Great Return continues: Families reclaim their lives in restored Sarijali village PHOTO

The long-awaited homecoming continues in Azerbaijan as another group of former internally displaced persons (IDPs) has returned to their ancestral village of Sarijali in the Aghdam district.

According to reports from local media, 39 families — totaling 153 individuals — embarked on their journey home this week as part of the government’s Great Return initiative, per Caliber.Az.

The families returning include 22 (85 people) from Baku, 4 (18 people) from Barda, 2 (9 people) from Bilasuvar, 3 (8 people) from Aghdam, 2 (8 people) from Agjabedi, 2 (8 people) from Yevlakh, and one family each from Apsheron (6 people), Imishli (6), Ujar (3), and Mingachevir (2).

Emotion ran high as residents prepared for their return. "Thank God Almighty, after many years we are returning to our home. I wish that all refugees and IDPs return to their native lands. May the Almighty protect our president and our state," said Felodin Mammadov, a former IDP preparing to resettle in Sarijali with his family.

"I am returning to Sarijali with my family. I am very happy. From excitement I can't even speak. Everyone would like to return to their native home. We have gone through a lot of hardships. Now, thank God Almighty, we are returning home," he added.

Fikret Baghirov, another returnee, shared his emotional memories. “I started a family in Sarijali and worked as a musician. We performed at weddings alongside many famous singers,” he said.

Reflecting on the war that displaced him, Baghirov continued, “The war started. Armenians shelled our village. Several of my relatives were wounded, and one was killed. We were forced to flee Sarijali. Now I’m returning with my wife and son. My joy has no bounds. May the Almighty grant long years to our president, health to our veterans, and eternal rest to the Martyrs.”

With this latest group, the total number of families that have returned to Sarijali now stands at 76, comprising 299 individuals.

Sarijali holds deep historical and emotional significance. Located just six kilometers from Aghdam city center, the village was seized by Armenian armed forces on July 23, 1993, during the First Karabakh War. During the occupation, Sarijali was completely destroyed — homes, schools, kindergartens, clinics, and shops were all reduced to rubble. A mass grave containing the remains of Azerbaijani victims was also discovered after the liberation.

Following Azerbaijan’s victory in the 2020 Patriotic War, Sarijali — along with the wider Aghdam district — was returned to Azerbaijani control under the Trilateral Statement signed on November 20, 2020. Before the occupation, Sarijali was home to 239 families, or 1,024 people.

President Ilham Aliyev laid the foundation of the newly reconstructed Sarijali village on October 4, 2022. It is now designed to house 1,873 residents — or 425 families — across more than 123 hectares. The rebuilding project, to be completed in two phases, includes 425 individual homes.

To support sustainable resettlement, the village now features schools, economic centers, cultural institutions, social services, and public facilities. Essential infrastructure such as roads, electricity, telecommunications, water, and natural gas has been fully restored.

As families reclaim their homes and rebuild their lives, Sarijali stands not only as a village resurrected but as a powerful symbol of return, resilience, and national renewal.

By Tamilla Hasanova