Day of the Genocide of Azerbaijanis

In March and April 1918 Armenian-Bolshevik armed units killed thousands of Azerbaijani civilians in Baku, Shamakhi, Guba, Lankaran and other regions; villages were burned and mosques and historic monuments destroyed.

The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic gave the tragedy its first official assessment in 1919–1920: an Extraordinary Investigation Commission examined the events and 31 March was marked as a day of mourning. On 26 March 1998 a decree by Heydar Aliyev declared 31 March the Day of the Genocide of Azerbaijanis.

Guba Genocide Memorial Complex

In 2007 a mass grave of the 1918 victims was discovered during construction work in Guba. The Guba Genocide Memorial Complex opened on the site in 2013; its museum displays documents, photographs and witness testimony. Commemorations are held across the country every year on 31 March.