ARTSAKH HISTORICAL MONUMENTS

Hak 18 Monuments

NKR (Country) / Kashatagh (District) / Hak (Village)

Location

It is situated on the left bank of Aghavnaget, 1720-1800 m above the sea.

Samvel Karapetian, Armenian Cultural Monuments in the Region of Karabakh, Yerevan, 2001, p. 125.

Historical Introduction
13 c․

Hak first mentioned by Stephanos Orbelian in the XIII cent. It is a village of rich historical past.

Stephanos Orbelian, History of Syunik, Yerevan, 1986, p. 399.
Ghevond Alishan, Sisakan, Venice, 1893, p. 267 (in Arm.).
Samvel Karapetian, Armenian Cultural Monuments in the Region of Karabakh, Yerevan, 2001, p. 125.

The present name of the village Minkand brought some investigators, including us, to conclusion that it should be the phonetic distortion of the toponym Mnni, mentioned by Orbelian.

Moms Hasratian, Historical and Archaeological Researches, Yerevan, 1985, p. 155 (in Arm.).
Armen Karagyozian, On Localization of the Kashatagh District, "Lraber", 1987, N 1, p. 43 (in Rus.).
S. Karapetian, Pages of the Liberated Village Mnni", "Haireniki Dzain", 1993, N 27, p. 5.
Samvel Karapetian, Armenian Cultural Monuments in the Region of Karabakh, Yerevan, 2001, p. 125.

Description

Nevertheless, the location of Hak, as indicated in the Chronicle, exactly corresponds to the present Minkand (the list places it between Herik and Yeznagomer). This village, which was obviously densely populated in the Middle Ages, had to pay the second largest tithe in the district of Aghahejk. Actually, Orbelian mentions 15 measures of tithe against the name of Hak, while Mnni, listed in the same Annex had to pay tithe amounting to 6 measures only. Finally, the name of Hak was engraved on the wall of the local church in 1675 (still preserved).

Samvel Karapetian, Armenian Cultural Monuments in the Region of Karabakh, Yerevan, 2001, p. 125.

Etymology

This is the most crucial argument against the former opinion about the identity of Mnni and Minkand, which seemed so convincing. As regards the origin of the toponym Minkand, in conformity with a legend, it was the 1000th settlement (‘Min’ = thousand and ‘kand’ -village) invaded by Tamerlan during his campaigns.

A. Ghanalanian, Armenian Legends, Yerevan, 1969, p. 1969 (in Arm.).
Armenian Legends and Traditions, Moscow, 1990, p. 33 (in Russ.).
Samvel Karapetian, Armenian Cultural Monuments in the Region of Karabakh, Yerevan, 2001, p. 125.

Population
18 c․

Monuments of various functional assignments testify that up to the beginning of the 18th cent Hak was populated by Armenians. It was reinhabited again by the Armenian families of Khndzoresk in 1841. The fact that “the residents of Khndzoresk re-settled in Minkand, subject to the Tatev Monastery...” (1856) was testified by archive records. However, by that time the population of the village was not homogenous.

A-Do, Armenian-Turkish Conflicts of 1905-1906 in the Caucasus, Yerevan, 1907, p. 255 (in Arm.).
SCHARA, F. 56, L. 14, v. 205, p. 19 (in Arm.).
Samvel Karapetian, Armenian Cultural Monuments in the Region of Karabakh, Yerevan, 2001, p. 125.

Historical Introduction

The Armenians of Minkand settled in separate quarters, on the southern slope of the canyon descending to the Aghavnaget, exactly in the place where the boundaries of the historical Hak are outlined.

Samvel Karapetian, Armenian Cultural Monuments in the Region of Karabakh, Yerevan, 2001, p. 126.

Population
20 c․

At the beginning of the XX cent the Armenians of Minkand “... owned good houses, often double storied, covered by tin roofs. Their main occupation was agriculture and stockbreeding, sometimes trade. They ran 21 shops with various goods. They had their own school in a separate building, where even the Turkish children were educated...”.

A-Do, Armenian-Turkish Conflicts of 1905-1906 in the Caucasus, Yerevan, 1907, p. 255.
Samvel Karapetian, Armenian Cultural Monuments in the Region of Karabakh, Yerevan, 2001, p. 126.

Armenian-Turkish Fights of 1905 to 1906
1905 y․

The Armenian-Turkish conflicts of 1905 involved also Minkand. During four full days (Aug. 19-22, 1905) fierce mobs, consisting both of locals and outsiders had been killing and robbing the unprotected Armenians. Of 696 Armenian residents - 198 were killed and 42 were taken hostages. Their whole property was plundered and their houses - set aflame. Later (on Aug. 25, 1905) five Armenians were released by the nomads, settling nearby Shushi, and 37 more were released by the Turks, of Mooghan steppe.

A-Do, Armenian-Turkish Conflicts of 1905-1906 in the Caucasus, Yerevan, 1907, p. 259.
SCHARA, f. 56,1. 4, case 422, p. 5.
"Arshaluys", 1905, Sept. 6, N 6, p. 2 (in Arm.).
Samvel Karapetian, Armenian Cultural Monuments in the Region of Karabakh, Yerevan, 2001, p. 126.

Historical Introduction
1918 y․

Generally the Kurds of Minkand stood out for their particular violence against the Armenians. Khosrov Bek Sultanov, the main organizer of Armenian pogroms in Baku, taken place in 1918, came from this village. “His brothers, Sultan and Iskander had been the organizers of the most cruel and fierce raids to the villages inhabited by Armenians (Vank, Balluja, etc.). The settlement founded by French Mission in Haji Samlu was cruelly plundered and destroyed by Sultan Bek.”

