Parukh ( hy, Փառուխ) or Farukh ( az, Farux, also , ; russian: Фарух), is an Armenian-populated village in the

Askeran Province Askeran Province ( hy, Ասկերան) is a province of the breakaway Republic of Artsakh, ''de jure'' part of the Khojaly District of the Republic of Azerbaijan. It is in the center of Artsakh, surrounding the capital, Stepanakert. It is not ...

of the Republic of Artsakh, ''de jure'' part of 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, in the

disputed Controversy is a state of prolonged public dispute or debate, usually concerning a matter of conflicting opinion or point of view. The word was coined from the Latin ''controversia'', as a composite of ''controversus'' – "turned in an opposite d ...

region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

History

During the Soviet period, the village was part of the Askeran District of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast. On 24 March 2022, Azerbaijani forces crossed the

line of contact The Line of Contact marked the farthest advance of American, British, French, and Soviet armies into German controlled territory at the end of World War II in Europe. In general a "line of contact" refers to the demarcation between two or m ...

established after the

2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement The 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement is an armistice agreement that ended the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War. It was signed on 9November by the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan and the Pre ...

, advancing towards the village, with initial reports stating that the forces had entered the village and surrounding areas. On 27 March 2022, the

Russian Defense Ministry The Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation (russian: Министерство обороны Российской Федерации, Минобороны России, informally abbreviated as МО, МО РФ or Minoboron) is the govern ...

reported that Azerbaijani forces had withdrawn from the village. According to the Ministry of Defence of Azerbaijan, withdrawal of units and change in the positions didn't happen. According to Artsakh authorities, despite Azerbaijani forces having left the settlement, they continue to occupy a piece of the Karaglukh mountain. On 9 June 2022, Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov promised that a solution for the situation in the village will be provided in the process of demarcation between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Historical heritage sites

Historical heritage sites in and around the village include the Armenian cemetery of ''Kalen Khut'' ( hy, Կալեն Խութ) from between the 9th and 13th centuries, with a distinctive

khachkar A ''khachkar'', also known as a ''khatchkar'' or Armenian cross-stone ( hy, խաչքար, , խաչ xačʿ "cross" + քար kʿar "stone") is a carved, memorial stele bearing a cross, and often with additional motifs such as rosettes, in ...

, approximately one kilometer to the southwest of the village. To the southeast of Parukh there is a height with the ruins of the village of ''Karaglukh'' ( hy, Քարագլուխ, ). On the road between Parukh and Karaglukh there are three khachkars, with one of them being notable due to its use as a road sign. In and around Karaglukh there is a cemetery from between the 13th and 20th centuries with two distinctive khachkars, as well as the notable khachkar of ''Mote Jur'' ( hy, Մոտե Ջուր, ) near the cemetery. The cemetery has one gravestone from 1253 dating from the period of the Kingdom of Artsakh, as well as one gravestone with a relief of a rider with a sword where an Armenian soldier that died in 1918 during the Armenian–Azerbaijani War is buried. Nearby is also the St. Astvatsatsin Church from the late medieval period with khachkars in the walls, possibly built on the foundations of an earlier 13th-century basilica, as well as settlement ruins and a cemetery from between the 16th and 17th centuries.

Economy and culture

The population is mainly engaged in agriculture and

animal husbandry Animal husbandry is the branch of agriculture concerned with animals that are raised for meat, fibre, milk, or other products. It includes day-to-day care, selective breeding, and the raising of livestock. Husbandry has a long history, starti ...

. As of 2015, the village has a municipal building, the Parukh branch of the

Khramort Khramort ( hy, Խրամորթ; az, Xramort) or Pirlar ( az, Pirlər) is a village located in the Khojaly District of Azerbaijan, in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The village has an ethnic Armenian-majority population, and also had an ...

Secondary School, and a medical centre. The community of Parukh includes the uninhabited village of Karaglukh.

Demographics

The village has an ethnic Armenian-majority population, had 42 inhabitants in 2005, and 72 inhabitants in 2015.

References

{{Portal bar, Geography, Azerbaijan Populated places in Askeran Province Populated places in Khojaly District