Wikipedia

Stepanakert

(Redirected from Khankendi)
"Xankəndi" redirects here. For other uses, see Xankəndi (disambiguation).

Stepanakert (Armenian: Ստեփանակերտ, romanized: Stepʻanakert, Eastern pronunciation: [stɛpʰɑnɑˈkɛɾt]) or Khankendi (Azerbaijani: Xankəndi, pronounced [xɑncænˈdi] ⓘ) is a city in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. The city was under the control and the capital city of the breakaway Republic of Artsakh prior to the 2023 Azerbaijani offensive in the region. The city is located in a valley on the eastern slopes of the Karabakh mountain range, on the left bank of the Qarqarçay (Karkar) river.[5]

Stepanakert / Khankendi
Ստեփանակերտ
Xankəndi
City
From top left: Holy Mother of God Cathedral Renaissance Square • Downtown Stepanakert Stepanakert Airport • Stepanakert skyline Park Hotel Artsakh  • We Are Our Mountains Artsakh University  • Stepanakert Memorial
From top left:
Holy Mother of God Cathedral
Renaissance Square • Downtown Stepanakert
Stepanakert Airport • Stepanakert skyline
Park Hotel Artsakh  • We Are Our Mountains
Artsakh University  • Stepanakert Memorial
Stepanakert / Khankendi is located in Azerbaijan
Stepanakert / Khankendi
Stepanakert / Khankendi
Location of Stepanakert/Khankendi in Azerbaijan and its Karabakh Economic Region.
Stepanakert / Khankendi is located in Karabakh Economic Region
Stepanakert / Khankendi
Stepanakert / Khankendi
Stepanakert / Khankendi (Karabakh Economic Region)
Coordinates: 39°48′55″N 46°45′7″E / 39.81528°N 46.75194°E / 39.81528; 46.75194
CountryAzerbaijan
RegionKarabakh
City status1940[1]
Government
 • President's special representativeElchin Yusubov[2]
Area
 • Total
29.12 km2 (11.24 sq mi)
Elevation
813 m (2,667 ft)
Population
 (2021)[3]
 • Total
75,000
 • Density2,600/km2 (6,700/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC 4 (GMT 4)
Area code 994 26
Sources: Stepanakert city area and population[4]

The area that would become Stepanakert was originally an Armenian settlement named Vararakn.[6] During the Soviet period, the city was made the capital of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast, becoming a hub for economic and industrial activity.[1] In addition, the city became a hotbed for political activity, serving as the center for Armenian demonstrations calling for the unification of Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia. Stepanakert suffered extensive damage following the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the outbreak of the First Nagorno-Karabakh War and passed into the hands of local Armenians with the establishment of the Republic of Artsakh. During the control by the Armenians, the city was a regional center of education and culture, being home to Artsakh University, musical schools, and a palace of culture. The economy was based on the service industry and had varied enterprises, food processing, wine making, and silk weaving being the most important.[5] As of 2021, the population of Stepanakert was 75,000.[7]

In September 2023, Azerbaijani authorities took control of the city, with almost the entire Armenian population forced to flee to Armenia ahead of the advancing Azerbaijani forces.[8] It was an abandoned ghost city[a] for a year; Azerbaijan began settling new permanent residents in the city in September 2024 with the opening of Karabakh University.[13]

Etymology

Medieval Armenian sources attest to a settlement in the locale called Vararakn (Armenian: Վարարակն, lit. 'rapid spring').[14][1] In 1847, the village was officially renamed from Vararakn to Khankendi by the Russian authorities;[15] however, Vararakn remained the local Armenian name for the town until 1923.[16]

Most Azerbaijani sources claim that the settlement was built in late 18th century, as a place of rest for the heads of the Karabakh Khanate. In the first years, it was known as "Khan's village" (Azerbaijani: Xanın kəndi) because only the khan's family and his relatives lived there. By the 19th century, the settlement was renamed Khankendi ("village of the khan" in Azerbaijani).[17]

The town was renamed Stepanakert ("city of Stepan") in 1923, after Armenian Bolshevik revolutionary Stepan Shahumian. The name is formed from the words Stepan (Armenian: Ստեփան) and kert (Armenian: կերտ, lit. 'created').[1]

History

Founding and Soviet era

 
19th century Russian postcard of Shusha with the garrison of Khankendi in the distance.

According to medieval Armenian sources, the settlement was originally an Armenian village named Vararakn (Armenian: Վարարակն).[6] From the 10th–16th centuries, the settlement was a part of the Armenian Principality of Khachen. Over the centuries, it would successively pass into the hands of the meliks of Karabakh and the Karabakh khans before coming under the control of the Russian Empire in 1822.[5]

In the Russian Empire, the town was a part of the Shusha uezd of the Elizavetpol Governorate.[5] According to the 19th-century author Raffi, in 1826, the local Armenian meliks met with the Persian crown prince Abbas Mirza, who had invaded Karabakh with his army,[18] in the village to reconcile with the Persians and ensure the safety of the Karabakh Armenian population.[19] In 1847, Vararakn was a village of about 132 houses, consisting of 80 Armenian households, 52 Russian households, an Armenian church, and a cemetery.[20] That same year, the village was renamed from Vararakn to Khankendi.[15] By 1886, there were 52 houses in the settlement. The population of Khankendi consisted of retired soldiers and their descendants, who belonged to the Russian Orthodox Church. The population was engaged in agriculture, as well as various crafts, carriage, the renting of apartments (mainly to military personnel), and so on.[21] After 1898, the tsarist government turned Khankendi into a Russian military garrison.[17] The garrison consisted of barracks, hospitals, and a church, as well as several houses where officers' families and a small local population, who supplied the military units with food, lived. The local population consisted of Armenians and Azerbaijanis.[22]

 
The Presidential Palace, formerly the building of the Supreme Soviet of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast.

