Since the year 2000, the international mine clearance organization HALO Trust has disarmed more than 10,000 landmines in Nagorno-Karabakh left behind by both Armenian and Azeri fighters. The operation, which is funded by the USAID, the British government, and private donors, has cleared more than 55,000 acres, or 80 percent of the affected area.
Among the many construction projects that now seem to define downtown Baku, Azerbaijan’s capital city, it’s notable that one type of building, the mosque, isn’t faring so well. This EurasiaNet photo essay documents the impact of mosque closures in Baku.
Upon arrival at Baku’s Heydar Aliyev international airport most foreign visitors make their way to the city center along the modern Heydar Aliyev highway, a thoroughfare lined with newly constructed walls and finely manicured parks. The center of Baku itself now features glitzy buildings and stunning apartments surrounding the UNESCO-listed site of Baku’s walled old city.
