2014 Stepanakert, Monument My i Nasze Góry (02)

''We Are Our Mountains'' ( hy, Մենք ենք մեր լեռները, translit=Menk' enk' mer leṙnerə) is a large monument north of Stepanakert, the capital city of self-proclaimed

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 part 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 ...

. The sculpture, completed in 1967 by Sargis Baghdasaryan, is widely regarded as a symbol of the Armenian heritage 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 monument is made from volcanic

tufa Tufa is a variety of limestone formed when carbonate minerals precipitate out of water in unheated rivers or lakes. Geothermally heated hot springs sometimes produce similar (but less porous) carbonate deposits, which are known as travertin ...

and depicts an old

man A man is an adult male human. Prior to adulthood, a male human is referred to as a boy (a male child or adolescent). Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chromo ...

and

woman A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female humans regardl ...

hewn from rock, representing the

mountain people Hill people, also referred to as mountain people, is a general term for people who live in the hills and mountains. This includes all rugged land above and all land (including plateaus) above elevation. The climate is generally harsh, with s ...

Karabakh Karabakh ( az, Qarabağ ; hy, Ղարաբաղ, Ġarabaġ ) is a geographic region in present-day southwestern Azerbaijan and eastern Armenia, extending from the highlands of the Lesser Caucasus down to the lowlands between the rivers Kura and ...

. It is also known as "tatik-papik" (տատիկ-պապիկ) in Armenian, which translates as "Grandmother and Grandfather". The sculpture is prominent in Artsakh's coat of arms.

Eurovision image controversy

The use of the monument during a video clip preceding a performance at

Eurovision Song Contest 2009 The Eurovision Song Contest 2009 was the 54th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Moscow, Russia, following the country's victory at the with the song "Believe" by Dima Bilan. Organised by the European Broadcasting Union (E ...

was the first of several political conflicts during the competition surrounding

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 ' ...

and

. The conflict stemmed from an introductory "postcard" video played before Armenia's performance in a semi-final round, which depicted the monument alongside other symbols of Armenia. Representatives from Azerbaijan complained to the European Broadcasting Union about the use of "We Are Our Mountains" in the Armenian intro, since the territory of

is ''

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 ...

'' part of Azerbaijan. In response to the complaint, the image was edited out of the video in the finals. However, Armenia retaliated for the decision by including multiple images of the monument in its voting presentation—on a video screen in the background, and on the back of their spokesperson

Sirusho Siranush Harutyunyan ( hy, Սիրանուշ Հարությունյան; born 7 January 1987), known professionally as Sirusho ( hy, Սիրուշո), is an Armenian singer and songwriter. She received her first award when she was nine years old fo ...

's clipboard.

In popular culture

This monument is featured in the artwork of the songs " Protect the Land" and "

Genocidal Humanoidz "Genocidal Humanoidz" is a song recorded by Armenian-American heavy metal band System of a Down. It was released as a double A-side single with " Protect the Land" on November 6, 2020, through American Recordings and Columbia Records, to raise ...

" of the Armenian-American band

System of a Down System of a Down (also known as SoaD or simply System) is an Armenian-American heavy metal band formed in Glendale, California, in 1994. Since 1997, the band has consisted of Serj Tankian (lead vocals, keyboards); Daron Malakian (guitar, voc ...

to draw attention to 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 the surrounding territories. It was a major escalation of an unresolved conflict over the region, involving Azerbai ...

References

External links

* {{italictitle Stepanakert Republic of Artsakh culture Armenian culture Buildings and structures in the Republic of Artsakh Monuments and memorials in the Republic of Artsakh 1967 sculptures Stone sculptures Tourist attractions in the Republic of Artsakh Buildings and structures in Azerbaijan Tourist attractions in Azerbaijan

Eurovision image controversy

In popular culture

See also

References

External links