ARTSAKH HISTORICAL MONUMENTS

Kobalt Monuments

Azerbaijan (Country) / Northern Artsakh (Area) / Dashkesan (District) / Kobalt (Village)

Location

Is located on the slope of a gorge lying on the right bank of the river Artinajur, opposite Nerkin Karhat, 2 kilometres east of the district centre.

Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 143.

Name Origin

The village whose name derives from the adjacent mines of cobalt.

Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 143.

Mines
1880 y․

In the late 1880s, Siemens German Company strove hard to gain possession of the aforementioned mines. However, there was another person claiming to their exploitation so that the parties had to apply to a lawcourt. The case was settled in behalf of merchant N. Ter-Nersissiants, an inhabitant of Gandzak and the custodian of Khachakap’s Sourb Targmanchats Monastery. With that regard, he wrote the following in a letter (1890) addressed to Catholicos of All Armenians Makar I, “...I have found some precious cobalt mines in Gandzak District. Although the representative of the Siemens brothers applied every possible foul means, including bribery and various plots, in order to seize them from me, I did manage to win the case by the grace of the Holy Translators and thanks to Your Holiness’ prayers. Having been finally approved as the proprietor of these mines, I have been granted permission to build a mill there and export cobalt...”