ARTSAKH HISTORICAL MONUMENTS

Azat 5 Monuments

Azerbaijan (Country) / Northern Artsakh (Area) / Khanlar (District) / Azat (Village)

Location

Present-day Azat, which represents the historical village of Suluk, lies 10.5 kilometres southeast of the district centre, between 1,170 and 1,220 metres of altitude above sea level.

Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 336.

Name Origin

It is traditionally assumed that the village got its name after it had been exempted from taxes: “...while Timur’s army was passing through the village, his soldiers broke into the local church and plundered it. Shortly thereafter, his neck became lop-sided and his face turned backward. Making inquiries about the reason for his miserable state and learning that he had been punished for what his troops had perpetrated in the sanctuary, Timur ordered to return the pillage. Immediately afterwards, his neck regained its original position, and he exempted both the church and the entire village from taxes. Thanks to that incident, the village was also spared further attacks; that is why, it was renamed Azat.”

’Azat’ is the Armenian equivalent for ‘free.’ Lalayan, Yer. Gandzak District. In: “Azgagrakan Handes,” vol. 5, Tiflis, 1899, No. 1, p. 317.
Ghanalanian, A. Legends. Yerevan, 1969, p. 175, in Armenian.
Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 336.

Historical Introduction

The available written sources do not report the date of the foundation of the village, but the monuments preserved in its territory trace back to the pre-Christian era.

Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 336.

17 c․

In the 17th century, Suluk was mentioned in a bull issued by Catholicos Pilippos (1632 to 1655).

Barkhutariants, M. Artsakh. Baku, 1895, p. 48.
Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 336.

Population
19 c․

In the late 19th century, the village comprised “...15 families of native Armenians as well as 20 others that had resettled there from Khoy, 7 from Bozlukh, and 8 from Bakhshi...”

Barkhutariants, M. Artsakh. Baku, 1895, p. 269.
Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 336.

1839 y․

The following list of 12 families (with a total of 64 people) dwelling in Suluk in 1839 is of great importance to the study of their history:

“Mahtesy Verdi Petrossian, his wife Gyubahar as well as their sons Harutiun, and Avetis with his wife Mariam;
Harutiun Hovhannissian, his wife Herik as well as his brothers Martiros, Musi and Gabriel;
Mnatsakan Petrossian, his wife Taguhi as well as their sons Petros, Vardan, and Poghos with his wife Anakhanum and his son Avetis;
Hovhannes Petrossian, his wife Nana, their son Gaspar and their daughter Amarnan;
Sahak Grigorian, his wife Roghi as well as their children Harutiun and Mehri; Sahak’s brother Gevorg and his wife Gyuli;
Sargis Petrossian, his wife Tangi and their daughter Heriknaz;
Yesayi Ohanissian, his wife Mariam, their son Harutiun and their daughter Gyuli; Yesayi’s brother Ovakim, his wife Hripsime and their daughter Heriknaz;
Avetis Ter-Yeghiazarian, his wife Gyuli, their son Soghomon as well as Avetis’ brother Ghazar, his sister Sanam and his mother Mariam;
Vardan Navasardian with his wife Sona; his brother Minas, his wife Hripsime, their daughter Sanam as well as their sons Vardan, Shahgeldi and Ghuli;
Daniel Sahakian, his wife Khanperi as well as their sons Khudi, Avag and Astvatzatur;
Sargis Petrossian, his wife Sirun as well as their sons Sargis and Martiros;
Mesrop Ohanessian, his wife Nana as well as their sons Gaspar and Khachatur.”

National Archives of Armenia, fund 53, list 1, file 3800, p. 30.
Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 336.

19 — 20 cc․

The table reveals that on the whole, the population of Suluk manifested constant growth during the aforementioned period.

Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 337.

