ARTSAKH HISTORICAL MONUMENTS

NKR 1576 Monuments

NKR (Country)

Geographical Environment

Artsakh (also known as Lesser Syunik) Province of Armenia Maior constitutes the north-easternmost portion of the Armenian Highland. Its northern and central districts lie in the basin of the river Kur, and the southern ones are located in that of the Arax. From the north southward, the major rivers of the catchment basin of the region are the Artinajur, Gandzak (also called Water of Voskanapat), Kurak, Sevjur, Inja, Trtu (with its three major tributaries, the Lev, Dutkhu and the Trghi), Khachen, Karkar, Khonashen, Varanda and the Ishkhanaget (all these rivers mainly flow in an easterly direction).

Karapetian, Samvel. Artsakh Atlas, Yerevan, 2022, p. 1.

Mounts Gyamish (3,725 m), Mrav (3,340 m), Alharak (3,066 m), Mets (Greater) Kirs (2,725 m) and Dizapayt (2,448 m) are the highest peaks in the region where the terrain is mostly mountainous.

Karapetian, Samvel. Artsakh Atlas, Yerevan, 2022, p. 1.

Historical Introduction

Since time immemorial Artsakh has always played a great role in the military, political, economic and cultural life of Armenia.

Karapetian, Samvel. Artsakh Atlas, Yerevan, 2022, p. 1.

The archaeological monuments unearthed in the territory of Artsakh (such as those in Azokh, Mets (Greater) Tagher, Shushi, Khojalu, Arajadzor, etc.) prove that the region has been inhabited since the Neanderthal era (going back to over 300 thousand years) without any intervals.

Karapetian, Samvel. Artsakh Atlas, Yerevan, 2022, p. 1.

Between the 9th and 7th centuries B.C., Artsakh was part of the kingdom of Urartu (also called Van or Araratian Kingdom): this is proved by a cuneiform inscription found in the territory of Tsovinar Village, in present-day Gegharkunik Region, RA. Later the region formed part of the Armenian kingdoms of the Orontids (6th to 2nd centuries B.C.), the Artashessids (189 B.C. to early 1st century A.D.) and the Arshakids (66 to 428).

Karapetian, Samvel. Artsakh Atlas, Yerevan, 2022, p. 1.

7 c․

According to the Ashkharatsuyts, a 7th-century Armenian work on geography, Artsakh had 12 districts: Mets (Greater) Kvenk, Kust-i Parnes, Koght, Berdadzor, Vaykunik, Mets (Greater) Arank, Piank, Pazkank, Mukhank, Myus (the Other) Haband, Harjlank and Sisakan-i Vostan.

Karapetian, Samvel. Artsakh Atlas, Yerevan, 2022, p. 1.

9 c․

In the 9th century, Artsakh succumbed to the Arab rule despite the fierce resistance shown to the invaders under Prince Yesayi Abu Muse’s leadership. After its liberation from Arab domination, the region—including part of the kingdom of Parisos and some principalities (such as Khachen and Ktish)—shifted into the possession of the Armenian Bagratids (885 to 1045). By that time, the principality of Khachen had considerably expanded, thanks to which, to the west, the lands of Artsakh reached the monastery of Shoghag; in other words, the lands of Khachen went beyond the borders of Artsakh proper, including certain portions of the neighbouring province of Syunik, particularly the eastern and southern shores of Lake Sevan.

Karapetian, Samvel. Artsakh Atlas, Yerevan, 2022, p. 1.

The princely families of Artsakh preserved their lands, with some minor territorial changes, until the Mongol inroads of the 1220s. The devastating Mongol domination of the 13th to 14th centuries seriously affected the economic and cultural life of the region. Besides, it weakened the Armenians of Artsakh to such an extent that they proved unable to repel the incursions of the Turkic Kara-Koyunlu and Ak-Koyunlu tribes which continually invaded the region in the 15th to 16th centuries.

Karapetian, Samvel. Artsakh Atlas, Yerevan, 2022, p. 1.

