As part of a visit to Guba, President Ilham Aliyev has reviewed the construction of a memorial and office building at the burial site of genocide victims in Guba.
It was indicated that the burial site of victims of genocide in Guba was discovered during excavation on 1 April 2007. In July 2007, employees of the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences launched a large-scale research project at the mass grave, which lasted until September 2008. The research revealed that the burial is associated with the genocide perpetrated by the Armenians against the local civilians in 1918. The mass grave covers an area of 514 square meters. Research was carried out on 494 square meters of the site, while the remaining area of 20 square meters was left intact for international research. As a result of research in the grave, remains of about 400 people were found. More than 50 of them belong to children, over 100 to women, while the rest to elderly men. It has also been established that along with the Azerbaijanis, also killed here were ethnic Lezghins, Jews, Tats and representatives of other ethnic groups living in Guba at the time.
It was mentioned that a genocide memorial is to be established at the site at the initiative of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation. The aim of the memorial is to inform the international community of the atrocities committed by the Armenians in Guba and perpetuate the memories of genocide victims.
It was noted that the Cabinet of Ministers has approved an “Action plan to perpetuate the memories of victims of mass murder in Guba” and envisages the construction of a memorial and landscaping work at the site. During a trip to Guba in 2009, the President visited the mass grave, gave instructions and recommendations and signed an order to establish a Genocide Memorial here. It is planned that the construction work, which began in November-December 2010, will be completed in August-September 2012. In order to protect the burial site from runoff waters, a 400-meter protective concrete dam has been built in the Gudyalchay riverbed and a terrace established. Three galleries will be built. The Genocide Memorial, consisting of two pyramidal complexes each 18 meters in length, will have a granite monument. In addition, there will be an office center here. Currently, according to the plan, the underground section of the building is under construction. Along with this, in parallel with laying the foundation which consists of cast-in-place reinforced concrete structures and wall work, insulation and priming work is under way.