In February 1920, after a body thought to be of an Azerbaijani soldier was found, an anti-Armenian riot took place in the village that claimed several hundred lives.[23][24] Following the massacre of the Armenian population of Shusha in March 1920, the city received an influx of Armenians; as a result, Armenians formed the majority of the population from that time onwards.[25] In the summer of 1920, the city was occupied by part of the Red Army.[5] In 1923, Khankendi was renamed Stepanakert by the Soviet government in honor of Stepan Shahumian, a fallen Bolshevik party member and leader of the 26 Baku Commissars. The former regional capital was Shusha. However, following the depopulation of Armenians in Shusha, the capital of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO) was sited in Stepanakert.[1] At the time of the formation of the NKAO, Stepanakert was a dilapidated settlement, where the number of surviving buildings barely reached 10 to 15. Some of the buildings were completely destroyed, others lacked doors and windows, while only walls remained from a number of buildings. During the first years of the oblast, some of the buildings were restored and many were rebuilt, roads were improved, and electricity and telephone communications were installed in the city.[26] In time, Stepanakert grew to become the region's most important city (a status it received in 1940). Its population rose from 10,459 in 1939 to 33,000 in 1978.[1]

In 1926, municipal authorities adopted a new city layout designed by Aleksandr Tamanian; two additional designs for expansion were approved in the 1930s and 1960s, both of which retained Tamanian's initial plan.[14] Several schools and two polyclinics were established, and an Armenian drama theater was founded in 1932 and named after Maxim Gorky.[1] In 1960, the ensemble of the central square of Stepanakert was built with the building of the regional committee (now the NKR government).[27] This square, then named after Lenin, became the arena of many rallies demanding the transfer of the NKAO to the Armenian SSR. By 1968, the first outbreak of ethnic violence occurred in Stepanakert. In the city, a trial was held over an Azerbaijani director of the city school who was accused of murdering an Armenian girl. The Armenians, who considered the verdict of the Azerbaijani judge too lenient, gathered outside the court building and burned the car which the criminal and judge were in.[28]

Stepanakert served as Nagorno-Karabakh's main economic hub, and by the mid-1980s there were nineteen factories in operation in the city, including an electrical and asphalt plant.[14] By the end of the Soviet era, Stepanakert had an agricultural technical school, a pedagogical institute, a medical and music school, a local history museum, and a drama theater.[27]

First Nagorno-Karabakh War and Armenian control

Main article: Stepanakert in the Republic of Artsakh
 
Renaissance Square.
 
Freedom Fighters' Boulevard in central Stepanakert.

The political and economic reforms that General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev undertook in 1985 saw a marked decentralization of Soviet authority. Armenians, in both the Armenian SSR and Nagorno-Karabakh, viewed Gorbachev's reform program as an opportunity to unite the two together. On 20 February 1988, tens of thousands of Armenians gathered to demonstrate in Stepanakert's Lenin Square (now Renaissance Square) to demand that the region be joined to Armenia. On the same day, the Supreme Soviet of Nagorno-Karabakh voted to join the Armenian SSR, a move strongly opposed by the Soviet Azerbaijani authorities.[29]

Relations between Stepanakert's Armenians and Azerbaijanis, who supported the Azerbaijani government's position, deteriorated in the following years. Inter-ethnic strife in the city in September 1988, encompassing physical attacks and burning of property, forced nearly all Azerbaijanis to flee the city. The Soviet Army took up positions in the city and announced a curfew three days later.[30][31] In 1990 the army dispatched special forces units and various other elements to Stepanakert in order to prevent its takeover by Azerbaijani forces.[32]

After Azerbaijan declared its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, Stepanakert was renamed Khankendi by the Azerbaijani government. Fighting broke out over control of Nagorno-Karabakh, which, after three years of war, resulted in Armenian control of the region and a connecting corridor to Armenia to the west. Prior to the conflict, Stepanakert was the largest city of the NKAO, with a population of 70,000 out of a total 189,000 (Armenians at the time comprised 75% of the region's total population).[33] By early 1992, that figure had dropped to 50,000.[34]

 
A T-72 tank memorial from the First Karabakh War.

During the war, the city suffered immense damage from Azerbaijani bombardment, especially in early 1992 when the Azerbaijanis positioned BM-21 Grad rocket artillery in Shusha and rained down missiles over Stepanakert. A journalist for Time noted in an April 1992 article that "scarcely a single building [had] escaped damage in Stepanakert."[34] It was not until 9 May 1992, with the capture of Shusha, that the ground bombardment ceased. The city, nevertheless, continued to suffer aerial bombardment until the end of the war. As a result, the majority of the city was in a severely damaged state.[35] As of 2016, the city had not been completely restored from the war.[5]

The city came under intense bombardment once again during the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War in 2020. Residential areas were continuously hit by the Azerbaijani Army with cluster munitions throughout the war, starting on the first day of fighting, and residents were urged to use the city's bomb shelters.[36][37][38] As Azerbaijani forces advanced on the city of Shusha, the Lachin corridor was shut down by Artsakh authorities.[39]

With Azerbaijani forces 15 km (9.3 mi) from the capital, a ceasefire agreement was signed on 10 November. As part of the agreement, Russian peacekeepers were deployed to the region.[40] Following the war, the population of Stepanakert swelled to 75,000 residents as a result of some 10,000 to 15,000 displaced people who lost their homes elsewhere in the Republic of Artsakh during the war.[7]

Control by Azerbaijan

 
President Ilham Aliyev raised the Flag of Azerbaijan over the city on 15 October 2023

On 19–20 September 2023 Azerbaijan launched a new offensive in the region, which ended in a ceasefire and led to a mass exodus of ethnic Armenians a few days later. By 29 September 2023, police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Artsakh left all their weapons in Stepanakert and completely abandoned the region.[41] Azerbaijani police vehicles began patrolling the area on 29 September and the Azerbaijani flag was placed on the city's We Are Our Mountains monument.[42][43][8] From 1 October, Azerbaijani officials began working from the former Artsakh police headquarters,[44] Azerbaijan took over responsibility for medical services in the city[45] and its area was covered by the Azerbaijani mobile networks.[46][47] An Al Jazeera news crew reported from the city later that day, showing deserted streets in what the reporter described as "A ghost town with no soul left".[48]

After the offensive and Armenian exodus, sources reported that Azerbaijani authorities issued a map of Stepanakert renaming one of the streets after Enver Pasha, one of the main perpetrators of the Armenian genocide.[49][50] An Azerbaijani official disputed this during a case at the International Court of Justice, saying that "No streets in Khankandi have been renamed".[51]

President Ilham Aliyev visited the city on 15 October and officially raised the flag of Azerbaijan at the building that was previously used as the Artsakh Presidential Palace.[52]

In December 2023, the first football match since the resumption of Azerbaijani control was played between MOIK Baku and Qarabağ FK from Aghdam in the Azerbaijan Cup.[53][54]