Historical Introduction
1920 y․

Azat was to go through a great tragedy in the year 1920: “...a gang of troops the authorities of the province had sent there disarmed and robbed the local Armenians who were then deported from their homes under the plea of being taken to Gandzak. Most of them, however, were slaughtered on the road between the summer residences of Hajikend and the German township of Helenendorf. The survivors, about 500 in number, somehow reached Helenendorf, where they were given a most cordial welcome, being provided with shelter and food for three days.”

The Armenian Massacres in the Provinces of Baku and Yelizavetpol (1918 to 1920), p. 460.
Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, pp. 337-338.

1926 y․

In 1926 leader of Gandzak Diocese Bishop Levon wrote the following about that harrowing calamity, “March 1920 marked the fall of the Armenian village of Suluk. That was, evidently, the handiwork of the Azeri troops and a mob, who were allegedly ‘punishing the local people for having given shelter to a madman named Ghazar.’ Some of them were killed in the village, whereas others were either put to sword, or wounded while escaping to the city...”

National Archives of Armenia, fund 409, list 1, file 2644, p. 22.
Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 338.

On permission of the provincial authorities, in 1910 the inhabitants of Azat founded a new village of the same name at the foot of the same mountain branch, a little northeast of their former place of living. https://artsakhmonuments.org/public/am/locations/905
By 1926 it had grown into a prospering village: “It is only 16 years since older Suluk was abandoned due to its unfavourable position and a new Suluk was founded in a plain. It is the first Armenian village to have well-measured, regular houses and streets that are between 7 and 8 sazhens wide. They are planted with trees such as apples, pears, nuts, lindens, etc. and have channels flowing along them. Every house has its own garden with fruit trees, and its kitchen garden where Jerusalem artichoke, beans, cabbage, radish and other vegetables are grown. All this represents a huge but modest garden that attracts and fascinates you. The dwellings are mostly tiled and double-storied...”

“Tifliski Listok,” 1912, No. 119, p. 3.
“Martakoch,” No. 180, 10 August 1926.
Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 338.

Type Photo
View General
Direction From the south-east
Author Samvel Karapetyan
Source Black-and-white negative
Date 1980 — 1982 yy․

Type Photo
View General
Direction From the west
Author Samvel Karapetyan
Source Black-and-white negative
Date 1980 — 1982 yy․

Type Photo
Direction From the south-west
Author Hovhannes Badalian
Source Colour Negative

Name	Year/Century	Etymology
Suluk
Suluq

The available statistical records on the number of the local population between the early 19th and late 20th centuries represent the following picture:

