Shosh () or Shushikend (; , ) is a village in the

Khojaly District Khojaly District () is one of the 66 districts of Azerbaijan. It is located in the west of the country in the Karabakh Economic Region. The district borders the districts of Kalbajar, Lachin, Shusha, Agdam and Khojavend. Its capital and larg ...

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...

, in the region of

Nagorno-Karabakh Nagorno-Karabakh (, ; ) is a region in Azerbaijan, covering the southeastern stretch of the Lesser Caucasus mountain range. Part of the greater region of Karabakh, it spans the area between Lower Karabakh and Syunik Province, Syunik. Its ter ...

. Until 2023 it was controlled by the breakaway

Republic of Artsakh Artsakh ( ), officially the Republic of Artsakh or the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh ( ), was a breakaway state in the South Caucasus whose territory was internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan. Between 1991 and 2023, Artsakh cont ...

. The village had 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 around the ...

-majority population until the

exodus Exodus or the Exodus may refer to: Religion * Book of Exodus, second book of the Hebrew Torah and the Christian Bible * The Exodus, the biblical story of the migration of the ancient Israelites from Egypt into Canaan Historical events * Ex ...

of the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh following the

2023 Azerbaijani offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh Between 19 and 20 September 2023, Azerbaijan launched a large-scale military offensive against the political status of Nagorno-Karabakh, self-declared breakaway state of Republic of Artsakh, Artsakh, a move seen as a violation of the 2020 Nago ...

History

Shosh's name and history is connected to that of

Shusha Shusha (, ) or Shushi () is a city in Azerbaijan, in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Situated at an altitude of 1,400–1,800 metres (4,600–5,900 ft) in the Karabakh mountains, the city was a mountain resort in the Soviet Union, Soviet ...

(Shushi), which is located a short distance from the village. The Armenian historian

Leo Leo is the Latin word for lion. It most often refers to: * Leo (constellation), a constellation of stars in the night sky * Leo (astrology), an astrological sign of the zodiac * Leo (given name), a given name in several languages, usually mas ...

considered it likely that the village Shosh received its name from Shushi, which he considered the older settlement, although some sources say that Shushi received its name from the village. During the

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

period, the village was part of the Askeran District of the

Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast The Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO) was an Autonomous oblasts of the Soviet Union, autonomous oblast within the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic that was created on July 7, 1923. Its capital was the city of Stepanakert. The majori ...

. The village has been administered by the

since the

First Nagorno-Karabakh War The First Nagorno-Karabakh War was an ethnic conflict, ethnic and territorial conflict that took place from February 1988 to May 1994, in the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh in southwestern Azerbaijan, between the majority ethnic Armenians of Nag ...

. After 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 occupied territories. It was a major escalation of an unresolved conflict over the region, involvi ...

, five Armenian families displaced from Vazgenashen (Gulably) settled in the village, as well as in Ivanyan (Khojaly).

Historical heritage sites

There are three Armenian churches in the village, the 19th-century church of ''Surb Astvatsatsin'' (, ) in the village centre, St. Stephen's Church () built in 1655 on the village cemetery grounds, and above the village on a hill in the north, there is a church with an adjacent cemetery with

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

s. The 19th-century chapel of ''Karmir Taran'' () is also located in the village. Other historical heritage sites in and around the village include the medieval shrine of ''Shoghasar'' (), a 17th-century

, the 18th-century bridge of ''Dzakhlik'' (), and a 19th-century

watermill A watermill or water mill is a mill that uses hydropower. It is a structure that uses a water wheel or water turbine to drive a mechanical process such as mill (grinding), milling (grinding), rolling, or hammering. Such processes are needed in ...

.Mkrtchyan, Shahen. Historical-Architectural Monuments of Nagorno Karabagh. Yerevan, 1989. (''Շահեն Մկրտչյան, «Լեռնային Ղարաբաղի պատմաճարտարապետական հուշարձանները»'') A monument in honor of the 18th-century Armenian satirist and fabulist

Pele Pughi Pele Pughi (; 1731 – 1810) was an 18th-century Armenians, Armenian satirist and fabulist from Karabakh. Biography Pele Pughi was born in 1731 in either Chanakhchi, Khojaly, Avetaranots or Shosh, Nagorno-Karabakh, Shosh in the Melikdom of ...

was built in 1976 between Shosh and

Mkhitarashen Mkhitarashen () or Mukhtar () is a village located in the Khojaly District of Azerbaijan, in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Until 2023 it was controlled by the breakaway Republic of Artsakh. The village had an ethnic Armenian-majority p ...

Economy and culture

The population is mainly engaged in

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

and

animal husbandry Animal husbandry is the branch of agriculture concerned with animals that are raised for meat, animal fiber, fibre, milk, or other products. It includes day-to-day care, management, production, nutrition, selective breeding, and the raising ...

. As of 2015, the village has a municipal building, a house of culture, a secondary school, four shops, and a medical centre.

Demographics

The village had 544 inhabitants in 2005, and 641 inhabitants in 2015.

Notable people

Arsen Terteryan Arsen Harutyuni Terteryan (; 22 December 1882, Shusha – 6 October 1953, Yerevan) was a Soviet Armenian literary critic, academic of Science Academy of Armenia, awarded by ''Renowned scientist'' title (1940). Graduated from the Saint-Petersburg ...

(1882-1953) – Soviet Armenian scientist and writer *

(1731-1810) – Armenian satirist and fabulist

Gallery

Մուտք, Շոշ.jpg, A view of the village Փառք մեծ հայրենականում զոհված Շոշեցի մարտիկներին.jpg, WWII memorial Խաչքար, Շոշում.jpg,

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

Ճանապարհ դեպի Շոշ.jpg, Sign reading "Shosh" in Armenian and Latin characters Գերեզմանաքար, Շոշ.jpg, Cemetery Շոշի եկեղեցին.jpg, Village church Եկեղեցու_մուտք,_Շոշում.jpg, Church door Հայրենական մեծ պատերազմի Զոհերի հիշատակին նվիրված պատմատախտակ.jpg, World War II memorial wall Շոշի գյուղապետարան.jpg, Municipal building Դպրոց,_Շոշում.jpg, School Բուժկետ,_Շոշում.jpg, Medical center Բնակավայր.jpg, A view of the village

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Shosh, Nagorno-Karabakh Populated places in Khojaly District