In the following months, Azerbaijani authorities dismantled monuments symbolizing Artsakh, including the Giant Cross and the Eagle Monument,[55][56] and statues of prominent Armenians in the city, among them, Stepan Shahumyan (after whom Stepanakert is named),[57] Charles Aznavour[58] and Alexander Myasnikyan.[59]

In early March 2024, Azerbaijani authorities demolished the National Assembly of Artsakh Building and the Artsakh Freedom Fighters Union Building.[60][61] In November 2024, reports emerged that Azerbaijan demolished the historical Armenian center of the city.[62][63]

Culture and economy during Armenian inhabitation

Main article: Stepanakert in the Republic of Artsakh
 
We Are Our Mountains
 
Cathedral of the Holy Mother of God

The Vahram Papazyan Drama Theater of Stepanakert was founded in 1932. In 1967, the monumental complex of Stepanakert known as We Are Our Mountains was erected to the north of Stepanakert,[64] It is widely regarded as a symbol of the Armenian heritage of the historic Artsakh.[65] After the independence of Armenia, many cultural and youth centres were reopened. The cultural palace of the city was named after Charles Aznavour.[66]

Stepanakert was home to the Mesrop Mashtots Republican Library opened in 1924, Artsakh History Museum opened in 1939, Hovhannes Tumanyan Children's Library opened in 1947, Stepanakert National Gallery opened in 1982, and the Memorial Museum of the Martyred Liberators opened in 2002. A new cultural complex of the Armenian heritage of Artsakh was under construction.[67]

The Artsakh State Museum, based in Stepanakert, had an important collection of ancient artifacts and Christian manuscripts.[68]

Education

 
The Union of Artsakh Freedom Fighters

Stepanakert was the center of higher education in Artsakh.[5] Five higher educational institutions operated in the city:

  • Artsakh State University, founded in 1969 as a branch of the Baku Pedagogical Institute. In 1973, it was renamed Stepanakert Pedagogical Institute and following the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh, in 1992, it received its current status. The university offered courses spread across seven departments and has 4,500 students.[69]
  • Stepanakert campus of the Armenian National Agrarian University.[70]
  • Grigor Narekatsi University (private).[71]
  • Mesrop Mashtots University (private).[71]
  • Gyurjyan Institute for Applied Arts (private).[71]

Many new schools in Stepanakert were opened from the late 1990s to 2010 with the help of the Armenian diaspora.[72] Existing schools were also renovated with donations from the diaspora.[73]

The Stepanakert branch of Tumo Center for Creative Technologies was opened in September 2015, as a result of continued cooperation between the Tumo Centre and the Armenian General Benevolent Union, with the support of mobile operator Karabakh Telecom.[74][75]

Sport

 
Stepanakert Republican Stadium

Football was a popular sport in Nagorno-Karabakh and the city has a renovated football stadium. Since the mid-1990s, football teams from Karabakh started taking part in some domestic competitions in Armenia. Lernayin Artsakh is the football club that represents the city of Stepanakert. The Artsakh national football league was launched in 2009.[76]

The non-FIFA affiliated Artsakh national football team was formed in 2012 and played their first competitive match against the unrecognized Abkhazia national football team in Sukhumi on 17 September 2012. The match ended with a 1–1 draw.[77][78] The following month, on 21 October 2012, Artsakh played the return match at the Stepanakert Republican Stadium against Abkhazia, winning it with a result of 3–0.[79]

There was also interest in other sports, including basketball and volleyball.

Artsakh athletes also took part with the representing teams and athletes in the Pan-Armenian Games, organized in Armenia.[80]

As an unrecognized entity, the athletes of Artsakh competed in international sports competitions under the flag of Armenia.[76]

Twin towns – sister cities

Main article: List of twin towns and sister cities in the Republic of Artsakh

Stepanakert was twinned with:

  • Montebello, United States: On 25 September 2005, Montebello, California and Stepanakert became sister cities. This prompted a complaint by the ambassador of Azerbaijan to the United States, Hafiz Pashayev, who sent a letter to California leaders, stating that the decision jeopardized peace talks between his country and Armenia.[81] The letter was sent to then-California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who deferred the letter to Montebello mayor Bill Molinari since it concerned a local, not a state, issue. Molinari responded to Pashayev that the city would go ahead with its plans to inaugurate Stepanakert under the sister city program.[81] Stepanakert's relationship with Montebello is aimed at revitalizing the capital's economic infrastructure and building cultural and educational ties, as well as developing trade and health care between the two cities. Azerbaijan has described this as a contradictory foreign policy of the United States that supports the NKR government and Armenian aggression against Azerbaijan.[82]
  • Mairiporã, Brazil: Since June 18, 2018, Law 3767/18 has made Eternal Armenia the name that declares Sister Cities the Municipalities of Mairiporã, State of São Paulo, and Stepanakert, capital of the self-declared Nagorno-Karabakh Republic which triggered an alert from Itamaraty, Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on the attitude of the Municipality as Brazil does not recognize the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh.[83]

Friendship declarations

  • On 22 May 1998, Stepanakert and the commune of Villeurbanne in France signed a Friendship Declaration.[84]
  • On 28 September 2012, Stepanakert and Yerevan, Armenia, the capitals of the two Armenian republics, became friends after signing a partnership agreement.[85]
  • On 15 September 2014, San Sebastián, Spain, and Stepanakert signed a cooperation agreement.[86]
  • On 17 May 2015, Stepanakert and the commune of Valence in France signed a Friendship Declaration.[84]
  • On 3 February 2016, Stepanakert signed a Friendship Declaration with the municipality of Franco da Rocha, Brazil.[84]
  • On 23 July 2019, Stepanakert signed a Friendship Declaration with the City of Ryde, Australia.[87]

Religion

The late-19th-century church of Vararakn was destroyed in the 1930s to build the Stepanakert Drama Theatre. Throughout the rest of the Soviet era, there were no traditional churches in Stepanakert, although most of the population of the city were members of the Armenian Apostolic Church.[88]

The church of Surp Hakob (or Saint James) was opened in 2007; it remained the only open church in the city until 2019. The church was financed by Nerses Yepremian from Los Angeles. The church was consecrated on 9 May 2007, in honor of the 15th anniversary of the capture of Shusha by Armenian forces.[89]