The devastating Mongol domination of the 13th to 14th centuries seriously affected the economic and cultural life of the region. Besides, it weakened the Armenians of Artsakh to such an extent that they proved unable to repel the incursions of the Turkic Kara-Koyunlu and Ak-Koyunlu tribes which continually invaded the region in the 15th to 16th centuries.

Karapetian, Samvel. Artsakh Atlas, Yerevan, 2022, p. 1.

16 — 18 cc․

The period between the 16th and 18th centuries, when Artsakh was under Persian rule, was marked with repeated outbursts of Turko-Persian wars which brought only calamities and devastation to the region. On the other hand, however, in the 17th century, the Persian shahs restored the former rights of some old Armenian princely families, both major and minor ones, and this led to the establishment of a number of semi-independent principalities (melikdoms) in Artsakh. In the late 17th century, in order to further strengthen themselves against foreign incursions, the melikdoms of Gyulistan, Jraberd, Khachen, Varanda and Dizak entered into an alliance and formed the melikdom of Khamsa, the borders of which extended from the vicinity of Gandzak to the river Arax. To the west, Khamsa bordered on another group of Armenian principalities—the melikates of Voskanapat, Gegharkunik and Kashatagh—the territories of which stretched all along its western frontier ensuring its security against foreign invaders.

Karapetian, Samvel. Artsakh Atlas, Yerevan, 2022, pp. 1-2.

In the second half of the 1720s, Artsakh suffered disastrous attacks by the Ottoman army, accompanied with unspeakable persecutions and massacres. The situation aggravated even further as the neighbouring Islamic khanates and sultanates as well as hordes of Lezghins joined the Ottomans in killing and robbing the population of the region. It was during this very period that a lot of Armenian districts, including Zakam, Miapor, Tsar (Upper Khachen), Kashatagh, Kashunik and Kovsakan, were totally or almost totally depopulated. Many other districts—such as Shamkor, Gardman, Vayots Dzor, Tseghuk, Dzork and Arevik—were partially depopulated. In a number of districts, including Kapaghak, Shake, Dasan, Khachmas and the adjacent ones, the Armenians of hundreds of villages were forced into converting to Islam under threat of death. Among those renouncing Christianity were even the Melik-Yeganians’ descendants who represented a branch of the meliks of Dizak and lived in the village of Togh (in the Soviet years, they had the family name of Yeganov and were considered Azerbaijanis).

Karapetian, Samvel. Artsakh Atlas, Yerevan, 2022, p. 2.

The princes of the melikdom of Khamsa, which was located in the very heart of Artsakh, mostly succeeded in resisting the invaders. However, after the mass slaughters, deportation and emigration, the region was left with a drastically reduced number of population; moreover, Khamsa lost the district of Tsar (Upper Khachen), which was of vital importance.

Karapetian, Samvel. Artsakh Atlas, Yerevan, 2022, p. 2.

Later, disagreement and conflicts between the Armenian meliks paved the way for the Turkic penetration of the region. Thus, for instance, Melik Shahnazar, the leader of Varanda District, allowed the occupation of the fortress town of Shushi, situated in the heart of Artsakh, by Panah, the chieftain of the Jvanshirlu tribe. In 1747 the latter established the khanate of Karabakh and started gradually enlarging its territories by conquering more and more lands from the Armenian melikdoms the influence of which was gradually declining.

Karapetian, Samvel. Artsakh Atlas, Yerevan, 2022, p. 2.

In 1805 the khanate of Karabakh became part of the Russian Empire although Muslim governors, now called beys (the successors of Panah’s son, Ibrahim Khan), continued ruling there. In 1822 the khanate of Karabakh was disintegrated, being incorporated into the newly-established province of Yelizavetpol a short time later.

Karapetian, Samvel. Artsakh Atlas, Yerevan, 2022, p. 2.

Under Russian rule, some German and Russian immigrants who had been banished from their countries as sectarians arrived in the region in 1818 and in the 1840s respectively. Within a short time, several German settlements and over twenty Russian villages were established there.

Karapetian, Samvel. Artsakh Atlas, Yerevan, 2022, p. 2.

The immigrants introduced some innovations in the region: thus, for instance, the Russians who had brought new agricultural tools helped the natives improve their farming skills, while the Germans acquainted them with new methods and approaches in house construction, viniculture and crafts.

