ARTSAKH HISTORICAL MONUMENTS

Ghalakend 13 Monuments

Azerbaijan (Country) / Northern Artsakh (Area) / Getabek (District) / Ghalakend (City Site)

Location

The village is situated on the bank of the Parisos, the left tributary of the river Shamkor, 11 kilometres south-west of the district centre.

Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 273.

Historical Introduction
10 c․

Parisos used to be the centre of a kingdom of the same name. In the early 10th century, Sahak Sevada united Gardman and Dzoraget Districts of Utik Province with his patrimony, i.e. the district of Parnes (Parisos) and established the principality of Parisos. In the middle of the same century, his son Senacherim declared himself king and received a crown with a royal cape from the Byzantine Empire, which encouraged such actions since they led to a split in the Armenian statehood. The Bagratids of Ani had to reconcile themselves to the existence of the newly-founded kingdom for a while. That, however, lasted till the period between the late 10th and early 11th centuries, when Gagik Shahnshah (Shah of the Shahs) entered into alliance with Emir of Gandzak Patlun and launched a struggle against Parisos. After Senacherim’s death (1003), his throne shifted to his son Philipe, who fell victim to an inimical plot in the mid-11th century. His assassination marked the fall of the kingdom, whose territory later became part of the principality of Khachen.

Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 273.

19 c․

The present-day village was founded over the ruins of the historical city site of Parisos, whose remnants were still preserved in the late 19th century: “Some densely-located yards and the vestiges of many buildings of stone and mortar can still be seen...”

Barkhutariants, M. Artsakh. Baku, 1895, p. 307.
Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 274.

18 c․

Parisos was stripped of its population in the 18th century and lay derelict until the late 1880s, when its territory became a summer encampment for some cattle-breeders. Later they settled down there and founded a village called Ghalakend, which sounds as ‘Berdagyugh,’ i.e. ‘Village of Castle,’ in Armenian.

“Ardzagank,” 1888, No. 7, p. 86 (“Opposite the castle extend fine pastures and meadows where nomadic Turks put up their tents in summers, enjoying this beauty...”).
Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 274.

1671 y․

Most presumably, present-day Ghalakend is identical to the village of Berdatak mentioned in “Shamkor District” in 1671 as the place where Priest Hovhannes wrote a Gospel for his parents Evaz and Pay.

A Catalogue of Armenian Manuscripts of the Matenadaran after Mashtots, vol. 2, Yerevan, 1970, manuscript No. 6645, p. 364.
Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 274.

Description
19 c․

The topographers who visited the city site in the late 19th century are not unanimous in mentioning the number of the local churches. Thus, Kajikian writes, “Ghalakend retains the ruins of six Armenian churches, some of which were demolished by the Turks for their stones to be used in the construction of various buildings...”

“Ardzagank,” 1888, No. 7, p. 86.
Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 274.

Barkhutarians found 11 churches there: “This ruined city site is quite large. To give an idea how populous it used to be, suffice it to mention that it retains eleven churches, three of them located on the right bank of the river (one of them standing and the other two semi-ruined), and the remaining eight ones on the left (two of them standing and six ruined). As attested by some eye-witnesses, it is not a long time since they were demolished: their foundations can still be clearly seen...”

Barkhutariants, M. Artsakh. Baku, 1895, p. 307.
Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 275.

The valley of the river Shamkor Type Photo
View Exterior
Author Samvel Karapetyan
Source Black-and-white negative
Date 1980 — 1982 yy․

The sity cite seen from the aforementioned mountain Type Photo
View General
Author Samvel Karapetyan
Source Black-and-white negative
Date 1980 — 1982 yy․

Type Photo
View Exterior
Author Hovhannes Zakarian
Source Colour Negative

Name	Year/Century	Etymology
Parisos