ARTSAKH HISTORICAL MONUMENTS

Ghushchi-Ayrum Monuments

Azerbaijan (Country) / Northern Artsakh (Area) / Ghazakh (District) / Ghushchi-Ayrum (Village)

Location

The village is located 22 kilometres west of the district centre, at an altitude of 820 to 900 metres above sea level.

Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 308.

Historical Introduction
19 c․

The Ayrums, representing a tribe of Turkish stock-breeders, changed to a sedentary life in the site of a derelict ancient Armenian village in the late 19th century.

Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 308.

Population
1864 y․

As of 1864, however, the nomadic community of Ghushchi-Ayrum, that comprised 176 families, lived scattered not only throughout the district but in the neighbouring country as well. The following record gives us an eloquent picture about the location of the houses of the members of this tribe, “Four families within twenty versts, three houses situated still farther, i.e. within fifteen versts, another family within thirty versts and twelve more houses within ten versts. Besides, three families of this tribe live in Karabakh and two in Persia. Thus, house by house should be registered to finally achieve their true number, i.e. 176 families…”

Meves, V. Articles on Yelizavetpol District. In: “Kavkaz,” 1865, No. 85, p. 420 (the Russian original reads, “Верст за 20 отсюда живут 4 дыма, дальше верст 15 живут 3 дыма; дальше, верст 30 в сторону, живет 1 дым; дальше, верстах в 10, живут 12 дымов; в Карабахе 3 дыма, в Персии 2 дыма. И так продолжает высчитывать всех поименно, пока не составится 176 дымов...”).
Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 308.

The available statistical data on the number of the local population represent the following picture:

Dates	Turkish Houses	Turks (Male)	Turks (Female)	Total (Turks)	Notes	Source
1886	59	221	105	326		Yelizavetpol Province: A Statistical Survey Based on the Family Lists of Caucasia's Population. Tiflis, 1888, pp. 148-149; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 308.
1908				444		Caucasian Calendar for 1910, Tiflis, 1909, p. 303; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 308.
1914				462		Caucasian Calendar for 1915, Tiflis, 1914, p. 149; Karapetian, Samvel. Northern Artsakh, Yerevan, 2007, p. 308.