Karapetian, Samvel. Artsakh Atlas, Yerevan, 2022, p. 2.

While attending to the housing problems of the immigrants, particularly the Russians, the tsarist authorities exercised a rough and even brutal policy against the natives of Artsakh: thus, for example, entire plots of land were seized from the Armenian villages and allocated to the newly-established Russian ones. Moreover, in 1865 all the inhabitants of the old and purely Armenian village of Paris were banished and it was repopulated with Russian immigrants. This policy of discrimination created an atmosphere of mistrust in the region, affecting negatively the inter-relations of the two nations. Nevertheless, in terms of law observance, the period of Russian reign was incomparably better than that of the khans’ rule: the leaders of the gangs (the so-called ghachaghs) particularly attacking and plundering the Armenian villages were often arrested and sent into exile.

Karapetian, Samvel. Artsakh Atlas, Yerevan, 2022, p. 2.

From the very first years of the establishment of their rule in the region, the Russian authorities attempted to put an end to the savage lifestyle of the Caucasian Tatars (this name started being used to designate various Turkic nomadic tribes) by forcing them into a sedentary life (it should be noted that they plundered the immigrants as well). Indeed, it was rather difficult for the tsarist government to re-mould the Caucasian Tatars, accustomed to preserving their existence through plunder, into law-abiding citizens (in case they refused to obey, they would be banished from the country). In fact, this process continued for several decades, almost coming to an end only in the 1910s. It should be noted that even after giving up their nomadic life, the Turkic tribes kept attacking and plundering the villages of Artsakh.

Karapetian, Samvel. Artsakh Atlas, Yerevan, 2022, p. 2.

In the aftermath of the Caucasian Tatars’ transition to a sedentary life, the ethnic composition of Artsakh completely changed. Since the period of Mongol domination, the natives of the region had left the lowlands seeking protection and refuge in the mountainous heights; besides, in the 1720s, after the Ottoman conquest of some highlands, the natives had predominantly retreated towards the middle mountain zone which was mostly covered with forestland and offered better protection thanks to natural conditions. Due to all these migrations, after the Turkic nomadic tribes had shifted to a sedentary life, the Armenian villages of the foothills found themselves surrounded by Caucasian Tatars from two sides.

Karapetian, Samvel. Artsakh Atlas, Yerevan, 2022, p. 2.

Judging from the results of the population censuses carried out in 1886 and 1914, within 28 years, the average number of the Russians had predominantly increased (through natural reproduction), the Armenians and Germans following them in the second and third places respectively. As for the Caucasian Tatars, surprising as it is, their number had sharply decreased in almost all their villages, despite their evidently higher growth rate. According to some contemporary researchers, this could be explained by their transition to a sedentary life, as prior to that, the members of the same tribe had been registered for several times in various (summer and winter) encampments.

Karapetian, Samvel. Artsakh Atlas, Yerevan, 2022, p. 2.

The Armenians of Artsakh considerably suffered during the Armeno-Tatar fights of 1905 to 1907, which had been incited by the tsarist authorities. A great number of Armenian villages were destroyed and plundered, while the Russian authorities followed all this with connivance and a flagrantly biassed attitude (later the Armenians took revenge on those Tatar villages the inhabitants of which had been particularly cruel towards their countrymen).

Karapetian, Samvel. Artsakh Atlas, Yerevan, 2022, p. 2.

Before the end of World War I, Artsakh became a source of conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia. The Musavatist authorities of Azerbaijan laid territorial claims to Artsakh, in response to which, the National Council of Karabakh held three congresses in Shushi in 1918 (on 22 July, 6 and 17 September) and rejected their demands. The Azerbaijani claims were also denied in accordance with the decisions taken by the National Council in 1919 (on 19 February and 23 April) and at its 8th congress convened on 4 March 1920. Attempting to subdue the Armenians of Artsakh by force, the Musavatists attacked, on the 23rd of the same month, the Armenian quarters of Shushi City and numerous Armenian villages with the participation of Turkish troops.

