Berdkunk ( hy, Բերդկունք) is a village in the
Gegharkunik Province
Gegharkunik ( hy, Գեղարքունիք, ) is a province ('' marz'') of Armenia. Its capital and largest city is Gavar.
Gegharkunik Province is located at the eastern part of Armenia, bordering Azerbaijan. It includes the exclave of Artsvas ...
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 ' ...
.
Etymology
The village was previously known as ''Aghkala
''
or ''Aghgala'' ( az, Ağqala; ;
), consisting of
Turkic ''agh'' (
ağ, meaning "white") and
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...
''gala'' (
qala, meaning "castle" or "tower"). Berdkunk is a combination of two words in Armenian: ''berd'' (
բերդ, meaning "fortress") and ''kunk'' (
կունք, meaning "place" or "foundation").
History
The village was once a transit point on the ancient road between
Dvin and
Partev. There are cyclopean fortresses nearby with megalithic tombs. One of the fortresses in particular, Berdkunk Fortress (also known as ''Ishkhanats Amrots'' and ''Spitak Berd'' ), is located along the eastern edge of the village and was built in the 10th century BC.
/ref> There is also an 11–12th century church, a 12–20th century cemetery, and 16–17th century tombstones in the village.Nor Bayazet uezd
The Nor Bayazet or Novobayazet ''uezd'' was a county (''uezd'') of the Erivan Governorate of the Caucasus Viceroyalty of the Russian Empire. The ''uezd'' bordered the Alexandropol uezd to the north, the Etchmiadzin and Erivan uezds to the west, t ...
of the Erivan Governorate
The Erivan Governorate was a province ('' guberniya'') of the Caucasus Viceroyalty of the Russian Empire, with its centеr in Erivan (present-day Yerevan). Its area was 27,830 sq. kilometеrs, roughly corresponding to what is now most of central A ...
within the Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...
.
Economy
The population of the village is engaged with animal husbandry, cultivation of forage crops and potatoes.
Demographics
The population of the village since 1831 is as follows:
Gallery
Image:Berdkunk fortress2.jpg, Front view of Berdkunk Fortress
Berdkunk fortress 02.jpg, A view of Lake Sevan
Lake Sevan ( hy, Սևանա լիճ, Sevana lich) is the largest body of water in both Armenia and the Caucasus region. It is one of the largest freshwater high-altitude (alpine) lakes in Eurasia. The lake is situated in Gegharkunik Province, ...
and Berdkunk Fortress
Berdkunk fortress 07.jpg, Berdkunk Fortress
References
External links
*
*
Populated places in Gegharkunik Province
Former Azerbaijani inhabited settlements
{{Gegharkunik-geo-stub