Aygestan ( hy, Այգեստան) or Ballyja ( hy, Բալուջա, Baluja; az, Ballıca) is a village that is, ''
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 ...
'', in the
Askeran Province of the
breakaway Republic of Artsakh
Artsakh, officially the Republic of Artsakh () or the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (),, is a breakaway state in the South Caucasus whose territory is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan. Artsakh controls a part of the former ...
; ''
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 ...
'', it is in the
Khojaly District
Khojaly District ( az, Xocalı rayonu) is one of the 66 districts of Azerbaijan. It is located in the west of the country and belongs to the Karabakh Economic Region. The district borders the districts of Kalbajar, Lachin, Shusha, Agdam and Khoj ...
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 t ...
, in the disputed region of
Nagorno-Karabakh
Nagorno-Karabakh ( ) is a landlocked region in the South Caucasus, within the mountainous range of Karabakh, lying between Lower Karabakh and Syunik, and covering the southeastern range of the Lesser Caucasus mountains. The region is m ...
. The village has an ethnic
Armenian
Armenian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent
** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...
-majority population, and also had an Armenian majority in 1989.
History
The modern village was founded in the 17th century.
During the
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...
period, the village was part of the
Askeran District of the
Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast
The Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO), DQMV, hy, Լեռնային Ղարաբաղի Ինքնավար Մարզ, ԼՂԻՄ was an autonomous oblast within the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic that was created on July 7, 1923. Its cap ...
.
Historical heritage sites
Historical heritage sites in and around the village include tombs from the 2nd–1st centuries BCE, a 12th/13th-century village, the 12th/13th-century Tamtsi Church ( hy, Թամցի եկեղեցի), the 12th/13th-century shrine of ''Prshni Nahatak'' ( hy, Փռշնի Նահատակ), a 13th-century
khachkar, a cemetery from between the 17th and 19th centuries, and the church of ''Surb Astvatsatsin'' ( hy, Սուրբ Աստվածածին, ) built in 1850.
Economy and culture
The population is mainly engaged in
agriculture
Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people t ...
and
animal husbandry, as well as in different state institutions. As of 2015, the village has a municipal building, a house of culture, a secondary school, a kindergarten, and a medical centre.
The village is home to the Artsakh Brandy Company.
Demographics
The village had 1,091 inhabitants in 2005,
and 1,084 inhabitants in 2015.
Gallery
Այգեստանի_եկեղեցին.jpg, St. Astvatsatsin Church
Այգեստանի գյուղապետարանը.jpg, Municipal building
Այգեստան_գյուղի_դպրոցը.jpg, School
Տեսարան, Այգեստան.jpg, Beekeeping
Այգեստան գյուղ.jpg, Street
Գյուղի տեսարաններից.jpg, A view of the village
Հայրենական_Մեծ_պատերազմին_նվիրված_հուշակոթող.jpg, WWII (Great Patriotic War) monument
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aygestan
Populated places in Askeran Province
Populated places in Khojaly District