Vardadzor, Askeran Explained

Official Name:Vardadzor / Pirjamal
Native Name:Վարդաձոր / Pircamal
Pushpin Map:Azerbaijan#Karabakh
Pushpin Mapsize:300
Subdivision Type2:Country
Subdivision Name2: Azerbaijan
Subdivision Type3: District
Subdivision Name3:Khojaly
Population Footnotes:[1]
Population As Of:2015
Population Total:267
Timezone:AZT
Utc Offset:+4
Coordinates:39.9003°N 46.8844°W

Vardadzor (hy|Վարդաձոր) or Pirjamal (hy|Փիրջամալ; az|Pircamal) 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]

History

The village was founded in the 12th century. The village was destroyed during the Armenian–Tatar massacres of 1905–1907, and was later rebuilt in 1918.[4] During the Soviet period, the village was part of the Askeran District of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast.

Historical heritage sites

Historical heritage sites in and around the village include a 17th/18th-century shrine, an 18th/19th-century cemetery, and the 19th-century church of Surb Astvatsatsin (hy|Սուրբ Աստվածածին,).[1]

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 Nakhichevanik. The community of Vardadzor includes the village of Varazabun.[1]

Demographics

The village had 223 inhabitants in 2005,[5] and 267 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. Book: Kiesling. Brady. Raffi. Kojian. 2019. Rediscovering Armenia: An in-depth inventory of villages and monuments in Armenia and Artsakh. 3rd. Armeniapedia Publishing.
  5. Web site: The Results of the 2005 Census of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. National Statistic Service of the Republic of Artsakh.