Mkhitarashen Explained

Mkhitarashen (hy|Մխիթարաշեն) or Mukhtar (az|Muxtar) is a village located in the Khojaly District of Azerbaijan, in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Until 2023 it was controlled by the breakaway Republic of Artsakh. The village had an ethnic Armenian-majority population^[2] until the exodus of the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh following the 2023 Azerbaijani offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh.^[3]

Toponymy

The village was known as Mkhitarikend (hy|Մխիթարիքենդ; az|Mxitarikənd; ru|Мхитарикенд) during the Soviet period.^[4]

History

During the Soviet period, the village was part of the Askeran District of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast. The village has been administrated as part of the Askeran Province of the Republic of Artsakh after the First Nagorno-Karabakh War.

There was some initial confusion regarding control of the village after the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war,^{[5] [6]} however, on 1 March 2021, the Armenian news organization CivilNet published a video report from the village, confirming continued Artsakh control.^[7]

Historical heritage sites

Historical heritage sites in and around the village include a 17th/18th-century cemetery and the 19th-century church of Surb Astvatsatsin (hy|Սուրբ Աստվածածին,).^[1] A monument in honor of the 18th-century Armenian satirist and fabulist Pele Pughi was built in 1976 between Mkihtarashen and Shosh.^[8]

Economy and culture

The population is mainly engaged in agriculture and animal husbandry. As of 2015, the village has a municipal building, a house of culture, and a medical centre. Students study in the secondary school of the neighboring village of Shosh.^[1]

Demographics

The village has an ethnic Armenian-majority population, had 90 inhabitants in 2005,^[9] and 91 inhabitants in 2015.^[1]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Directory of socio-economic characteristics of NKR administrative-territorial units (2015). Hakob Ghahramanyan.
2. Web site: Андрей Зубов. Карабах: Мир и Война . Андрей Зубов . drugoivzgliad.com .
3. News: Sauer . Pjotr . 2 October 2023 . ‘It’s a ghost town’: UN arrives in Nagorno-Karabakh to find ethnic Armenians have fled . en-GB . . 9 November 2023 . 0261-3077.
4. Web site: Azerbaijan (& Nagorno Karabakh) Topographic Map 1:200,000 Russian Soviet Military. Landmine Mapper. GigaPan.
5. Web site: Prezident: Azərbaycan Ordusu daha 48 kəndi, 1 qəsəbəni işğaldan azad edib. az. 2020-11-09. report.az.
6. Web site: Опубликован список 121 населенного пункта в Арцахе, которые перешли под контроль Азербайджана. newsarmenia.am. 2020-11-23.
7. Web site: Մխիթարաշեն․ Հունոտի կիրճից որբացած գյուղը. https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/VDREnR7CdUg . 2021-12-21 . live. 1 March 2021. youtube.com. CivilNet. 1 March 2021.
8. Web site: Pele Pughi Monument - Symbol of Humor and Joy of Artsakh People. armedia.am. 2020-06-06.
9. Web site: The Results of the 2005 Census of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. National Statistic Service of the Republic of Artsakh.