History

From a provincial town on the Karabakh plain to a cultural centre known across the Caucasus.

Once

A city on the Karabakh plain

Aghdam grew on a fertile plain at the eastern foot of the Karabakh range, at the crossing of trade routes. Its name is often translated as “white roof”, after the pale stone of local buildings. By the 19th century it was already a notable settlement, and in Soviet times a major district centre.

The city lived on agriculture and industry: it had wine and cannery plants, and a railway ran through Aghdam. But its fame came not from factories but from culture — theatre, music and unique museums.

Timeline

A century and a half of life

19th c.

Aghdam grows as a trading and artisan town of Karabakh, the centre of a district.

1868–1870

The Juma Mosque with its two minarets is built — the work of the outstanding Karabakh architect Karbalayi Safikhan Karabakhi.

20th c.

In the Soviet era the city develops rapidly: factories, a railway, schools, a drama theatre and a famous racecourse.

1983

The Bread Museum opens — one of only a few such museums in the world, the pride of Aghdam.

late 1980s

The city’s population is around 28,000; together with the district, over a hundred and fifty thousand.

1991–1993

The First Karabakh War begins. The city’s peaceful life comes to an end.

Bread Museum

Pride of the city

Theatre, museums and horses

Aghdam’s Bread Museum, opened in 1983 in an old mill, told the story of grain and bread from antiquity to the present day. There are only a handful of such museums in the world.

The city had a state drama theatre, and at its racecourse Karabakh horses were bred — an ancient breed that became a symbol of the region. All of this made Aghdam the cultural capital of Karabakh.

Heritage of Aghdam →

“Aghdam was a city where music played in the evenings and the morning smelled of fresh bread.”From residents’ memories