The construction of the Holy Mother of God Cathedral was launched on 19 July 2006. The cost of the project was expected to be around US$2 million and the architect of the church is Gagik Yeranosyan.[90] However, the construction process was slow due to a lack of financial resources. The inauguration of the church was expected to take place in September 2016.[91] Construction finished and the church was opened in 2019.[92]

There was small community of Armenian Evangelicals with around 500 members. The only Armenian evangelical church in Artsakh was located in Stepanakert. The Evangelical community supported many schools, hospitals and other institutions through the help of the Armenian Diaspora.[93]

Economy

 
Stepanakert Bazaar (Shuka)

The city was a regional center of education and culture, being home to Artsakh University, musical schools, and a palace of culture. The economy was based on the service industry and has varied enterprises, food processing, wine making, and silk weaving being the most important.[5] In 2021, the population of Stepanakert was 75,000.[7]

Stepanakert was the center of the economy of Artsakh. Prior to the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, the economy of Stepanakert was mainly based on food-processing industries, silk weaving and winemaking.[14] Inhabitants also engaged in producing furniture and footwear.[5] The economy was severely damaged due to the 1988 earthquake in Armenia and the First Nagorno Karabakh war.[94] In the years following, the economy was developed further, mainly due to investments from the Armenian diaspora. However, following the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, the economy once again experienced severe damage, particularly in the tourism sector.[95]

The most developed sectors of Stepanakert and the rest of the Republic of Artsakh are tourism and services. Several hotels were opened by diasporan Armenians from Russia, the United States and Australia.[96] Artsakhbank was the largest banking services provider in Artsakh, while Karabakh Telecom was the leading provider of mobile telecommunications and other communication services.

Stepanakert was also home to many large industrial firms, including Stepanakert Brandy Factory, Artsakh Berry food products and Artsakh Footwear Factory. [citation needed]

Construction was also one of the leading sectors in the city. Artsakh Hek is the leading construction firm, while Base Metals was the leader in mining and production of building materials. [citation needed]

Geography and climate

Stepanakert is located on the Karabakh plateau, at an average altitude of 813 m (2,667 ft) above sea level.[97]

The city has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) according to the Köppen climate classification system[98] and an oceanic climate (Do) according to the Trewartha climate classification system.[99] In the month of January, the average temperature drops to 1 °C (34 °F). In July, it averages around 23 °C (73 °F). Extreme temperatures ranged from −15.0 °C (5 °F) on January 8, 1974, to 37.0 °C (99 °F) on July 11, 1978.[100]

Climate data for Stepanakert (1961–1990 normals, extremes 1959–1991)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 16.1
(61.0) 		19.0
(66.2) 		22.8
(73.0) 		30.3
(86.5) 		30.0
(86.0) 		37.0
(98.6) 		37.0
(98.6) 		36.0
(96.8) 		31.0
(87.8) 		25.0
(77.0) 		21.2
(70.2) 		21.0
(69.8) 		37.0
(98.6)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 4.7
(40.5) 		5.2
(41.4) 		9.0
(48.2) 		16.1
(61.0) 		19.5
(67.1) 		24.5
(76.1) 		28.1
(82.6) 		27.1
(80.8) 		23.2
(73.8) 		16.4
(61.5) 		11.4
(52.5) 		7.3
(45.1) 		16.0
(60.9)
Daily mean °C (°F) 1.1
(34.0) 		1.4
(34.5) 		5.1
(41.2) 		11.6
(52.9) 		15.3
(59.5) 		19.8
(67.6) 		23.3
(73.9) 		22.3
(72.1) 		18.7
(65.7) 		12.6
(54.7) 		7.7
(45.9) 		3.7
(38.7) 		11.9
(53.4)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −2.6
(27.3) 		−2.5
(27.5) 		1.1
(34.0) 		7.0
(44.6) 		11.0
(51.8) 		15.1
(59.2) 		18.4
(65.1) 		17.4
(63.3) 		14.2
(57.6) 		8.7
(47.7) 		4.0
(39.2) 		0.1
(32.2) 		7.7
(45.8)
Record low °C (°F) −15.0
(5.0) 		−11.0
(12.2) 		−12.7
(9.1) 		−1.0
(30.2) 		4.0
(39.2) 		6.6
(43.9) 		11.3
(52.3) 		10.9
(51.6) 		6.0
(42.8) 		−2.0
(28.4) 		−6.0
(21.2) 		−8.6
(16.5) 		−15.0
(5.0)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 19
(0.7) 		25
(1.0) 		42
(1.7) 		49
(1.9) 		102
(4.0) 		79
(3.1) 		41
(1.6) 		27
(1.1) 		34
(1.3) 		39
(1.5) 		35
(1.4) 		13
(0.5) 		505
(19.9)
Average precipitation days 6 6 10 10 14 10 4 4 6 6 5 4 85
Source: NOAA[101][100]

Politics and government

During the period of the USSR, Stepanakert served as the capital of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast within the Azerbaijani Soviet Socialist Republic, between 1923 and 1991. With the self-declared independence of Artsakh in 1991, Stepanakert continued with its status as the political and cultural centre of the newly established republic, being home to all the national institutions: the Government House, the National Assembly, the Presidential Palace, the Constitutional Court, all ministries, judicial bodies and other government organizations.[5]

Under the Republic of Artsakh, the city of Stepanakert was governed by the Stepanakert City Council and the mayor of Stepanakert. The last local elections took place in September 2019.[102] The most recent mayor was Davit Sargsyan.[103]

Government buildings

  •  
    The National Assembly
  •  
    The Ministry of Foreign Affairs
  •  
    Government building, 20 February Street

Demographics

Year Armenians Azerbaijanis[b] Others Total
Number % Number % Number %
1897[105] 628 42.0 442 29.6 425 28.4 1,495
1926[104] 2,724 85.4 343 10.8 122 3.8 3,189
1939[104] 9,079 86.8 672 6.4 708 6.8 10,459
1959[104] 17,640 89.5 1,143 5.8 920 4.7 19,703
1970[104] 26,684 88.1 2,762 9.1 847 2.8 30,293
1979[104] 33,898 87.0 4,303 11.0 747 2.0 38,948
September 1988: First Nagorno-Karabakh War: Expulsion of Azerbaijani population[106]
2005[107] 49,848 99.7 2 0.0 136 0.3 49,986
2010[108] 52,900 52,900
2015[109] 55,309 55,309
September–November 2020:Second Nagorno-Karabakh War
2021[7] 75,000 75,000
September 2023: Azerbaijani offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh
2024 c. 24[110] 1,264 [13] 1,288
 