G. A. Hovhannissian, Establishment of the Sovit Power in Nagorno-Karabakh, Yerevan, 1971, p. 102 (in Arm.).
Samvel Karapetian, Armenian Cultural Monuments in the Region of Karabakh, Yerevan, 2001, p. 126.

1913 y․

The provincial Court of Gandzak proceeded to the hearing of the case of the massacre of Minkand Armenians as late as in 1913 only. “... There were about 200 claims at the beginning, but because of the weakness of factual evidence, the number of claims reduced to 33”. Finally, upon the hearings, which lasted 7 days, the provincial Court resolved that: “of thirty people convicted for the massacre of about 250 Minkand Armenians, including young women and girls: one of the thirty convicts should be acquitted, one - sentenced for capital punishment, 23 convicts – sentenced for penal servitude for the terms ranging from 8 to 12 years, five - sentenced for 8 months imprisonment, and the last - should serve in prison for 4 months”, thus ruling the whole population of the nearby villages, and, primarily, Minkand Kurds at large. After the proceedings “in spite of all the atrocities committed by the Muslim co-villagers, which they had eyewitnessed, Armenian peasants, being accustomed to their homes, land and water returned within some time to Minkand, restored their demolished houses and repaired their broken ploughs...”

"Horizon", 1913, N 136, p. 4; N 129, p. 4; N 146, p. 3 (in Arm.).
Samvel Karapetian, Armenian Cultural Monuments in the Region of Karabakh, Yerevan, 2001, pp. 126-127..

Priests
1916 y․

In 1916 Mikael Ter-Minassian, inhabitant of the same village was ordained a priest.

"Ararat", 1916, Sept.- Oct., p. 636 (in Arm.).
Samvel Karapetian, Armenian Cultural Monuments in the Region of Karabakh, Yerevan, 2001, p. 127.

Resettlement
1918 y․

But the worse was still to come. In 1918 the Armenians were finally expelled from the village. They resettled mainly in Khnatsakh, Khoznavar and adjacent villages.

Samvel Karapetian, Armenian Cultural Monuments in the Region of Karabakh, Yerevan, 2001, p. 127.

Historical Introduction
1921 y․

In 1921 the village was included into Soviet Azerbaijan, and this meant that the Armenians could never even dream of returning to Minkand, as during the whole period of its existence the list of the settlements emptied of Armenians was constantly expanding.

Samvel Karapetian, Armenian Cultural Monuments in the Region of Karabakh, Yerevan, 2001, p. 127.

Population
1981 y․

In 1981 already the population of Minkand consisted of 2306 people, mainly assimilated Kurds. Actually, it was the densest populated village of Lachin district.

Azerbaijanian Soviet Encyclopaedia, vol. VI, Baku, 1982, p. 578 (in Azerb.).
Samvel Karapetian, Armenian Cultural Monuments in the Region of Karabakh, Yerevan, 2001, p. 127.

Historical Introduction
1988 — 1992 yy․

With the resurrection of Artsakh liberation movement, the residents of Minkand took to plunder again. During 1988-1992 they were regularly trespassing the border of the Republic of Armenia, to Sisian and Goris regions, mainly for the purpose of hijack -kidnapping or killing the shepherds and stealing the livestock.

Samvel Karapetian, Armenian Cultural Monuments in the Region of Karabakh, Yerevan, 2001, p. 127.

1993 y․

The hope of Minkand Armenians, expressed in 1905, that “God will not leave our blood unretaliated” was fulfilled only in spring 1992, when the Armenians finally liberated Minkand.

"Horizon", 1913, N 146, p. 3 (in Arm.).
Samvel Karapetian, Armenian Cultural Monuments in the Region of Karabakh, Yerevan, 2001, p. 127.

Quarters populated by Armenians before 1918 Type Photo
Author Samvel Karapetian
Source Black-and-white negative

Name	Year/Century	Etymology
Minkyand

The number of Armenians in this village at the end of the XIX - beginning of the XX cent was indicated by the registers:

Dates	Armenian Houses	Armenians (Male)	Armenians (Female)	Total (Armenians)	Notes	Source
1886	47	246	207	453	The village of the time being had 23 Kurdish households (147 residents).	Yelisavetpol Province, Statistical Up-Date, extracted from the Family Lists of the Caucasus Population, Tiflis, 1888, p. 140-141 (in Russian); Gh. Alishan, Sisakan, Venice, 1893, p. 101 (in Arm.); Samvel Karapetian, Armenian Cultural Monuments in the Regi
1897	85			556		A-Do, Armenian-Turkish Conflicts of 1905-1906 in the Caucasus, Yerevan, 1907, p. 245; Samvel Karapetian, Armenian Cultural Monuments in the Region of Karabakh, Yerevan, 2001, p. 125.
1901		270	228	498		SCHARA, f. 56, L. 14, c. 205, p. 27-28 (in Arm.); Samvel Karapetian, Armenian Cultural Monuments in the Region of Karabakh, Yerevan, 2001, p. 125.
1905				696		A-Do, Armenian-Turkish Conflicts of 1905-1906 in the Caucasus, Yerevan, 1907, p. 259; Samvel Karapetian, Armenian Cultural Monuments in the Region of Karabakh, Yerevan, 2001, p. 125.
1918				811		SCHARA, F. 150,1. 1, c. 59, p. 5 (in Arm.); Samvel Karapetian, Armenian Cultural Monuments in the Region of Karabakh, Yerevan, 2001, p. 125.