Taghavard ( hy, Թաղավարդ) or Taghaverd ( az, Tağaverd) is a village 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. The village had an ethnic Armenian-majority population in 1989. Following the

2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war The Second Nagorno-Karabakh War was an armed conflict in 2020 that took place in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenian-occupied territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh, the surrounding territories. It was a major escalation of ...

, the eastern, lower part of the village, Nerkin Taghavard ( hy, Ներքին Թաղավարդ, also called ''Taghavard Kaler'', ), is controlled by the breakaway Republic of Artsakh as part of its Martuni Province, and the western, upper part of the village, Verin Taghavard ( hy, Վերին Թաղավարդ), is controlled by Azerbaijan as part of its Khojavend District.

Toponymy

The name ''Taghavard'' derives from two Armenian words, ''Tagh'', meaning quarter (of a city), and ''Vard'', meaning rose.

History

During the Soviet period, the village was a part of the

Martuni District Martuni District ( az, Martuni rayonu; hy, Մարտունու շրջան) was an administrative unit within the former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO) of the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic. History The administrative centre o ...

of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast.

Historical heritage sites

Historical heritage sites in and around Taghavard include the 12th/13th-century monastery of Barevatsari Vank (also known as Jukht/Jokht Pravatsari Vank), the 17th-century Berdahonj Church, and the church of ''Surb Astvatsatsin'' ( hy, Սուրբ Աստվածածին, ) built in 1840. In July 2021, satellite images released by Caucasus Heritage Watch, a watchdog group made up of researchers from

Purdue Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donated land and money ...

and

Cornell Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

, revealed that Azerbaijani bulldozers had cleared the western half of the village, thereby endangering the St. Astvatsatsin Church. It called on Azerbaijani authorities to prevent damage or destruction.THREAT ALERT: The Holy Mother of God church (S. Astvatsatsin) in the village of T’aghavard/Tağaverd (Martuni/Khojavend district) is under threat...
" Twitter. 18 July 2021.

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 had a municipal building, a house of culture, two schools, a kindergarten, three shops, and a medical centre.

Demographics

The village had 1,315 inhabitants in 2005, and 1,301 inhabitants in 2015.

References

External links

* *
Taghavard sb. Astvatsatsin ekeghetsi
he Holy Mother of God church of Taghavard Monument Watch. * {{Portal bar, Geography Populated places in Khojavend District Populated places in Martuni Province