Saint James' Church

According to the data of the Transcaucasian Statistical Committee, extracted from the family lists of 1886, there were 71 houses and 279 residents registered in Khankendi (recorded as Ханкенды, Khankendy in Russian), of which 276 were Russians, 2 Armenians and 1 Tatar (later known as Azerbaijani), who were respectively Orthodox, Armenian Gregorian and Sunni Muslim by religion.[111] According to the Russian Empire Census of 1897, the village, labelled as Khan-kendy (Russian: Ханъ-кенды), had a population of 1,495 consisting of 801 men and 694 women; there were 628 Armenian Apostolics, 442 Muslims, and 394 Orthodox.[105]

According to the 1910 publication of the Caucasian Calendar—a statistical almanac published by the office of the viceroy—there were 362 residents in the village of Khankendy of the Shusha uezd of the Elizavetpol Governorate in 1908, predominantly Russians.[112] The 1912 publication of the Caucasian Calendar registered 1,076 residents, also predominantly Russians.[113] According to the 1915 publication of the Caucasian Calendar, there were 1,550 predominantly Tatar residents in Khankendi.[114] According to the Azerbaijani agricultural census of 1921, Khankendi had a population of 1,208 residents, mostly Armenians.[115] In 1973, Stepanakert had a population of 32,000.[116]

Transport

 
A routed taxicab minibus in Stepanakert
 
Stepanakert Airport

Bus

Stepanakert was served by a number of regular minibus lines. Old Soviet-era buses have been replaced with new modern buses. Regular trips to other provinces of Nagorno-Karabakh were also operated from the city.[117]

Air

Stepanakert was served by the nearby Stepanakert Airport, north of the city near the town of Khojaly. In 2009, facilities reconstruction and repair work began.[118] Though originally scheduled to launch the first commercial flights on 9 May 2011, Karabakh officials postponed a new reopening date throughout the whole of 2011.[119] In May 2012, the director of the NKR's Civil Aviation Administration, Tigran Gabrielyan, announced that the airport would begin operations in summer 2012.[120] However, the airport still remains closed due to political reasons. The OSCE Minsk Group, which mediates the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, stated that "operation of [Stepanakert Airport] cannot be used to support any claim of a change in the status of Nagorno-Karabakh" and "urged the sides to act in accordance with international law and consistent with current practice for flights over their territory."[121]

Railway

Stepanakert used to be connected through a railway line via Aghdam and Barda to the Yevlakh station on the Baku-Tbilisi railway.[122] However, trips were discontinued due to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.[123] As of 2024, the railway is undergoing reconstruction, with the section between Aghdam and Barda expected to reopen in 2025.[124]

Notable people

 
Serzh Sargsyan; third President of Armenia.

