Cemetery
Location: Qayali, Qubadli
Condition Assessment
Status: Minor damage
Located near the village of Qayali (Qubadli district), in the Yazy-Duzu plain, this cemetery is listed on the Republic of Azerbaijan's registry of heritage sites (inventory No. 1454) as an archeological monument dating to the 14 th century. 1
Comparison of Hexagon satellite imagery dated July 1980 2 with satellite imagery captured in February 2020 3 shows that no major changes took place in the area of the cemetery. But the resolution of the available modern satellite coverage and the lack of photographic and video evidence does not allow CHW to make a definitive assessment about the condition of the tombstones during these years.
Drag the swipe tool right to see the cemetery in July 1980; 2 drag left to see the cemetery in February 2020. 3
But between February 2020 and January 2021, it appears that trenches were dug across part of the cemetery, appearing as a linear feature that bisects the area roughly in an east-west direction. CHW postulates that these trenches were dug by retreating Armenian forces in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War, and likely caused minor damage to the cemetery.
Drag the swipe tool right to see the cemetery in February 2020; 3 drag left to see the cemetery in January 2021. 4
Geolocation
CHW was able to geolocate the cemetery using a topographic map, and obtained visual confirmation on the KH-9 Hexagon of 1980 2 and modern satellite imagery. 3,4
The cemetery on a 1:50K scale map of 1974. 5
References
2 KH-9 Hexagon, D3C1216-100138A005, July 3, 1980.
3 Google Earth/CNES/Airbus, February 24, 2020.
4 Google Earth/CNES/Airbus, January 7, 2021.
5 1:50K scale map of the Soviet General Staff (Sheet J-38-22-V, 1974).