Dates	Armenian Houses	Armenians (Male)	Armenians (Female)	Total (Armenians)	Notes	Source
1804	14	26	14	40		Collected Acts of the Caucasian Archaeological Commission, vol. 2, Tiflis, 1868, p. 596; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 336.
1839	12	38	24	62		National Archives of Armenia, fund 53, list 1, file 3800, p. 30; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 336.
1845		60	57	117		National Archives of Armenia, fund 53, list 1, file 3811, pp. 4-5; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 336.
1847		63	59	112		National Archives of Armenia, fund 53, list 1, file 3814, pp. 95-96; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 336.
1849		75	61	136		National Archives of Armenia, fund 53, list 1, file 3818, pp. 95-96; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 336.
1852		84	77	161		National Archives of Armenia, fund 53, list 1, file 3819, pp. 105-106; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 337.
1861	13					National Archives of Armenia, fund 53, list 1, file 3835, pp. 147-148; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 337.
1866	23	112	74	186		National Archives of Armenia, fund 53, list 1, file 3848, p. 57; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 337.
1872		109	91	200		National Archives of Armenia, fund 53, list 1, file 3872, pp. 62-63; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 337.
1873				149		National Archives of Armenia, fund 53, list 1, file 3862, pp. 39-40; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 337.
1876				164		National Archives of Armenia, fund 53, list 1, file 3868, pp. 57-58; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 337.
1877		95	76	171		National Archives of Armenia, fund 53, list 1, file 3869, pp. 54-55; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 337.
1878		97	79	176		National Archives of Armenia, fund 53, list 1, file 3870, pp. 22-23; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 337.
1881		114	94	208		National Archives of Armenia, fund 53, list 1, file 3873, pp. 27-28; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 337.
1882		117	100	217		National Archives of Armenia, fund 53, list 1, file 3874, p. 30; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 337.
1883		119	101	220		National Archives of Armenia, fund 53, list 1, file 3875, pp. 56-57; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 337.
1885		165	145	310		National Archives of Armenia, fund 53, list 1, file 3877, p. 29; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 337.
1886	52	189	164	353	Another source reports 24 houses (“Ardzagank,” 1886, No. 20, p. 294).	Yelizavetpol Province: A Statistical Survey Based on the Family Lists of Caucasia's Population. Tiflis, 1888, pp. 86-87; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 337.
1887		170	152	322		National Archives of Armenia, fund 53, list 1, file 3880, p. 72; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 337.
1888		175	160	335		National Archives of Armenia, fund 53, list 1, file 3882, p. 130; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 337.
1889		179	170	349		National Archives of Armenia, fund 53, list 1, file 3884, pp. 226-227; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 337.
1890		186	178	364		National Archives of Armenia, fund 53, list 1, file 3887, p. 149; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 337.
1891	50	192	181	373		National Archives of Armenia, fund 53, list 1, file 3889, p. 148. Also see Barkhutariants, M. Artsakh. Baku, 1895, p. 270; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 337.
1892		197	188	385		National Archives of Armenia, fund 53, list 1, file 3869, p. 120; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 337.
1893		205	200	405		National Archives of Armenia, fund 53, list 1, file 3895, pp. 77-78; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 337.
1894		208	205	413		National Archives of Armenia, fund 53, list 1, file 3896, pp. 173-174; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 337.
1897		228	229	455		National Archives of Armenia, fund 53, list 1, file 3899, pp. 146-147; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 337.
1898		236	237	473		National Archives of Armenia, fund 53, list 1, file 3897, p. 168; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 337.
1899		241	244	485		National Archives of Armenia, fund 53, list 1, file 3903, pp. 126-127; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 337.
1900		252	266	518		National Archives of Armenia, fund 53, list 1, file 3905, pp. 91-92; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 337.
1901		263	273	536		National Archives of Armenia, fund 53, list 1, file 3906, pp. 97-98; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 337.
1902		256	273	529		National Archives of Armenia, fund 53, list 1, file 3907, pp. 22-23; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 337.
1905		260	275	535		National Archives of Armenia, fund 53, list 1, file 3912, pp. 265-266; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 337.
1906		277	302	579		National Archives of Armenia, fund 53, list 1, file 3915, p. 24; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 337.
1907				503		National Archives of Armenia, fund 56, list 1, file 240, p. 2; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 337.
1908	37	135	120	255	Another statistical source of 1908 mentions 550 inhabitants for that year (Caucasian Calendar for 1910, Tiflis, 1909, p. 175).	National Archives of Armenia, fund 35, list 1, file 559, p. 9; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 337.
1909		271	251	522		National Archives of Armenia, fund 56, list 18, file 764, p. 116; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 337.
1910		150	135	285		National Archives of Armenia, fund 53, list 1, file 3917, pp. 57-58; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 337.
1912		283	261	544		National Archives of Armenia, fund 53, list 1, file 3919, pp. 61-62; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 337.
1914				690		Caucasian Calendar for 1915, Tiflis, 1914, p. 84; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 337.
1917	110			718		Avetissian, M. M. A Reference Book on the Settlements and Population Number of Nagorno Karabakh and Zangezur (1917). In: “Banber Hayastani Arkhivneri,” 1991, No. 3, p. 166; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 337.
1968				500		Soviet Armenian Encyclopedia, vol. 1, Yerevan, 1974, p. 95; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 337.
1976				511		Soviet Azerbaijanian Encyclopedia, vol. 1, Baku, 1976, p. 131; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 337.
1989	154					This number is confirmed by Hovhannes Badalian, who is from Azat. Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 337.