

Action to change the function of cultural heritage also violates the provisions of the 2003 UNESCO Convention on the Protection of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, according to article 11 under which the states are obliged to respect the intangible values ​​of heritage, regardless of their origin and function.

Tigranakert, founded in the 1st century BC, is located near the Khachenaget River on a mountain near the village of Nor Maraga. The name of the fortress refers to the period of the reign of King Tigranes the Great), under whom Armenia became, for a short time, the strongest state east of Rome. -0-