Artsvashen

For the village in the Tartar District, see Seysulan.

Artsvashen (Armenian: Արծվաշեն, lit. 'Eagle village') or Bashkend (Azerbaijani: Başkənd; Armenian: Բաշքենդ) is a de jure Armenian village in the Chambarak Municipality of the Gegharkunik Province of Armenia. It is a 40 square kilometres (15 sq mi) exclave of Armenia,^[1] and is surrounded by the territory of Azerbaijan, which has de facto occupied it since the First Nagorno-Karabakh War.^[2]

Artsvashen
Արծվաշեն
Lake near Artsvashen
Artsvashen Show map of Armenia Artsvashen Show map of Gegharkunik Artsvashen Show map of Azerbaijan
Coordinates: 40°38′46″N 45°30′56″E / 40.64611°N 45.51556°E / 40.64611; 45.51556
Country (de jure)	Armenia
• Province	Gegharkunik
• Municipality	Chambarak
Country (de facto)	Azerbaijan
• District	Gadabay
Founded	1845
Area
• Total	40 km^2 (20 sq mi)
Population  (2009)
• Total	127
Time zone	UTC+4 (AMT)
Artsvashen at GEOnet Names Server

Etymology

The name of Artsvashen is of Armenian origin and translates to eagle village from (Armenian: արծիվ, romanized: artsiv, lit. 'eagle').^[3] The village was previously named Bashgyugh, Bashkend, and Hin Bashkend. On 25 January 1978, the village was officially renamed Artsvashen by the Soviet Armenian authorities.^[4][5]

History

 

Village of Artsvashen (then called Bashgyugh) on map of Armenian SSR in 1928

The Armenians of Artsvashen trace their roots to the Jraberd district of the historic province of Artsakh. They left Artsakh in the 18th century to Choratan in Shamshadin. Later, they moved to the historic Armenian village of Parakert (Paragyugh) where they founded the present village of Artsvashen sometime between 1845 and 1859 as Bashkend.^[4] However, an earlier Armenian presence in the area is attested by an inscription dated to 1607 on the Surb Hovhannes church in the town.^[6] The residents of Artsvashen attest to the following legend on the foundation of their town:

...The residents of Artzvashen and the Turks inhabiting the nearby plain entered into a conflict, the latter demanding that the former leave the territory serving them as a pasture. The Armenians, however, refused to do so declaring that they were in their native land and had nowhere else to go to. The problem was finally settled through wrestling and a bullfight: the Armenian side won both of them thanks to wrestler Arzuman Dallakian and a bull named Tzaghik that belonged to a certain Sahak’s family. Thus, the territorial dispute was resolved in favour of the Armenians.^[7]

Artsvashen belonged to the Melik-Kalantarian family of landowners in the late 19th century.^[4] It was later renamed to Hin Bashkend (Armenian: Հին Բաշքենդ), meaning Old Bashkend to differentiate it from New or Nor Bashkend, founded by migrants from the original settlement.^[8] In 1920 the village was also referred to as Bashgyugh.^[9] The village was affected by the Armenian–Tatar massacres of 1905–1907, undergoing 13 attacks from neighboring Turkic villages. Nevertheless, due to the well-organized self defense of the village, Artsvashen did not suffer the same destruction as other Armenian villages during that time.^[10]

From 1920 onwards, Artsvashen formed part of Soviet Armenia, as part of its Karmir (Krasnoselsk) district, initially connected to Armenia by a peninsular land corridor.^[11] In 1923–1929, the territorial dispute over Artsvashen was settled by a commission of the "Transcaucasian central executive committee" in favour of Armenia, however, in January 1927, 12,000 hectares (120 square kilometres; 46 square miles) of land surrounding Artsvashen were "gifted" to Azerbaijan. As "compensation", in February 1929 Armenia was transferred a narrow strip of land to serve as a land connection to the village, however, this decision was reversed in the 1930s and Artsvashen became an exclave again.^[10] During Soviet times, Artsvashen had 2 secondary schools, a branch of a vocational school, a church, a club, a library, a hospital, a pharmacy, a kindergarten, several cinemas, a communication department and, a life service booth.^[5]

In May 1991, during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, the Armenian Interior Ministry reported that residents of Artsvashen had averted an army occupation by surrendering their arms.^[12] However, on August 4, 1992, the village was completely devastated and stripped of its Armenian inhabitants.^[13] Artsvashen villagers were mostly given alternative shelter in the town of Chambarak whose former Molokan-Russian population had largely left for Russia. According to The New York Times, on 9 August 1992 Azerbaijani side announced that armed forces had "liberated" the town, destroying enemy tanks and weaponry and killing 300 Armenian "brigands", while Armenian reports mentioned no dead but said 29 people were "missing without trace."^[14]

Accusing Azerbaijan of mounting an "undeclared war," Armenian President Levon Ter-Petrosyan sent a telegram to leaders of the Commonwealth of Independent States saying that "aggression has been committed against a state that is a member of the C.I.S. and the system of collective security".^[14]

