AIT rector attends international conference
The UNEC Center for Multiculturalism and the Department for Coordination and Organization of UNEC Research Centers organized an international conference on "Azerbaijani Albanian Christian heritage - the Temple of Khudavang".
Agil Shirinov, Rector of Azerbaijan Institute of Theology, emphasized the relevance of the issue at the conference moderated by Rena Huseynova, Head of the department for coordination and organization of UNEC research centers, noting that the Khudavang Albanian temple in Kalbajar is the largest monastery complex in Azerbaijan. Noting that Azerbaijan is a multicultural nation, the rector said that the preservation of the Khudavang temple by our people for more than a thousand years is one of the obvious examples of this. A.Shirinov stressed that as a result of the liberation of our occupied lands, Khudavang Monastery has been returned to its true owners, adding that this temple will be visited as a distinguished monument not only in our country, but also in the whole world.
Professor Mahabbat Pashayeva, Head of the UNEC Center for Multiculturalism, noted that the monuments of Caucasian Albania are the historical and cultural heritage of the Azerbaijani people. She said that more than 2,000 of our historical monuments, including Albanian temples, were savagely destroyed by Armenians, and the rest were falsified and presented as Armenian churches. She stressed that thanks to the Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev and our glorious army, along with our native lands, our historical monuments were liberated from occupation during the 44-day war, emphasizing that the truth about Karabakh monuments and history will be conveyed to the world community. She expressed confidence that Karabakh, like other regions of Azerbaijan, will soon become a place of multicultural values.
Saliba Özmen, Metropolitan of Mardin-Diyarbakir in Turkey, spoke about the historical ties of the Albanian Church with the ancient Assyrian Church in Turkey, emphasizing that many Albanian churches, such as the Khudavang Monastery in Azerbaijan, are a great wealth for the development of religious tourism. Expressing eagerness to closely assist the restoration of Udi Albanian Church, the Metropolitan thanked Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev for protecting the Udi Albanian Christians and paying equal attention to many churches and mosques, including Khudavang Monastery.
Robert Mobili, Chairman of the Albanian-Udi Christian Religious Community in Azerbaijan, mentioned the rich cultural heritage of the Khudavang Temple, the pearl of Kalbajar and a special place for Udi, in the history of Azerbaijan. He said that today these temples under the protection of our state will be restored, and soon these Albanian temples will be open to the world for both pilgrimage and tourism.
Rafik Danakari, the preacher of Khudavang Monastery, said he was very proud of the return of the monastery to its true owners. He said that after many years of longing, he experienced the joy of praying in his native monastery.
Richard Danakari, Professor of History and Political Theory, Volgograd Civil Service Academy; Nazila Isgandarova, Professor of Emmanuel College, University of Toronto, Canada; Elkhan Mirhashimli, Chairman of the Azerbaijani House of Culture in the Netherlands and Lala Aydamirova, Press Secretary of the Azerbaijani House of Culture in the Netherlands, spoke about the activities in the direction of introducing it to the world.
The participants discussed to expand cooperation for the promotion of the heritage of Caucasian Albania in Canada and Europe and organize joint conferences with European universities. The importance of cooperation in educating both European and Azerbaijani youth about the heritage of Caucasian Albania was also discussed.
At the end of the discussion, Professor Mahabbat Pashayeva said that the proposals introduced by the conference participants will be evaluated.