Ganja, Azerbaijan: A Devastating Incident And Its Aftermath

Ganja, Azerbaijan's second-largest city, has been at the centre of several significant events in recent years. In 2020, during the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War, the city was the target of four separate ballistic missile attacks by Armenian military forces, resulting in civilian casualties and infrastructure destruction. This incident sparked widespread condemnation and retaliatory actions from Azerbaijan. Additionally, in 2018, an attempted assassination of Ganja's mayor, Elmar Valiyev, triggered a series of arrests, killings, and allegations of an Islamist plot, leading to ongoing controversial trials that have raised questions about the official narrative. Beyond these recent events, Ganja boasts a rich history as a cultural hub, playing a vital role in the Silk Road trade route and featuring notable architectural landmarks.

The 2020 Ganja missile attacks

Ganja, Azerbaijan's second-largest city, was hit by four separate ballistic missile attacks in October 2020, during the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War. The attacks were carried out by Armenian military forces and resulted in numerous civilian casualties and significant infrastructure damage.

The First Attack (4 October)

The initial attack on Ganja killed one civilian and injured over 30 others. Two residential buildings, including a multi-family home, were destroyed, and about 30 houses were damaged on Ali Nizami Street.

The Second Attack (8 October)

The second strike on the city occurred on 8 October, but no casualties were reported. However, several residential buildings and a school were damaged.

The Third Attack (11 October)

On 11 October, Armenian forces in Berd, Armenia, fired a Scud missile at Ganja, striking an apartment building and completely destroying it. This attack resulted in the deaths of at least seven people, including children, and injured 33 others. The explosion caused significant destruction, with 31 apartment buildings being wrecked and nearby structures and vehicles seriously damaged.

The Fourth Attack (17 October)

The final attack on Ganja happened in the early hours of 17 October, when Armenian forces fired Scud missiles at the city, resulting in powerful explosions. These missiles struck densely populated residential areas, levelling several rows of buildings. Local authorities reported that approximately 20 houses were destroyed, trapping many civilians under the rubble. As a result, 15 civilians lost their lives, including a 13-year-old Russian citizen, and 55 people were injured.

Aftermath

The attacks were strongly condemned by the international community, with the third and fourth attacks labelled as war crimes. Protests and rallies were held across the world, including in the United Kingdom, the United States, Georgia, and Russia, condemning the Armenian Armed Forces' actions.

In the aftermath of the attacks, Azerbaijan took preventative measures to eliminate the threat of similar missile strikes by targeting Armenian missile systems positioned near the border. Arrest warrants were also issued in 2023 for key figures in the Republic of Artsakh in connection with their roles in the attacks.

The Kirovabad Pogrom

On November 23, martial law was declared in Kirovabad, allowing troops to respond to the violence with rifle fire. On the same day, an attempt was made to carry out a pogrom against the building of the city's Executive Committee, resulting in clashes between an aggressive crowd and armed forces. Three soldiers and one Armenian were killed, with 67 people wounded.

The violence resulted in a significant number of fatalities, with human rights activists reporting that up to 130 Armenians were killed in Kirovabad alone. However, the Soviet authorities disputed these claims, confirming only seven deaths. Notable Soviet human rights activist Andrei Sakharov stated that he had received reports of more than 130 deaths and over 200 wounded, but later admitted in his memoirs that his statement was a mistake based on unreliable sources.

The 1139 earthquake

The earthquake was caused by the interaction between the Eurasian and Arabian Plates in a collision zone consisting of an accreted island arc, continental blocks, and sediments from the Mesozoic and Tertiary eras. The fault responsible for the earthquake, the Pambak-Sevan-Syunik Fault, is a 490-kilometer-long strike-slip fault that demonstrates right-lateral displacement for most of its length but left-lateral slip at its westernmost segment. The earthquake ruptured the Mrav segment of the fault at its eastern end, which is characterised by a series of north-dipping thrust faults.

The earthquake caused tremendous damage to the P'ar'isos and Xach'e'n districts of Syunik, devastating the city of Ganzak and leaving many residents buried under the ruins. It also destroyed numerous structures in the mountainous region, including monasteries, churches, castles, and villages. The strong shaking triggered massive landslides in the Caucasus Mountains region, with parts of Kapaz Mount collapsing and blocking the Kürəkçay River to form Lake Göygöl. Additionally, six other lakes were formed, including Maral-gol and Lake Ağgöl.

Following the earthquake, King Demetrius I of Georgia took advantage of the situation and looted the city, with troops stealing artifacts and prized items such as the Ancient Gates of Ganja, which are still kept in Georgia. Despite the devastation, the city was reconstructed by Qara Sonqor, the ruler of the Seljuk Empire, and it flourished once again.

The Russo-Persian War of 1804-1813

The Russo-Persian War of 1804–1813 was sparked by the Russian invasion and sacking of the city of Ganja in 1804, which was then the capital of the Ganja Khanate. Ganja was invaded by Russian forces led by General Pavel Tsitsianov, who also captured the citadel and killed its governor, Javad Khan Qajar. This marked the beginning of the fourth Russo-Persian War, also known as the Russo-Iranian War, which was fought over the disputed governance of territories in the Caucasus.

The war was a continuation of the struggle for supremacy in Transcaucasia, with both the Persian Empire and Imperial Russia aiming to consolidate their control over the region. The new Persian king, Fath Ali Shah Qajar, wanted to secure the northernmost reaches of his kingdom, which included modern-day Georgia, while Tsar Alexander I of Russia sought to incorporate the khanates of the eastern Caucasus into his empire. The war was also influenced by the diplomatic manoeuvring of European powers during the Napoleonic era, with France and Britain becoming involved.

During the war, the Russians generally held the strategic initiative but lacked the numbers to crush the Persian resistance. The Persians, on the other hand, had a numerical advantage but lacked the superior tactics and weapons of the Russians. The Russians were only able to commit a fraction of their total force in the Caucasus due to simultaneous wars with France, the Ottoman Empire, Sweden, and Great Britain. Despite this, the Russians were able to capture and subdue various territories and khanates surrounding Georgia, including the capture of Ganja in 1809.

The war ended in 1813 with the Treaty of Gulistan, which ceded the disputed territory of Georgia and other Iranian territories, including Dagestan and most of modern-day Azerbaijan, to Imperial Russia. The treaty also reduced the local khans to the status of vassals and gave Russia exclusive military rights on the Caspian Sea and trade rights within Persia.

The 2018 Ganja assassination attempt

On 15 September 2023, an assassination attempt was made on the life of former US President Donald Trump at his golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida. The suspect, 58-year-old Ryan Wesley Routh, was arrested and charged with firearms offences.

Routh was spotted by Secret Service agents sweeping the golf course. They saw the muzzle of a rifle—an SKS semi-automatic—sticking through the shrubbery. An agent immediately engaged with Routh, who fled without firing his weapon.

Routh was later arrested by police while driving northbound on the I-95 highway. He had an extensive criminal history dating back to the 1990s, including convictions for possession of a fully automatic machine gun and multiple counts of possession of stolen goods.

The incident came almost exactly two months after a separate shooting at a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on 13 July 2024. The perpetrator, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, killed one person and injured several others before being shot and killed by the Secret Service. Trump suffered a graze wound to the upper right ear.

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