Albanian temple in the village of Zod

In the village of Zod (its first name was Bashkalafa from the 3rd–5th centuries to the end of the 14th century (1387–1388), and Veliaga from the beginning of the 15th century (1400), in the Basarkechar district of the Goycha region)

Basarkechar district – from 11.06.1969 Vardenis, Zod village from 09.04.1991 Sotk

Architecture

The Albanian temple in the village of Zod was renovated by Armenians, Armenian elements were added and adopted. In this process, they committed a great historical crime. They used Albanian gravestones and monuments as masonry stones to restore the collapsed parts of the temple walls.

In the village of Zod, along with numerous monuments confirming the existence of Albanians in the 3rd–5th centuries, there is an Albanian temple located in the center of the village. The length of the temple is 14–15, the width is 5–6 meters, and the height is about 3.5–4 meters. Yellow tuff stone was used in the construction of the temple. Two small windows were placed in the back of the temple and on the side of the front entrance door. The ceiling of the temple, which was made of red tiled stone, was replaced with an iron roof. The presence of a large number of Albanian and Oghuz monuments in the village indicates that this is a Turkish homeland.
The name of the village of Zod is found in the list compiled by I. Chopin. According to official data, at that time Zod was a purely Turkish village in terms of the ethnic composition of its population, and 425 people lived here. In 1873, the village population increased to 905, and in 1897 to 1,588.
During the massacres of 1905–1907, the village had about 100 houses and about 300–350 inhabitants, and in 1914, it had 1,988 inhabitants. During the deportations of 1918–1920, the village had 200–230 houses and about 800–1,000 inhabitants. During the deportations of 1948–1953, 125 houses and about 500 inhabitants of the village were resettled in the Goygol (Khanlar) region of Azerbaijan. The village had 400–450 houses and about 1,600–2,000 inhabitants. During the last deportation in 1988–1991, the village population became refugees. The village population settled in Baku, Ganja, Khanlar (now Goygol), Samukh and other places. The village population lives in the areas where they were settled to this day. The village had 650–700 houses and a population of about 4,700 people.

The first name of the village was Bashkalaf. Until the migration of Veli-Agha, the village was called Bashkalaf because it consisted of large settlements confirming the settlement of Albanians in those places in the 3rd–5th centuries. The second name of the village was Veli-Agha until 1813–1814. The meaning of this name is connected with the name of Veli-Agha, the founder of the village, who came to Goycha district from the village of Qiraq Kasemen of the Gazakh region. The third name of the village was Zod from 1813–1814 until December 1988. The meaning of this name is taken from the word "söd". At one time, there was a large urban settlement there during the Albanian period. The former location of the village was called Sot because it was located at the foot of small mountains near the village.