The village was swiftly renamed to its settler name Bashkend.^[15] Today, the village is largely abandoned as the Azerbaijani army expelled its Armenian population after it captured the territory,^[16] and is now occupied by Azerbaijan^[17][2] as part of its Gadabay District.^[18] As of 2011, there were approximately 8,400 IDPs (Internally displaced people) expelled from Artsvashen and the surrounding regions, living in Armenia.^[19] Although Artsvashen still has empty houses belonging to Armenians, the village has now been settled by Azerbaijanis and the local Armenian church has been converted to a mosque. There is a military checkpoint at the entrance to the village and the entrance of foreigners and journalists is strictly prohibited.^[18]

Neighborhoods

In the center of the village stood the Nerkin (lower) or Kachal^[a] quarter where the palace of culture was located. In the north of the village, the Verin (upper) quarter and Tsits Kar adjoined the Saribekiants’ quarter. The Shushiants’ quarter was located above where the Haram extended and was the location of the local secondary school. Upon the expansion and development of the village, two new quarters named Chinastagh (Chinastan) and Palkh-Kyand were incorporated into the village.^[4]

Historial heritage sites

 

Artsvashen Water Reservoir built in 1968 and covering several Bronze Age tombs from the 10th to 8th century.^[20][5]

The area of Artsvashen includes many significant historical and cultural monuments, including Bronze Age tombs, medieval churches, cemeteries, sanctuaries, and khachkars. In the center of the town stands the St. Minas Church of 1872, which was described in 1888 as a “high building of tiled roof is distinguished for its splendid ornamentation.” The St. Hovhannes Church of 1607 was built by the former inhabitants of the village and repaired in 1857. The site of the former village of Paragyugh (Parakert) lies 1 to 1.5 kilometers east of Artsvashen.^[21] In addition, remains of a cyclopean fort have also been found in the area.^[5]

Compensation claims

In 2009, former residents of Artsvashen village that were still residents of Chambarak nearly 20 years later were promised six billion drams of Armenian government compensation for their lost property. Two payments of 50 million drams then, in 2011, a bigger one of 708 million drams was given out in 2011, with around 2000 people getting about 360 thousand drams each.^[22] However, further payments stalled leading to protests in September 2018 and December 2019, demanding further funds to repair the dilapidated housing stock in Chambarak. Armenian premier Pashinyan claimed that the state had fulfilled all its obligations to refugees with money already disbursed and with the provision of housing certificates to about 112 families.^[23]

Artsvashen carpets

In the Soviet times there was a branch of Haygorg ("Armenian carpet" state company) in Artsvashen.^[24][5] After the capture of Artsvashen by the Azerbaijani forces, the residents of Artsvashen migrated to Shorzha, Vardenis, Abovyan and Chambarak, where they continued traditions of this art:

"The women of Artsvashen learned carpet weaving from their mothers and grandmothers. Many of them had worked for Haygorg for decades. “It was shameful for a girl or woman in Artsvashen not to be able to weave carpets. Even if they didn't work for Haygorg, they would have a weaving stand at home and make carpets,”

said Irina Ghalechyan, a former resident of Artsvashen and carpet weaver.^[24]

Demographics

The population timeline of Artsvashen since 1831 is as follows:^[8]

Year	Population	Note
1873	1,015
1897	1,847	100% Armenian Apostolic^[25]
1908^[26]	2,687	Mainly Armenian
1911^[27]
1914^[28]	3,079	Mainly Tatar^[b]
1915^[29]
1926	2,909
1939	4,280
1959	4,112
1970	3,368
1979	2,771
2009	127

Gallery

•  
  Scenery around Artsvashen
•  
  Map of Artsvashen

Notable people

• Aramais Sahakyan, Armenian poet^[30]
• Saribek Chilingaryan, Soldier and Hero of the Soviet Union^[13]

See also

• Barkhudarli
• Yukhari Askipara
• Karki (Azerbaijan)
• List of enclaves and exclaves

Notes

1. Armenian for “bald” due to the small number of gardens in the area.
2. Later known as Azerbaijani. Based on previous years' statistics, "Tatar" is likely to be a printing error in the Caucasian Calendar.

