Skhtorashen Explained

Official Name:Skhtorashen / Shykh Dursun
Native Name:Սխտորաշեն / Şıx Dursun
Pushpin Map:Azerbaijan
Pushpin Mapsize:300
Subdivision Type2:Country
Subdivision Name2: Azerbaijan
Subdivision Type3: District
Subdivision Name3:Khojavend
Population Footnotes:[1]
Population As Of:2005
Population Total:19
Timezone:AZT
Utc Offset:+4
Coordinates:39.7036°N 46.9406°W

Skhtorashen (hy|Սխտորաշեն, also Şıxtoraşen, Skhtorasher, and Suktorashen) or Shykh Dursun (az|Şıx Dursun) is a village located in the Khojavend District of Azerbaijan, in the 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]

Near the village is a 2042 years old (as of 2022) giant Oriental plane tree (Platanus orientalis) named Tnjri, with a circumference of 27 m and height of 54 m.

History

During the Soviet period, the village was a part of the Martuni District of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast.

Historical heritage sites

Historical heritage sites in and around the village include Tnjri, a 2,000-year-old Oriental Plane, the 12th/13th-century village of Mavas (hy|Մավաս), the village of Hin Skhtorashen (hy|Հին Սխտորաշեն,) from between the 15th and 19th centuries, the 17th-century monastic complex of Yerek Mankuk (hy|Երեք մանկուք) in Mavas, and the church of Surb Astvatsatsin (hy|Սուրբ Աստվածածին,) built in 1731.[4] [5]

Economy and culture

The population is mainly engaged in agriculture and animal husbandry. The village is part of the community of Karmir Shuka.[4]

Demographics

The village has an ethnic Armenian-majority population, and had 19 inhabitants in 2005.[1]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The Results of the 2005 Census of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. National Statistic Service of the Republic of Artsakh.
  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: Directory of socio-economic characteristics of NKR administrative-territorial units (2015). Hakob Ghahramanyan.
  5. Book: Kiesling. Brady. Raffi. Kojian. 2019. Rediscovering Armenia: An in-depth inventory of villages and monuments in Armenia and Artsakh. 3rd. Armeniapedia Publishing.