Notes

  1. ^ The city was described as a "ghost town" by several sources following the Azerbaijani takeover.[9][10][11][12]
  2. ^ Mentioned as "Muslims" in the 1897 census and "Turks" in the 1926 census.[104]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Hewsen 2001, p. 265
  2. ^ "Xankəndi, Ağdərə və Xocalıda Azərbaycan Prezidentinin xüsusi nümayəndəsi təyin edilib". report.az (in Azerbaijani). 7 March 2024. Retrieved 17 July 2024.
  3. ^ "Figures" (PDF). stat-nkr.am. 2015. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 September 2020. Retrieved 12 April 2016.
  4. ^ "General Characteristics of the NKR" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 September 2015. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Baranchikov 2016, p. 225
  6. ^ a b Everett-Heath 2019, p. X; Hewsen 2001, p. 265; Adalian 2010, p. 553; Mkrtchyan 1985, pp. 124–125; Mutafian, Chorbajian & Donabédian 1994, p. 139; Kuciukian 2003; Baranchikov 2016, p. 225
  7. ^ a b c d Khachatryan, Karen (13 August 2021). Stepan Kocharyan (ed.). "Drought leads to "unprecedented" water crisis in Stepanakert city". armenpress.am. Stepanakert: Armenpress. Archived from the original on 2 July 2022. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
  8. ^ a b "Armenians describe journey to safety after fall of their homeland". The Independent. 29 September 2023. Archived from the original on 30 September 2023. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  9. ^ "Nagorno-Karabakh's abandoned capital transforms under Azerbaijani rule". Eurasianet. 11 January 2024. Retrieved 2 February 2024. It was once the seat of a de facto government. Now it's a ghost town that plays host to projections of its conquerors' power
  10. ^ Nechepurenko, Ivan (17 November 2023). "What's Left When a Long War Suddenly Ends". The New York Times. ISSN 1553-8095. …the Nagorno-Karabakh city of Stepanakert, also known as Khankendi, a ghost town after its ethnic Armenian residents fled in fear as Azerbaijani troops captured the area.
  11. ^ Barseghyan, Arshaluys; Aghayev, Ismi (2 October 2023). "UN mission arrives to empty streets in Nagorno-Karabakh". OC Media. Reporting from the regional capital Stepanakert, Al Jazeera describes a 'ghost town' with no one left.
  12. ^ Gunter, Joel (3 October 2023). "Deserted Nagorno-Karabakh reveals aftermath of lightning-fast Armenian defeat". BBC. The few images that have emerged from Khankendi since the takeover show a ghost town, where possessions appear to have been abandoned in the streets as residents fled.
  13. ^ a b Hajiyeva, Gunay (24 September 2024). "Classes Begin at Karabakh University in Khankendi". Caspian News. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  14. ^ a b c d Mkrtchyan 1985, pp. 124–125
  15. ^ a b Everett-Heath 2019, p. X; Hewsen 2001, p. 265
  16. ^ Davies 2017; Payaslian 2008, p. 174; Saparov 2017, p. 539
  17. ^ a b Kuliev 1987, p. 49
  18. ^ Busse 1983, pp. 285–286
  19. ^ Hagobian & Melkonian 2020, pp. 41–46
  20. ^ Hakobyan, Melik-Bakhshyan & Barseghyan 1998, p. 773
  21. ^ Ismail-Zadeh 1976, p. 20
  22. ^ Kocharyan 1925, p. 46
  23. ^ Saparov 2012, p. 291
  24. ^ Libaridian 1988, p. 29
  25. ^ Adalian 2010, p. 553
  26. ^ Kocharyan 1925, pp. 67–68
  27. ^ a b Prokhorov 1977
  28. ^ Zubkova 2004, p. 22
  29. ^ Kaufman 2001, p. 61
  30. ^ "Карабах: хронология конфликта". 29 August 2005. Archived from the original on 10 August 2011 – via news.bbc.co.uk.
  31. ^ "Заключение Комитета ВС РСФСР по правам человека". karabakhrecords.info. Archived from the original on 10 October 2019.
  32. ^ "The collapse of the USSR. Black January in Baku". 15 April 2020. Archived from the original on 15 April 2020. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  33. ^ Lobell & Mauceri 2004, p. 58
  34. ^ a b Carney, James. "Carnage in Karabakh Archived 30 November 2008 at the Wayback Machine." Time. 13 April 1992. Retrieved 2 August 2007.
  35. ^ Uhlig 1993, pp. 47–52
  36. ^ "Karabakh Main City Struck as Armenia Says 'Ready' for Mediation Archived 5 October 2020 at the Wayback Machine." The Moscow Times. 2 October 2020.
  37. ^ "Azerbaijan: Cluster Munitions Used in Nagorno-Karabakh". Human Rights Watch. 23 October 2020. Archived from the original on 23 October 2020. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  38. ^ "Armenia/Azerbaijan: Civilians must be protected from use of banned cluster bombs". www.amnesty.org. 5 October 2020. Archived from the original on 26 January 2021. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  39. ^ "Stepanakert prepares for the last stand | Eurasianet". eurasianet.org. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  40. ^ "Statement by President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia and President of the Russian Federation". Kremlin.ru. 10 November 2020. Archived from the original on 11 November 2020. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
  41. ^ "So-called "police" of separatists, abandons weapons in Khankendi, leaves Karabakh". Trend News Agency. 29 September 2023. Archived from the original on 30 September 2023. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  42. ^ "Presidential consultant in Karabakh shares picture from Azerbaijan's Khankendi". Businesselend.com. 29 September 2023. Archived from the original on 30 September 2023. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
  43. ^ "Azerbaijani police takes up serving in Khankendi". News.az. 29 September 2023. Archived from the original on 30 September 2023. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  44. ^ "Azerbaijani authorities provide social, migration services for Karabakh Armenians". Trend News Agency. 1 October 2023. Archived from the original on 2 October 2023. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  45. ^ "Azerbaijan takes measures to arrange medical services in Khankendi". News.az. 1 October 2023. Archived from the original on 6 October 2023. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  46. ^ "Azercell extends its coverage to Khankendi!". News.az. 1 October 2023. Archived from the original on 5 October 2023. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  47. ^ "Nar network in Khankandi city!". Report.az. 1 October 2023. Archived from the original on 5 October 2023. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  48. ^ "UN team in Nagorno-Karabakh, a first in 30 years, as ethnic Armenians flee". Aljazeera.com. 1 October 2023. Archived from the original on 2 October 2023. Retrieved 2 October 2023.
  49. ^ Vincent, Faustine (4 October 2023). "Azerbaijan reissues Nagorno-Karabakh map with street named after Turkish leader of 1915 Armenian genocide". Le Monde.fr. Archived from the original on 4 October 2023. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  50. ^ Zaman, Amberin (3 October 2023). "Azerbaijan eyes Iran, Armenia borderlands after 'voluntary' exodus from Nagorno-Karabakh - Al-Monitor: Independent, trusted coverage of the Middle East". www.al-monitor.com. Archived from the original on 5 October 2023. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  51. ^ "Public sitting held on Thursday 12 October 2023, at 4 p.m., at the Peace Palace, President Donoghue presiding, in the case concerning Application of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (Armenia v. Azerbaijan)" (PDF). ICJ. 12 October 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023. ...this morning, Armenia showed images of a map that allegedly includes "new Azerbaijani" names on "renamed" streets in Khankandi. Let me be clear on that. No streets in Khankandi have been renamed. The social media post on which Armenia relies was originally posted in August 2021...
