Astghashen
Astghashen (Armenian: Աստղաշեն) or Dashbulag (Armenian: Դաշբուլաղ; Azerbaijani: Daşbulaq) is a village de facto in the Askeran Province of the breakaway Republic of Artsakh, de jure in the Khojaly District of Azerbaijan, in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The village has an ethnic Armenian-majority population, and also had an Armenian majority in 1989.[2]
Astghashen / Dashbulag Աստղաշեն / Դաշբուլաղ | |
|---|---|
Astghashen / Dashbulag Astghashen / Dashbulag | |
| Coordinates: 39°55′37″N 46°42′17″E / 39.92694°N 46.70472°ECoordinates: 39°55′37″N 46°42′17″E / 39.92694°N 46.70472°E | |
| Country (de facto) | Artsakh |
| • Province | Askeran |
| Country (de jure) | Azerbaijan |
| • District | Khojaly |
| Elevation | 772 m (2,533 ft) |
| Population (2015)[1] | |
| • Total | 507 |
| Time zone | UTC+4 (AMT) |
Toponymy
The village was historically known as Karaghbyur (Armenian: Քարաղբյուր).[3] The name Astghashen means "village of stars", with the word Astgh (Armenian: Աստղ) meaning "star" in Armenian, referring to the famous star-shaped fossils of the village.
History
The village is known for its star-shaped fossils. The fossils originate from small marine animals that lived in the Tethys Ocean that covered the area millions of years ago. There are also many other types of fossils in the area.[4]
During the Soviet period, the village was a part of the Askeran District in the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast of Azerbaijan SSR. The village has been administered by the Republic of Artsakh as a part of its Askeran Province since the First Nagorno-Karabakh War.
After the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, Artsakh launched the construction of a new settlement for IDPs close to Astghashen, on the road towards the neighboring village of Patara, for people displaced from the villages of Sghnakh, Jraghatsner, Madatashen and Moshkhmhat in the Askeran Province.[5][6][7]
Historical heritage sites
Historical heritage sites in and around the village include burial sites from the 2nd–1st millennia BCE, a 14th-century tomb about 4 km southwest of the village, St. George's Church (Armenian: Սուրբ Գևորգ եկեղեցի, romanized: Surb Gevorg Yekeghetsi) built in 1898, with two 16th/17th-century khachkars, and a spring monument from 1930.[8][1]
Economy and culture
The population is mainly engaged in agriculture and animal husbandry. As of 2015, the village has a municipal building, a secondary school, a house of culture, two shops, and a medical centre. The Astghashen Art School is also located in the village.[1]
Demographics
The village had 520 inhabitants in 2005,[9] and 507 inhabitants in 2015.[1]
Gallery
St. George's Church in Astghashen
Inside St. George's Church
Monument to the victims of the Great Patriotic War (WWII)
Municipal building in Astghashen
School entrance
The famous star-shaped fossils of the village
References
- ^ a b c d Hakob Ghahramanyan. "Directory of socio-economic characteristics of NKR administrative-territorial units (2015)".
- ^ Андрей Зубов. "Андрей Зубов. Карабах: Мир и Война". drugoivzgliad.com.
- ^ Վահրամ Բալայան (2002). Արցախի պատմությունը հնադարից մինչեւ մեր օրերը.
- ^ "Mysteries of Astghashen". Armenian Geographic.
- ^ Armenpress (2021-02-16). "Construction of new residential settlement for displaced citizens launched in Artsakh".
- ^ Siranush Ghazanchyan (2021-02-13). "New settlement being established in Artsakh's Askeran region". Public Radio of Armenia.
- ^ Tirayr Muradyan & Saro Baghdasaryan (2021-07-12). "New Artsakh Village to House IDPs". hetq.am.
- ^ Kiesling, Brady; Kojian, Raffi (2019). Rediscovering Armenia: An in-depth inventory of villages and monuments in Armenia and Artsakh (3rd ed.). Armeniapedia Publishing.
- ^ "The Results of the 2005 Census of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic" (PDF). National Statistic Service of the Republic of Artsakh.
External links
- Astghashen at GEOnet Names Server
- A short documentary about the village on YouTube