with the restoration project, with the Deputy Chairman of the State Committee for Work with Religious Organizations Gunduz Ismayilov claiming that "Armenia's intention to restore the historical Azerbaijani mosque in Shusha is an attempt to cover up the vandalism it did to Azerbaijani cultural-religious monuments in the occupied territories". After several years of restoration work, the Yukhari Govhar Agha Mosque, neighboring madrasa, and park were formally opened for tourism with a ceremony on 14 October 2019. The project was undertaken by the Initiative for Development of Armenia (IDeA) Foundation with the support of private donations, with notable contributions from Russian-Armenian businessman Ruben Vardanyan's Revival of Oriental Historical Heritage Foundation. and Kazakh businessman Kairat Boranbayev. The complex was to be used as an Armenian-Iranian Cultural Center. Notably, there was no mention of the former Azeri presence and the complex was presented as an Iranian mosque. There are now plans to convert the building back into a functioning mosque. The first Friday prayer was held in the mosque, after 28 years, on 13 November 2020 by Azerbaijan soldiers. Gallery References External links بازگشایی مسجد ایرانی شوشی پس سه دهه: مسجد گوهرآغا بازسازی شد+فیلم رونمایی از میراث تاریخی «شوشی» با مرمت مسجد «گوهر آقا» + تصاویر Mosques completed in 1885 18th-century mosques Mosques in Shusha Shia mosques in Azerbaijan 1768 establishments in Asia Closed mosques in the Soviet Union Karbalayi Safikhan Karabakhi buildings and structures