President Aliyev lights Novruz bonfire as life returns to Garabagh |
In the rolling landscapes of Garabagh and East Zangazur, reconstruction is no longer an abstract promise. Now, we can proudly say that it is a lived reality. Across once-devastated districts, from Aghdam to Fuzuli, from Zangilan to Khojavend, new roads cut through valleys that were, until recently, scarred by war. Thanks to almighty Allah and the bravery of the martyred soldiers, and due to the visionary leadership of President Ilham Aliyev, rows of newly built houses now stand where ruins once defined the horizon. Electricity, gas, and fibre-optic networks have been restored or laid anew, while schools, medical points, and public facilities are gradually returning to service.
This is the architecture of Azerbaijan’s “Great Return”, which is a state-led project that blends infrastructure, demography, and political messaging into a single national narrative. The numbers alone are striking: tens of thousands have already resettled, with entire communities re-emerging after decades of displacement. However, beyond the statistics, what is unfolding is something more symbolic: the deliberate reconstruction of belonging.
Nowhere is this more visible than in Khanoba village in the Khojavend district. Once reduced to a fragment of its former self, the village is now undergoing a careful, phased revival. Of its 153 homes, dozens have already been restored, with more nearing completion. The return of the first 25 families........