Nakhchivan Atlas found in Ruben Vardanyan's office in Khankendi

The "Nakhchivan Atlas" discovered in Ruben Vardanyan's office in Khankendi has been presented to us, and we are currently analyzing this atlas, Azernews reports, citing Chairman of the Public Union "Azerbaijani Cartographers," Muqabil Bayramov, as he provided this information.

He stated that this atlas was published by the Armenian Architecture Foundation in 2012, and the maps in the atlas are entirely based on falsifications:

"The atlas claims that Nakhchivan was supposedly a province within Armenian states and principalities throughout history. These maps are territorial claims against Azerbaijan. The first map in the atlas is allegedly based on the 'Geography' written by Greek scholar Ptolemy in the 2nd century, with place names in 'Greater Armenia' rendered as Armenian toponyms. However, it has long been known to the scientific community that Ptolemy's 'Geography' has not survived to the present day; the original of the work was lost in the 4th century, and a version was found only 1000 years later. This version was translated into Latin twice, with each translation differing significantly from the other."

Muqabil Bayramov also mentioned that several falsified maps in the atlas mark the Nakhchivan region with red lines without any basis:

"This atlas is a cheap propaganda material aimed at falsely legitimizing territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Cartography is a serious field and should not be turned into a tool for political manipulation. It is thought-provoking why Vardanyan is so interested in Nakhchivan! Apparently, the Azerbaijani Army’s anti-terror operation in September 2023 left him with many unfulfilled desires."