Supporting the army
The Aliyev Family: We Cannot Wait to Return to Zangilan
As the Azerbaijani Army liberated Zangilan from occupation through a counter-offensive attack, they put an end to the longing for all Zangilanis living throughout the country.
The Aliyev family from Zangilan, temporarily settled in Ojagli village in Jalilabad, were among the overjoyed with the news of victory.
They, like all residents of Zangilan, had been longing for their home for 27 years. The family could not hold their tears of happiness as they heard of the recovery of Minjivan settlement in Zangilan, along many other settlements.
Ilyas Aliyev, who originally comes from Minjivan, used to work at the railway station before being forcibly displaced. He was 38 when he was banished from his native lands.
Although 27 years of longing has aged him, he felt 38 as he heard the news of liberation of Zangilan. His only consolation during his years without his Zangilan was reading books about his homeland: ‘I will make sure to take these books along when I return home, as they breathed the air of my Zangilan upon me. These books have been my confidant during these long years of displacement.’
Zeynab Aliyeva, the lady of the family, says her keepsake from Zangilan is the key to her house in Zangilan that she locked and abandoned 27 years ago. ‘These keys that I have guarded as something sacred for these past 27 years, have now turned into the keys to not only a house, but also great hopes’, says Zeynab Khanum as she shares her joy with us.
The Aliyevs, currently residing in a kindergarten in Ojagli, cannot wait to return home in Zangilan…
