{"id":348759,"date":"2026-09-02T14:49:40","date_gmt":"2026-09-02T10:49:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/?p=348759"},"modified":"2026-09-02T14:49:44","modified_gmt":"2026-09-02T10:49:44","slug":"mansions-in-azerbaijan-owned-by-ilham-aliyev-and-his-family","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/article\/mansions-in-azerbaijan-owned-by-ilham-aliyev-and-his-family\/","title":{"rendered":"Mansions in Azerbaijan owned by Ilham Aliyev and his family"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Ilham Aliyev has ruled Azerbaijan since 2003 when he took over as president after his father, Haydar\u2019s, death. Since then, he and members of his family have been named in dozens of journalistic investigations. Accused of various acts of corruption for years, investigations have been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.occrp.org\/en\/investigation\/luxury-london-properties-linked-to-family-of-azerbaijans-president-are-hidden-behind-an-offshore-trust\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.occrp.org\/en\/investigation\/luxury-london-properties-linked-to-family-of-azerbaijans-president-are-hidden-behind-an-offshore-trust\">published<\/a> on properties owned by the Aliyev family in various cities around the world. Aliyev\u2019s children own numerous expensive mansions from London to Dubai.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>But it\u2019s not just around the world that the Aliyev family has property. We took a deeper look into where the family lives in Azerbaijan, and in which villas in the country they spend their holidays.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Azerbaijani government has been creating various obstacles for investigative journalists for years. Azerbaijan restricts access to a significant amount of information that would be publicly available in other countries. For over a year now, Azerbaijan had gone a step further, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/article\/the-evolution-of-digital-regulation-in-azerbaijan-from-website-blocking-to-platform-governance\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/article\/the-evolution-of-digital-regulation-in-azerbaijan-from-website-blocking-to-platform-governance\/\">blocking access<\/a> from outside of Azerbaijan to the official online resources of some government institutions. Despite their attempts, investigating from abroad still yields more results, as the Azerbaijani government is unable to replicate its domestic restrictions internationally.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, as a result of research compiled from various sources over the years, we have been able to identify the locations of the villas and properties belonging to the Aliyev family, scattered across different regions of the country. Given that it is impossible to access the official property registry records for these properties, we were able to map these homes belonging to the ruling family based on information obtained from local residents and other sources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe id=\"euroviz-embed-jyq3wY\" src=\"https:\/\/graphics.urbanjournalism.org\/meydan_villas\/embeds\/jyq3wY\/\" class=\"euroviz-embed\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"width:100%\" height=\"660\" scrolling=\"no\" ><\/iframe><script src=\"https:\/\/graphics.urbanjournalism.org\/meydan_villas\/embeds\/resize.js\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The illegalities that occurred during the construction of some of these properties have also been reported in the press over the years. Problems arose regarding wage payment to workers employed in the construction of certain properties. In one case, residents of Kusnat village in Gabala were relocated to make way for a property built for the Aliyev family. In Khoshbulag village, access to a forested area was restricted, while movement by tourists around Lake Nohur, one of Gabala\u2019s most scenic locations, has also been restricted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some of these properties have been built in strategic locations, while others are located in protected areas. Scenic parts of the country have effectively been appropriated for the president and his family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The village evacuated for Ilham Aliyev<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Investigative journalist and AbzasMedia editor-in-chief Sevinj Vagifgizi, who is currently imprisoned, established in a video report <a href=\"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/article\/kusnet-a-village-wiped-out-at-the-presidents-behest\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/article\/kusnet-a-village-wiped-out-at-the-presidents-behest\/\">published <\/a>by Meydan TV back in 2015 that the village of Kusnat in Gabala had been emptied for the sake of two residents: President Ilham Aliyev and his daughter, Leyla Aliyeva. Construction of the president\u2019s residence in Kusnat village began in 2011. At the time, sixteen families lived in the village. Residents who had remained in the village even during the Soviet period eventually left in 2012. According to residents of the nearby village of Laza, they were compensated and now live in Gabala.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe id=\"euroviz-embed-JaSQZy\" src=\"https:\/\/graphics.urbanjournalism.org\/meydan_villas\/embeds\/JaSQZy\/\" class=\"euroviz-embed\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"width:100%\" height=\"880\" scrolling=\"no\" ><\/iframe><script src=\"https:\/\/graphics.urbanjournalism.org\/meydan_villas\/embeds\/resize.js\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Hundreds of families relocated for the \u201cKhutor Palace\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2011, construction began on another palace for President Ilham Aliyev in Baku. During the construction along the section of Ziya Bunyadov Avenue that runs through the Khutor area, a large number of residents were forced to relocate. More than 120 families living in a sixteen -story building in the area were relocated, and the building was demolished. Reports <a href=\"https:\/\/musavat.com\/news\/gundem\/prezidentin-iqametgahina-gore-daha-bir-bina-sokulur_103710.html\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/musavat.com\/news\/gundem\/prezidentin-iqametgahina-gore-daha-bir-bina-sokulur_103710.html\">published <\/a>in the Azerbaijani press at the time documented the residents\u2019 protests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe id=\"euroviz-embed-bS5NM6\" src=\"https:\/\/graphics.urbanjournalism.org\/meydan_villas\/embeds\/bS5NM6\/\" class=\"euroviz-embed\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"width:100%\" height=\"880\" scrolling=\"no\" ><\/iframe><script src=\"https:\/\/graphics.urbanjournalism.org\/meydan_villas\/embeds\/resize.js\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Residents of Khoshbulag who lost their farmland and the ruling family that occupies the forest<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On May 24, 2021, a group of residents of Hoshbulag village in Dashkasan district held a protest in front of the Presidential Administration building. The villagers complained about their difficult social conditions, saying that the village\u2019s agricultural and pasture lands had been handed over to the wealthy in exchange for bribes. However, a mansion built for President Ilham Aliyev\u2019s son stands in one of the most prominent locations in Khoshbulag. The village\u2019s only forested area has been closed off for the president\u2019s family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The Nohur Lake Mansion that restricts public access<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lake Nohur is widely known as a scenic public recreation area. However, access to part of the lakeshore has been restricted because President Aliyev&#8217;s residence is located in that area. It is the only private house on the lakeshore, and security forces do not allow local residents or tourists to enter that section or take photographs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>A luxury residential complex located on the coastline<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A luxurious residential complex belonging to President Ilham Aliyev and his family is located on a fifteen-hectare site in Bilgah. The complex includes separate villas and private swimming pools for each of the president\u2019s three children. Construction of the complex was completed approximately eight years ago. It is reportedly worth millions of dollars, with specialised engineers and equipment brought from Germany, while most of the construction materials were imported from abroad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"797\" src=\"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/wp-content\/uploads\/screenshot-2026-09-01-at-11.04.38-1200x797.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-348706\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Bilgah palace, Satellite imagery: Airbus \/ Vertical 52<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>A gift from Minister Kamaladdin Heydarov<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While serving as Minister of Emergency Situations, Kamaladdin Heydarov had a luxurious residence built in the village of Gamarvan in Gabala, covering an area of more than two hectares. He later gifted the residence to President Ilham Aliyev. The palace-like mansion features a tennis court, an artificial lake, and views overlooking the Bum River. The property is under constant security, and no one is allowed to approach the residence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Our investigations will continue even if our journalists are in prison<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In addition, Meydan TV has identified the locations of more than ten mansions belonging to the Aliyev family, scattered across different regions of Azerbaijan. Only one of these residences belonging to the president is officially designated as a state residence. The other residential complexes are intended for the Aliyev family\u2019s private use. The fact that the president\u2019s family owns so much property both in Azerbaijan and around the world also corroborates the corruption allegations that investigative journalists in the country have uncovered over the years. The arrests of journalists that began in 2023 were also aimed at preventing such investigations. Although independent journalists in Azerbaijan are currently behind bars, Meydan TV has continued investigating the Aliyev family\u2019s properties using satellite imagery. Our journalists may be imprisoned, but our investigations will continue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>The investigations&#8217; findings were visualised with support of the <a href=\"https:\/\/urbanjournalism.org\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/urbanjournalism.org\">Urban Journalism Network<\/a>. The satellite imagery was obtained with the support of <a href=\"https:\/\/vertical52.org\/en\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/vertical52.org\/en\">Vertical52.<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ilham Aliyev has ruled Azerbaijan since 2003 when he took &#8230; <\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more-container\"><a title=\"Mansions in Azerbaijan owned by Ilham Aliyev and his family\" class=\"read-more button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/article\/mansions-in-azerbaijan-owned-by-ilham-aliyev-and-his-family\/#more-348759\" aria-label=\"Read more about Mansions in Azerbaijan owned by Ilham Aliyev and his family\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":348668,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_sitemap_exclude":false,"_sitemap_priority":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[89,80,43],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-348759","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-editors-pick","category-featured-en","category-investigations","infinite-scroll-item","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33","no-featured-image-padding"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Mansions in Azerbaijan owned by Ilham Aliyev and his family - MEYDAN.TV<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.meydan.tv\/en\/article\/mansions-in-azerbaijan-owned-by-ilham-aliyev-and-his-family\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mansions in Azerbaijan owned by Ilham Aliyev and his family - MEYDAN.TV\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Ilham Aliyev has ruled Azerbaijan since 2003 when he took ... 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