AzTU
Management

QATİM

The Center for the Technological Heritage of Western Azerbaijan — documenting the historical and cultural heritage of deported Azerbaijanis and supporting the peaceful return process

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Overview

About

The Center for the Technological Heritage of Western Azerbaijan (QATİM) was established by the decision of the Scientific Council of Azerbaijan Technical University (AzTU) and by the Rector's Order No. F-56, dated 1 May 2024.

QATİM is a public organization operating within AzTU. Its primary mission is to collect, document, and systematize factual information on the historical heritage, material culture, architectural monuments, traditional crafts, customs, traditions, and cultural values of Azerbaijanis who were deported from the territory of present-day Armenia. The collected information is intended to support relevant institutions in the peaceful return process to Western Azerbaijan by providing a comprehensive and reliable knowledge base.

The Center also supports efforts to document and assess all violations of the rights of Azerbaijanis in Western Azerbaijan, including violations of property rights, the destruction of Azerbaijani cultural heritage in the territory of Armenia, and initiatives aimed at evaluating the consequences of these actions and contributing to their remediation.

Currently, 84 employees of Azerbaijan Technical University were born in Western Azerbaijan. Taking into account the earlier waves of deportations of Western Azerbaijanis, it is estimated that more than half of the University's staff are of Western Azerbaijani origin.

What we aim for

Objectives

05
  1. 01
    QATİM and its members shall work to present, at the international level and on the basis of historical evidence, the violations of the rights of Azerbaijanis — including violations of property rights — and their adverse consequences. They shall also promote the interpretation, in accordance with international law, of the responsibility of the Government of Armenia and relevant international organizations for addressing these issues and support efforts aimed at their fair and objective resolution.
  2. 02
    QATİM and its members shall assist the relevant authorities in efforts to facilitate the restitution of private property and community lands belonging to Azerbaijanis, as well as the provision of compensation for property damage and losses resulting from the deprivation of the use and enjoyment of such property.
  3. 03
    QATİM and its members shall work to raise international awareness, based on historical evidence, of the destruction of the cultural heritage created by Western Azerbaijanis over centuries in their ancestral homeland, particularly during the last century, and its negative consequences. They shall also promote, within the framework of international law, the responsibility of the Government of Armenia and relevant international organizations for the restoration and protection of this cultural heritage, while supporting efforts toward the objective resolution of these issues.
  4. 04
    QATİM and its members shall advocate for the Government of Armenia to assume responsibility for covering all costs associated with the restoration and preservation of the cultural heritage of Western Azerbaijanis, as well as for undertaking other necessary measures arising from the systematic destruction of Azerbaijani cultural heritage.
  5. 05
    QATİM and its members shall strive to ensure, with the participation of the specialized agencies of the United Nations, the assessment of the condition of the cultural heritage belonging to Azerbaijanis within the territory of Armenia — including historical monuments and structures, religious monuments, cemeteries, traditional industrial and agricultural production technologies, and other heritage assets. They shall also support the preparation of a comprehensive inventory of damaged and destroyed cultural heritage sites and promote the fulfillment by the Government of Armenia of its obligations regarding their restoration and protection.

What we do

Main Functions

04
  1. 01

    Alignment with the "Concept of Return"

    QATİM carries out its activities in accordance with the provisions of the "Concept of Return", approved by the Western Azerbaijan Community on 26 January 2023, and aligns its work with the objectives and principles set forth in this document.

  2. 02

    Assessment of human rights violations against Western Azerbaijanis

    QATİM supports efforts to document, assess, and evaluate all human rights violations committed against Azerbaijanis in Western Azerbaijan, including violations of property rights, the destruction of Azerbaijani cultural heritage within the territory of Armenia, and the consequences of these violations, while contributing to initiatives aimed at their remediation.

  3. 03

    Commitment to international legal instruments

    Guided by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, and other relevant international legal instruments recognizing the right of individuals to return to their place of origin, QATİM considers it one of its principal objectives to support the creation of conditions that would enable deported Azerbaijanis to return to their ancestral homeland and to help ensure the protection of their individual and collective rights following their return.

  4. 04

    Promoting international support

    QATİM recognizes that achieving these objectives requires the support and engagement of not only Azerbaijan and Armenia but also the broader international community. Accordingly, the Center works to promote international awareness and cooperation in support of these goals.

Professional background

Biography

Prof. Nariman Rasulov is a Doctor of Technical Sciences, Professor, Honored Scientist of Azerbaijan, and a distinguished expert in Mechanical Engineering and Manufacturing Technology. He was born in Western Azerbaijan.

On 1 May 2024, Prof. Rasulov was appointed as the Director of the Center for the Technological Heritage of Western Azerbaijan (QATİM) at Azerbaijan Technical University (AzTU).

He currently serves as Consulting Professor at the Department of Manufacturing Technology of Azerbaijan Technical University.

Prof. Rasulov is the author of more than 350 scientific publications, including 18 patents, 5 textbooks, 2 monographs, as well as numerous teaching manuals and academic curricula.

Academic journey

Education

05
  1. 2006

    Professor in the field of Manufacturing Technology

  2. 2000

    Doctor of Technical Sciences (D.Sc.)

  3. 1979

    Candidate of Technical Sciences (Ph.D. equivalent)

  4. 1963–1968

    B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering — Azerbaijan Polytechnic Institute (now Azerbaijan Technical University, AzTU)

  5. 1985–1986

    French Language Studies — Moscow State Pedagogical Institute of Foreign Languages named after Maurice Thorez

Administrative team

Staff

02

Aynur Shammad Huseynova

Student Affairs Manager · International Program Manager, Turkish Engineering and Management School, Institute of Higher Education

Roza Sultan Almadatli

Student · Specialist

Get in touch

Contact

Phone+994 50 359 54 97Directornaiman.rasulov@aztu.edu.azCenter E-mailqatim@aztu.edu.az
QATIM | AzTU