References

1. Azerbaijan, by Human Rights Watch/Helsinki Org., 1994
2. Iskandaryan 2010, p. 71.
3. Everett-Heath 2019.
4. Karapetyan 2007, p. 551.
5. Hakobyan, Melik-Bakhshyan & Barseghyan 1986, p. 453.
6. Karapetyan 2007, p. 555.
7. Petrossian 1992, p. 12.
8. [Republic of Armenia settlements dictionary] (PDF) (in Armenian). Yerevan: Cadastre Committee of the Republic of Armenia. 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 March 2018.
9. Hovhannisyan, Samson (20 April 2016). "Armenian-Azeri enclave war: Formula of Armenian land division". PanARMENIAN.Net. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
10. Karapetyan 2007, p. 552.
11. Karapetyan 2007, pp. 550–552.
12. "Soviet Army Is Reported to Attack And Occupy 2 Armenian Villages". The New York Times. The New York Times. May 10, 1991. ISSN 0362-4331.
13. Karapetyan 2007, p. 553.
14. "Armenia Seeks Help in Fighting Azerbaijan". The New York Times. The New York Times. August 10, 1992. ISSN 0362-4331.
15. [1]^{[dubious ]}
16. Azerbaijan Seven Years of Conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, Christopher Panico, Human Rights Watch, Jemera Rone (1994), p.92
17. Ghazaryan 2019, p. 148.
18. Sargsyan, Tatevik (October 12, 2021). "Арцвашен/Башкенд: Взгляд из бывшего армянского анклава в Азербайджане в преддверии переговоров Еревана и Баку" [Artsvashen/Bashkend: A view from the former Armenian enclave in Azerbaijan ahead of negotiations between Yerevan and Baku] (in Russian). Armenia. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Retrieved October 28, 2023.
19. Vasilyan 2019, p. 243.
20. Karapetyan 2007, pp. 551–554.
21. Karapetyan 2007, pp. 554–558.
22. Mkrtchyan, Gayane (12 February 2011). "Cold Comfort for Displaced Armenian Villagers". Armenia: Institute for War and Peace Reporting. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
23. Badalian, Naira (December 5, 2019). "Former residents of Artsvashen village seized by Azerbaijan held a protest rally in front of the government". Armenia. ArmInfo. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
24. Nazaryan, Lena (2007). (PDF). Hetq Online. Archived from the original on July 11, 2011.
25. "Religious composition of Russian empire 1897". pop-stat.mashke.org. Retrieved 2022-08-02.
26. Кавказский календарь на 1910 год [Caucasian calendar for 1910] (in Russian) (65th ed.). Tiflis: Tipografiya kantselyarii Ye.I.V. na Kavkaze, kazenny dom. 1910. from the original on 15 March 2022.
27. Кавказский календарь на 1912 год [Caucasian calendar for 1912] (in Russian) (67th ed.). Tiflis: Tipografiya kantselyarii Ye.I.V. na Kavkaze, kazenny dom. 1912. from the original on 11 December 2021.
28. Кавказский календарь на 1915 год [Caucasian calendar for 1915] (in Russian) (70th ed.). Tiflis: Tipografiya kantselyarii Ye.I.V. na Kavkaze, kazenny dom. 1915. from the original on 4 November 2021.
29. Кавказский календарь на 1916 год [Caucasian calendar for 1916] (in Russian) (71st ed.). Tiflis: Tipografiya kantselyarii Ye.I.V. na Kavkaze, kazenny dom. 1916. from the original on 5 February 2022.
30. . Writers' Union of Armenia (in Russian). Archived from the original on 31 May 2011. Retrieved 30 September 2020.

Bibliography

• Everett-Heath, John (2019). "Artsvashen". The Concise Dictionary of World Place Names (5 ed.). United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780192556462.
• Ghazaryan, Shushanik (2019). "Armenians in Soviet Baku". In Ziemer, Ulrike (ed.). Women's Everyday Lives in War and Peace in the South Caucasus. United Kingdom: Palgrave Macmillan. p. 148. ISBN 9783030255176.
• Hakobyan, Tadevos Kh.; Melik-Bakhshyan, Stepan T.; Barseghyan, Hovhannes Kh. (1986). "Արծվաշեն [Arcvašen]". Հայաստանի և հարակից շրջանների տեղանունների բառարան [Dictionary of Toponyms of Armenia and Adjacent Territories] (in Armenian). Vol. 1. Yerevan State University Press. p. 453. OCLC 247335945.
• Karapetyan, Samvel (2007). "Artsvashen". Northern Artsakh (PDF). Vol. 6. "Gitutiun" Publishing House of NAS RA. pp. 550–559. ISBN 978-5-8080-0677-5.
• Iskandaryan, Alexander (2010). "Armenia". In Mootz, Lisa (ed.). Nations in Transit 2010: Democratization from Central Europe to Eurasia. United States: Freedom House. p. 71. ISBN 9780932088727.
• Petrossian, A. (1992). "Արծվաշեն: Նրա անցյալն ու ներկան" [Artzvashen: Its Past and Present]. Azatamart (in Armenian). No. 1. Yerevan. p. 12. OCLC 1193231175.
• Vasilyan, Syuzanna (2019). 'Moral Power' of the European Union in the South Caucasus. United Kingdom: Palgrave Macmillan. p. 243. ISBN 9781137601988.

External links

• Report of the results of the 2001 Armenian Census, Statistical Committee of Armenia
• Kiesling, Brady (2005), Rediscovering Armenia: Guide, Yerevan, Armenia: Matit Graphic Design Studio
• Kiesling, Brady (June 2000). Rediscovering Armenia: An Archaeological/Touristic Gazetteer and Map Set for the Historical Monuments of Armenia (PDF). (PDF) from the original on 6 November 2021.