AZE.US
Cemeteries in Baku could eventually be moved outside the city if pressure on burial space continues to grow, according to an Azerbaijani economist.
AZE.US reports, that economist Vüqar Oruc told Demokrat.az that cemetery land in Baku has not been fully exhausted, but overcrowding is already visible in some areas and could become a more serious problem in the future.
He said one possible response would be to relocate new cemetery areas outside the capital and allocate future burial sites mainly beyond the city limits.
Oruc also said Azerbaijan may need stricter rules on large mausoleums, oversized family burial structures and non-standard graves, which take up additional space.
“In many countries, simpler and more uniform gravestones are used, and large individual structures are not widely allowed,” he said.
The issue is not only urban planning. Oruc warned that as the population grows, land set aside for burials may no longer be sufficient. In several European countries, crematoriums and columbariums are widely used because they require less space. Columbariums are wall-based structures used to store ashes after cremation.
Such practices, however, remain sensitive in Azerbaijan because of religious views. Still, Oruc said that if the situation does not change, the country may eventually need burial formats that require less land.
Otherwise, he said, a serious imbalance could emerge between space used by the living and space set aside for the dead.
There is also an economic side to the problem. According to Oruc, cemetery plots in some areas now cost more than land designated for housing.
He said cemetery land has become a commercial field in its own right, with prices often several times higher than ordinary land plots. That creates room for additional profit and private interests, he warned.
Oruc said the sector needs tighter regulation, unified standards and stronger state oversight.
He also pointed to the burden on low-income families, many of whom struggle to cover funeral and burial costs. Social support mechanisms should be strengthened, he said.
Without regulation, rising burial costs and limited cemetery space could turn into a serious social problem for Baku in the years ahead.
AZE.US