Ağdam is a ghost town in the southwest part of Azerbaijan and the capital of Agdam District, today controlled by the de facto Republic of Artsakh, but de jure internationally recognized territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Founded in the early 19th century, it grew considerably during the Soviet period and had 28,000 inhabitants by 1989. Armenian forces captured Agdam in July 1993 during the Nagorno-Karabakh War. The heavy fighting forced the entire population to flee eastwards. Upon seizing the city, Nagorno-Karabakh Republic forces destroyed much of the town to discourage Azerbaijanis from returning. More damage occurred in the following decades when locals looted the abandoned town for building materials. It is currently almost entirely ruined and uninhabited. According to the United Nations Security Council's resolution #853 that 'Demands the immediate cessation of all hostilities, calls on withdrawal of Armenian troops from Agdam and other recently occupied areas of the Azerbaijani Republic and reaffirms UN Resolution 822'. In November 2010 it was renamed by the NKR government to Akna. It is administratively part of the town of Askeran, which is located some 10 km away.
Etymology
The city's name is of Azerbaijani origin and means "white house", where ağ means "white" and dam is "house" or "attic", thus referring to a "bright sun-lit, white house" which was given by Panah Ali Khan of the Karabakh Khanate. Another possibility is that it was derived from ancient Turkic glossary meaning "small fortress". In the distant past, Turkic speaking tribes built small fortresses for their protection and safety.
History
Agdam was founded in the 18th century and granted city status in 1828. It is from Stepanakert. Before the Nagorno-Karabakh War, butter, wine and brandy, machine factories and a railway station functioned there.
Nagorno-Karabakh War
Agdam was the scene of fierce fighting during the Nagorno-Karabakh War. According to journalist Robert Parsons, Azerbaijani forces used Agdam as a base for attacks on Karabakh, launching BM-21 Grad rockets and bombing raids from there against civilians. As the city fell, almost its entire population fled eastward. The Armed Forces of Armenia still use the city as a buffer zone, meaning that Ağdam remains empty and decaying, and usually off-limits for sightseeing.
Post-war years
The ruined city once had a population of almost 40,000 people, but today it is an almost entirely uninhabited ghost town. All the houses are ruined, some by shells fired in the war, others due to looting for building materials. According to unverified Azeri sources one of the buildings to be stripped of materials is the Agdam Mosque, which has been converted into a barn for cattle and pigs. Its derelict condition, including a missing roof, drew criticism from Azerbaijani and Turkish communities, who wrote a letter in 2010 to Pope Benedict XVI asking him to warn Armenians about the situation.
Geography
Climate
Demographics
Economy
Culture
Music and media
music, a tradition in the Karabakh region, is an important part of Agdam's musical heritage; the city was home to Agdam Mugham School, which produced "Karabakh nightingales" ensemble.