  52. ^ "Azerbaijan's president raises national flag in Nagorno-Karabakh capital". 15 October 2023. Archived from the original on 16 October 2023. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  53. ^ "Xankəndidə "Qarabağ" qazandı". qafqazinfo.az. 21 December 2023. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  54. ^ Turksoy, Timucin (21 December 2023). "Karabakh Region Hosts First Football Match Post-Armenian Occupation". Caspian News. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  55. ^ "Azerbaijan Toppled the Cross in Stepanakert". Monumentwatch.org. 19 November 2023. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  56. ^ "Azerbaijan destroys Karabakh capital Stepanakert's Eagle Monument built during Soviet era". News.am. 15 February 2024. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  57. ^ "Azerbaijanis Vandalize Statue of Stepan Shahumyan in Stepanakert". Monumentwatch.org. 21 November 2024. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  58. ^ "Azerbaijan dismantles Charles Aznavour monument in Stepanakert". Public Radio of Armenia. 28 February 2024. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  59. ^ "Azerbaijan Destroys Alexander Myasnikyan Statue in Stepanakert". The Armenian Mirror-Spectator. 29 February 2024. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  60. ^ "Azerbaijanis Destroy Artsakh National Assembly Building". The Armenian Report. 4 March 2024. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  61. ^ "Azerbaijanis destroy Karabakh parliament building". News.am. 4 March 2024. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  62. ^ "How Azerbaijan is erasing traces of the ancient Armenian presence in Nagorno-Karabakh". observers.france24.com. 7 November 2024.
  63. ^ "Azerbaijan Razes Entire Historic Center of Stepanakert". mirrorspectator.com. 31 October 2024.
  64. ^ Holding 2006, p. 210
  65. ^ Chorbajian 2001, p. 140
  66. ^ "Artsakh president attends Aznavour commemoration event in Stepanakert". Tert.am. 6 October 2018. Archived from the original on 20 December 2021. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  67. ^ "Ստեփանակերտի մէջ նոր յուշահամալիր կը կառուցուի – Azat Or". 17 March 2017. Archived from the original on 22 March 2017. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
  68. ^ "MUSEUMS – Karabakh Travel". artsakh.travel. Tourism department of ministry of economy of NKR. Archived from the original on 6 April 2018. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  69. ^ (in Armenian) Anon. "ԱՐՑԱԽԻ ՊԵՏԱԿԱՆ ՀԱՄԱԼՍԱՐԱՆ (Arts'akhi Petakan Hamalsaran, Artsakh State University) Archived 27 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine." Azat Artsakh. 29 August 2006. Retrieved 4 September 2009.
  70. ^ "VALERY A. ALEXANYAN". nankr.am. Official website of the National Assembly of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh). Archived from the original on 20 December 2021. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  71. ^ a b c Vardanian 2009, p. 45
  72. ^ "Armenia Fund Opens 600-Student School in Stepanakert Archived 23 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine." Asbarez. 14 September 2010. Retrieved 4 December 2010.
  73. ^ "No. 9 School, Stepanakert". armeniafund.org. Armenia Fund. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  74. ^ "Tumo Center Opens in Stepanakert". Asbarez. 1 September 2015. Archived from the original on 6 October 2017. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  75. ^ "Stepanakert "Tumo" Center is planned to be launched in September". Armenpress. 13 August 2015. Archived from the original on 18 November 2015. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  76. ^ a b O'Connor, Robert (20 April 2017). "Football and hope in the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic – a forgotten region fighting Fifa's sanctions". The Independent. Stepanakert: Independent Digital News & Media Ltd. ISSN 0951-9467. Archived from the original on 20 December 2021. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
  77. ^ (in Armenian) "Աբխազիայի ու Արցախի հավաքականները բաժանվեցին խաղաղությամբ՝ 1:1 Archived 8 November 2014 at the Wayback Machine [Abkhazia's and Artsakh's Teams Peacefully Part Ways, 1-1]," Tert.am 25 September 2012. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
  78. ^ "Armenia's newly formed second national football team to face Abkhazia Archived 17 October 2017 at the Wayback Machine." News.am 14 September 2012.
  79. ^ "Asbarez.com Artsakh Soccer Team Beats Abkhazia 3-0 Archived 25 December 2012 at the Wayback Machine." Asbarez. 22 October 2012.
  80. ^ Harutyunyan, Aneta (2 August 2019). "Artsakh ready for the opening of 7th Pan-Armenian Games". Yerevan: Armenpress. Archived from the original on 2 July 2022. Retrieved 21 December 2021.
  81. ^ a b Wright, Pam. "Montebello's newest Sister City program has come under fire from an ambassador for the Republic of Azerbaijan." Whittier Daily News. 19 November 2005. Retrieved 2 August 2007.
  82. ^ "Azeri pressure group appeals to US envoy over twinning reports." BBC News in BBC Monitoring Central Asia. 24 November 2005. Retrieved 2 August 2007.
  83. ^ LLC, Helix Consulting (February 2019). "Leis aprovadas em SP levam Itamaraty a alertar cidades sobre mal-estar com o Azerbaijão". www.g1.com.br. Archived from the original on 1 January 2020. Retrieved 1 January 2020.
  84. ^ a b c "International Cooperation | NKR". Archived from the original on 1 March 2021. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
  85. ^ "Partner cities". Yerevan. Archived from the original on 19 August 2014. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
  86. ^ LLC, Helix Consulting. "Stepanakert, Donostia sign cooperation agreement". www.panorama.am. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
  87. ^ LLC, Asbarez (23 July 2019). "Australia's Ryde Forms Friendship City with Stepanakert". www.asbarez.com. Archived from the original on 24 July 2019. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  88. ^ Kiesling & Kojian 2005, p. Stepanakert
  89. ^ Grigorian, Laura (10 May 2007). "ST JAMES CHURCH WAS OPENED IN STEPANAKERT". Armenian News. Archived from the original on 4 April 2012.
  90. ^ "The church of Stepanakert". www.stepanakert-church.org. Archived from the original on 7 October 2018. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
  91. ^ "The construction of Stepanakert Cathedral is at its final stages". Archived from the original on 19 November 2015.
  92. ^ "Official ceremony of consecration and opening Cathedral of Intercession takes place in Stepanakert". news.am. Archived from the original on 8 April 2019. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
  93. ^ Ghanalanyan, Tigran (9 June 2012). "Activity of the Armenian Evangelicals in Artsakh". noravank.am. Center for the Armenian Studies, "Noravank" Foundation. Archived from the original on 18 December 2021. Retrieved 18 December 2021.
  94. ^ Lagasse 2000
  95. ^ Nahapetyan, Haykaram (10 July 2021). "Artsakh's Economy: The Post-war Syndrome and Recovery Efforts". The Armenian Mirror-Spectator. Watertown: Baikar Association. Archived from the original on 22 December 2021. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  96. ^ Hayrumyan, Naira. "Recovery and Concern: Regional Unrest Reminds of NKR's Years of Progress While Raising Anxiety Archived 22 September 2010 at the Wayback Machine." AGBU Magazine. Vol. 18, № 2, November 2008, pp. 34–37.
  97. ^ King & Nevins 2020, p. 7
  98. ^ Peel, M. C.; Finlayson, B. L.; McMahon, T. A (2016). "World Köppen Classification". University of Melbourne. Archived from the original on 10 January 2022. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
