Artsvashen ( hy, Արծվաշեն, ; az, Başkənd, lit=Main Village) is a ''
de jure
In law and government, ''de jure'' ( ; , "by law") describes practices that are legally recognized, regardless of whether the practice exists in reality. In contrast, ("in fact") describes situations that exist in reality, even if not legally ...
'' Armenian village in the
Gegharkunik Province of
Armenia
Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''Ox ...
. It is a 40 square kilometres
exclave
An enclave is a territory (or a small territory apart of a larger one) that is entirely surrounded by the territory of one other state or entity. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is sometimes used improperly to deno ...
of
Armenia
Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''Ox ...
, and it is surrounded by the territory of
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...
, which has ''
de facto
''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...
'' controlled it since the
First Nagorno-Karabakh War
The First Nagorno-Karabakh War, referred to in Armenia as the Artsakh Liberation War ( hy, Արցախյան ազատամարտ, Artsakhyan azatamart) was an ethnic and territorial conflict that took place from February 1988 to May 1994, in th ...
.
History
The present village was founded in 1854 or 1859
as ''Bashkend'' ( hy, Բաշքենդ) by Armenians from
Choratan
Choratan ( hy, Չորաթան) is a village in the Berd Municipality of the Tavush Province of Armenia.
History
In 1854, settlers from Choratan founded the village of Artsvashen.
References
External links
*
Populated places in T ...
in
Shamshadin
The Shamshadin District ( hy, Շամշադինի շրջան) was a ''raion'' (district) of the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic from 1929 and later in 1991 of the Republic of Armenia until its disestablishment in 1995. The Shamshadin district to ...
, although an earlier Armenian presence on the site is attested by an inscription dated to 1607 on the Surb Hovhannes church in the town. It was later changed to Hin Bashkend ( hy, Հին Բաշքենդ), meaning Old Bashkend to differentiate it from New or
Nor Bashkend, founded by migrants from the original settlement. The villagers' ancestors were originally from the province of
Artsakh who migrated to
Tavush
Tavush ( hy, wikt:Տավուշ, Տավուշ, ) is a administrative divisions of Armenia, province of Armenia located at the northeast of Armenia, bordered by Georgia (country), Georgia from the north and Azerbaijan from the east. Internally, Tav ...
.
In 1920 the village was also referred to as ''Bashgyugh''.
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, 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 enclave again.
In May 1991, during the
First Nagorno-Karabakh War
The First Nagorno-Karabakh War, referred to in Armenia as the Artsakh Liberation War ( hy, Արցախյան ազատամարտ, Artsakhyan azatamart) was an ethnic and territorial conflict that took place from February 1988 to May 1994, in th ...
, the Armenian Interior Ministry reported that residents of Artsvashen had averted an army occupation by surrendering their arms. Seen from the Azerbaijani perspective, however, the town became a major headache, blocking access to
Shinikh and providing a launching point for military incursions against Azerbaijan's Gadabey province.
After Armenian attacks on
Mutudərə and
Qasımağalı in the Shinikh area to the west, the Azerbaijanis counter attacked under locally famed commander Cahangir Rüstəmov, whose regiment blockaded Artsvashen. On August 8, 1992 the Armenian defenders decided to surrender. Artsvashen villagers were mostly given alternative shelter in the town of
Chambarak
Chambarak ( hy, Ճամբարակ, ) is a town and urban municipal community in the Gegharkunik Province of Armenia. Per the 2011 census, the population of the town was 5,850. The municipal community of Chambarak has a population of 12,416 people. ...
whose former Molokan-Russian population had largely left for Russia. According to ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', 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."
[Armenia Seeks Help in Fighting Azerbaijan, ''The New York Times'', August 10, 1992](_blank)
/ref>
Accusing Azerbaijan of mounting an "undeclared war," Armenian President Levon Ter-Petrosyan
Levon Hakobi Ter-Petrosyan ( hy, Լևոն Հակոբի Տեր-Պետրոսյան; born 9 January 1945), also known by his initials LTP, is an Armenian politician who served as the first president of Armenia from 1991 until his resignation in 1998 ...
sent a telegram to leaders of the Commonwealth of Independent States
The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) is a regional intergovernmental organization in Eurasia. It was formed following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. It covers an area of and has an estimated population of 239,796,010. ...
saying that "aggression has been committed against a state that is a member of the C.I.S. and the system of collective security".
The village was swiftly renamed to its settler name ''Bashkend''. Today, the village is largely abandoned as the Azerbaijani army expelled its Armenian population after it captured the territory, and is now administered by Azerbaijan as part of the Gadabay District
Gadabay District ( az, Gədəbəy rayonu) is one of the 66 districts of Azerbaijan. It is located in the west of the country and belongs to the Gazakh-Tovuz Economic Region. The district borders the districts of Dashkasan, Shamkir, Tovuz, and ...
.
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. 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.
Artsvashen carpets
In the Soviet times there was a branch of ''Haygorg'' ("Armenian carpet" state company) in Artsvashen.[Carpet Weaving in Armenia, Lena Nazaryan, Hetq Online, 17/9/2007](_blank)
After the capture of Artsvashen by the Azerbaijani forces, the residents of Artsvashen migrated to Shorzha, Vardenis
Vardenis ( hy, Վարդենիս) is a town and urban municipal community in the southeastern part of the Gegharkunik Province of Armenia. It is located in the valley of the Masrik River, on the territory of the Masrik artesian basin at above s ...
, Abovyan
Abovyan or Abovian ( hy, Աբովյան), is a town and urban municipal community in Armenia within the Kotayk Province. It is located northeast of Yerevan and southeast of the province centre Hrazdan. As of the 2011 census, the population of t ...
and Chambarak
Chambarak ( hy, Ճամբարակ, ) is a town and urban municipal community in the Gegharkunik Province of Armenia. Per the 2011 census, the population of the town was 5,850. The municipal community of Chambarak has a population of 12,416 people. ...
, 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.
Demographics
The population timeline of Artsvashen since 1831 is as follows:
Gallery
Башкенд Кедабек.jpg, Scenery around Artsvashen
ARTSVASHEN.JPG, Map of Artsvashen
Notable people
* Aramais Sahakyan
Aramais Sahakyan ( hy, Արամայիս Սահակյան, May 24, 1936 – March 14, 2013) was an Armenian poet, humorist, publicist and translator.
Biography
Sahakyan was born in Artsvashen, Armenian SSR. A graduate of the Armenian State Tea ...
, Armenia
Armenia (), , group=pron officially the Republic of Armenia,, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UNbr>classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and ''Ox ...
n poet
* Saribek Chilingaryan, Hero of the Soviet Union
The title Hero of the Soviet Union (russian: Герой Советского Союза, translit=Geroy Sovietskogo Soyuza) was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded together with the Order of Lenin personally or collectively for ...
See also
* Barkhudarli
* Yukhari Askipara
Yukhari Askipara ( az, Yuxarı Əskipara, lit=Upper Askipara; hy, Վերին Ոսկեպար, lit=Upper Voskepar, translit=Verin Voskepar) is a destroyed Azerbaijani village in an exclave of the Qazakh District of Azerbaijan, currently under contr ...
* Karki (Azerbaijan)
* List of enclaves and exclaves
In political geography, an enclave is a piece of land belonging to one country (or region etc.) that is totally surrounded by another country (or region). An exclave is a piece of land that is politically attached to a larger piece but not physic ...
Notes
References
External links
*
*
*
{{portal bar, Geography
Populated places in Gegharkunik Province
Enclaves and exclaves
Populated places established in 1845