Karapetian, Samvel. Artsakh Atlas, Yerevan, 2022, p. 2.

Eventually, in 1923 the Soviet authorities formed the Autonomous Region of Nagorno Karabakh, which did not include Northern Artsakh and the district of Shahumian. The Autonomous Region of Nagorno Karabakh, which had been deliberately left without a common border with Soviet Armenia, was annexed to Soviet Azerbaijan in accordance with Stalin’s decision.

Karapetian, Samvel. Artsakh Atlas, Yerevan, 2022, pp. 2-3.

Despite this situation, the Armenians continued to believe that justice could be obtained in the Soviet Union. Aghasi Khanjian, First Secretary of Soviet Armenia’s Communist Party, attempted to raise the issue of the secession of the Autonomous Region of Nagorno Karabakh from Soviet Azerbaijan and its unification with Soviet Armenia. However, in 1935 he was shot to death, while the limited rights of the Armenian population of Nagorno Karabakh were further restricted after the Transcaucasian Federation ceased existing in 1936.

Karapetian, Samvel. Artsakh Atlas, Yerevan, 2022, p. 3.

Before 1988, the dispute was largely shelved, but its discussion never stopped. On 20 February of the same year, meeting the desire of the majority of the Armenian population of the Autonomous Region, the extraordinary session of the Regional Council of People’s Deputies of the Autonomous Region of Nagorno Karabakh decided to secede from Soviet Azerbaijan, by applying to its Supreme Council, and reunite with Soviet Armenia by applying to its Supreme Council. The deputies also applied to the USSR Supreme Council with a request to ratify the petition.

Karapetian, Samvel. Artsakh Atlas, Yerevan, 2022, p. 3.

The authorities of Soviet Azerbaijan responded to these efforts with pogroms of innocent Armenians living outside Artsakh, in different cities and around 100 villages of Soviet Azerbaijan (particularly merciless were the massacres perpetrated in Sumgait, Baku, Kirovabad and other cities). Due to the anti-Armenian hysteria throughout Azerbaijan, more than 450,000 Armenians were forced into leaving their birthplaces.

Karapetian, Samvel. Artsakh Atlas, Yerevan, 2022, p. 3.

On 2 September 1991, the joint session of the District Council of Shahumian District and the Regional Council of People’s Deputies of the Autonomous Region of Nagorno Karabakh proclaimed Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) as an independent republic, after which, the authorities of the independent Republic of Azerbaijan unleashed a full-scale war against the Armenians of Artsakh. The war continued until May 1994 and ended in the decisive victory of the Armenian side.

Karapetian, Samvel. Artsakh Atlas, Yerevan, 2022, p. 3.

To summarise, the Armenians’ struggle for the freedom and independence of Artsakh goes as far back as 1722. It was interrupted in 1918 and suppressed in 1923. The murder of Aghasi Khanjian, First Secretary of Soviet Armenia’s Communist Party, postponed the settlement of the issue of Artsakh’s independence but only until 1988, when the Armenians’ struggle re-awakened. It eventually ended in a glorious victory gained at the cost of the incessant work and unspeakable sacrifices of thousands of Armenians, 7,000 of whom lost their lives while building this victory.

Karapetian, Samvel. Artsakh Atlas, Yerevan, 2022, p. 3.

During the 26 years following 1994, the Azerbaijani authorities repeatedly launched acts of military aggression (such as the 4-day war of April 2016) to show that they had not reconciled themselves to the loss of Artsakh, a historical Armenian land that had never belonged to them. On 27 September 2020, Azerbaijan unleashed a full-scale war against Artsakh which lasted for 44 days and ended with tragic losses for the Armenian side. In the aftermath of the war, Artsakh lost an area of 8,490 sq. kilometres: the districts of Nor Shahumian /Karvajar/, Hadrut /including Jrakan and Varanda/ and Kashatagh as well as part of the districts of Martakert, Askeran, Martuni and Shushi, together with the city of Shushi, a cradle of Armenian civilization. These lands which had been inhabited by Armenians since time immemorial were completely depopulated; a lot of Armenian monuments, and particularly, their Armenian inscriptions started facing the threat of destruction or appropriation.