  99. ^ Millison, Andrew (August 2019). "Appendix D: Koppen-Trewartha Climate Classification Descriptions".
  100. ^ a b "Global Surface Summary of the Day – GSOD". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on 13 May 2023. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  101. ^ "Xankandi (Stepanakert) Climate Normals 1961–1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on 13 May 2023. Retrieved 22 March 2015.
  102. ^ Sanamyan, Emil (9 September 2019). "Artsakh Elects Mayors and Municipal Councils". USC Institute of Armenian Studies. Archived from the original on 17 June 2023. Retrieved 17 June 2023.
  103. ^ "Ստեփանակերտի քաղաքապետարան – Քաղաքապետ". www.stepanakert.am (in Armenian). 17 June 2023. Archived from the original on 14 April 2023.
  104. ^ a b c d e f "население нагорно-карабахской республики". www.ethno-kavkaz.narod.ru. Archived from the original on 16 September 2011.
  105. ^ a b Troinitsky, N. A. (1905). Населенные места Российской империи в 500 и более жителей с указанием всего наличного в них населения и числа жителей преобладающих вероисповеданий, по данным первой всеобщей переписи населения 1897 г. [Populated areas of the Russian Empire with 500 or more inhabitants, indicating the total population in them and the number of inhabitants of the predominant religions, according to the first general population census of 1897] (in Russian). Saint Petersburg: Tipografiya Obshchestvennaya polza. p. 32. Archived from the original on 10 August 2022.
  106. ^ de Waal 2013, p. 46
  107. ^ De facto and De Jure Population by Administrative Territorial Distribution and Sex Archived 2 March 2011 at the Wayback Machine Census in NKR, 2005. The National Statistical Service of Nagorno-karabakh Republic
  108. ^ [1] Archived 29 September 2015 at the Wayback Machine Statistics in NKR, 2010. The National Statistical Service of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
  109. ^ "Table 1.6 NKR urban and rural settlements grouping according to de jure population number" (PDF). stat-nkr.am. Population Census 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 March 2020.
  110. ^ Ռ/Կ, «Ազատություն» (15 November 2023). "U.S. Says Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians Entitled To Return Home". «Ազատ Եվրոպա/Ազատություն» ռադիոկայան (in Armenian). Retrieved 10 February 2024.
  111. ^ Свод статистических данных о населении Закавказского края, извлечённых из посемейных списков 1886 г.. Тифлис. 1893. Archived from the original on 28 April 2021. Retrieved 28 April 2021.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  112. ^ Кавказский календарь на 1910 год [Caucasian calendar for 1910] (in Russian) (65th ed.). Tiflis: Tipografiya kantselyarii Ye.I.V. na Kavkaze, kazenny dom. 1910. p. 393. Archived from the original on 15 March 2022.
  113. ^ Кавказский календарь на 1912 год [Caucasian calendar for 1912] (in Russian) (67th ed.). Tiflis: Tipografiya kantselyarii Ye.I.V. na Kavkaze, kazenny dom. 1912. p. 215. Archived from the original on 11 December 2021.
  114. ^ Кавказский календарь на 1915 год [Caucasian calendar for 1915] (in Russian) (70th ed.). Tiflis: Tipografiya kantselyarii Ye.I.V. na Kavkaze, kazenny dom. 1915. p. 195. Archived from the original on 4 November 2021.
  115. ^ Азербайджанская сельскохозяйственная перепись 1921 года. Итоги. Т. I. Вып. VIII. Шушинский уезд. Baku: Izdanie Az. Ts.S.U, 1922, pp. 12—13, 21.
  116. ^ Great Soviet Encyclopedia. Vol. 17. New York: Macmillan. 1973. p. 301.
  117. ^ Holding 2006, p. 208
  118. ^ "Karabakh To Reopen Stepanakert Airport". Asbarez. 5 October 2010. Archived from the original on 17 January 2013. Retrieved 11 October 2010.
  119. ^ "Nagorno-Karabakh Flights On Hold Despite Airport Reconstruction". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 16 May 2011. Archived from the original on 18 May 2011. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
  120. ^ (in Armenian) "«Հայկական ժամանակ».Ստեփանակերտի օդանավակայանը վերջապես շահագործման կհանձնվի Archived 2 January 2014 at the Wayback Machine" [Haykakan Zhamanak: Stepanakert Airport will Finally Become Operational]. Yelaket Lratvakan. 30 May 2012.
  121. ^ Statement of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs Archived 22 January 2013 at the Wayback Machine.
  122. ^ New York 1988, p. 80
  123. ^ Holding & Allen 2019, p. 341
  124. ^ "Ağdam-Xankəndi dəmiryolunun tikintisindən son görüntülər". olke.az. 2 January 2024. Retrieved 4 January 2024.
  125. ^ "Armen Abagyan tragically died". IranAtom.Ru (in Russian). Archived from the original on 23 May 2009. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
  126. ^ "Անդրեյ Հովնանյան" [André Hovnanyan]. avproduction.am (in Armenian). Armenia: "AV Production" center. Archived from the original on 20 December 2021. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
  127. ^ "Noted Artsakh filmmaker Don Askarian dies at 69". The Armenian Mirror-Spectator. 11 October 2018. Archived from the original on 1 May 2019. Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  128. ^ "Minsk 2010/Participants: Vladimir Arzumanyan". junioreurovision.tv. Archived from the original on 8 April 2022. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
  129. ^ "SAMVEL A. BABAYAN". nankr.am. Official website of the National Assembly of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh). Archived from the original on 20 December 2021. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
  130. ^ "Balayan's page at the Armenian Writer's Union official site". Archived from the original on 24 January 2010.
  131. ^ "Milli Qəhrəmanın deputat arvadı: 'Xankəndində azərbaycanlılara ərzaq satılmırdı' (MÜSAHİBƏ)". femida.az (in Azerbaijani). 27 January 2017. Archived from the original on 28 January 2017.
  132. ^ İlham Rəhimli, Rəhimli (2005). Azərbaycan teatr tarixi (PDF). Baku: Çaşıoğlu. p. 864. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 November 2021. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  133. ^ "Former Armenian PM Karen Karapetyan Urges Pashinyan to Resign". Hetq Online. 15 December 2020. Archived from the original on 20 December 2021. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
  134. ^ "ՀՀ 2-րդ նախագահ Ռոբերտ Քոչարյանի կենսագրությունը" [RA 2nd president Robert Kocharyan's biography]. iravaban.net. 28 July 2018. Archived from the original on 2 February 2021. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  135. ^ "Mosfilm Fəxrəddin Manafovu killer roluna çəkir Azərbaycanda isə o bu yaxınlarda İbrahim xan obrazını yaradıb". Daily Azerbaijan. National Library of Azerbaijan. 21 April 2007. p. 14. Archived from the original on 27 November 2021. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
  136. ^ Əsgərov, Vüqar (2005). Azərbaycanın Milli Qəhrəmanları (PDF). Baku: Qapp-poliqraf. p. 250.
  137. ^ "Official biography of Serzh Sargsyan". President.am. Archived from the original on 3 May 2018. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
  138. ^ ""У мистецтві я шукаю іншодумців"" [In art I look for dissidents]. m.day.kyiv.ua. 19 February 2021. Archived from the original on 20 December 2021. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
  139. ^ "Enikolopov, Nikolay Sergeevich". dic.academic.ru. Big biographical encyclopedia. 2009. p. 13. Archived from the original on 20 December 2021. Retrieved 19 December 2021.

Bibliography

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Stepanakert.
 
Look up Stepanakert in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
 
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Stepanakert.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Stepanakert&oldid=1257351528"