Vank () or Vangli () is a village in the

Aghdara District Mardakert District (, ; ) was an administrative unit within the former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO) of the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic. History The district was formed on 8 August 1930, as the ''Jrabert district''. It was r ...

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 ...

. From 1991 to 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 ...

. The 13th-century Gandzasar Monastery, and the 9th-century

Khokhanaberd Khokhanaberd (, ), also known as Khanabert () and Tarkhanaberd (), is a 9th-century mountaintop fortress near the village of Vank, Nagorno-Karabakh, Vank, in the Political status of Nagorno-Karabakh, disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, in the K ...

fortress are located near Vank.

History

The village of Vank (meaning monastery in Armenian) was founded in the 9th century, and was named as such for its proximity to Gandzasar Monastery. Although the current structure of Gandzasar was built in the 13th century, a church or monastery existed at the site several centuries before then. The village was previously also known by the name Vankashen. The village is surrounded by several historical monuments dating to the Middle Ages. The most prominent among them is the thirteenth-century monastic complex of Gandzasar (built from 1216–38), which overlooks the village and was built by the Armenian ruler of the

Principality of Khachen The Principality of Khachen ( Modern Armenian: ) was a medieval Armenian principality on the territory of historical Artsakh (present-day Karabakh).''Abū-Dulaf Misʻar Ibn Muhalhil's Travels in Iran (circa A.D. 950)'', ed. and trans. Vladi ...

, Prince Hasan-Jalal Dawla.

, a 9th-century mountaintop fortress is also located near Vank, which served as a castle and residence of rulers of the

House of Hasan-Jalalyan Hasan-Jalalyan ( is a medieval Armenian dynasty that ruled over parts of the South Caucasus. From the early thirteenth century, the family held sway in Khachen (Greater Artsakh) in what are now the regions of lower Karabakh, Nagorno-Karabakh, ...

. 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 a part of the Mardakert 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 ...

. In the years following the conclusion of 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 ...

(1988-1994), the village has seen an increase in investment from the

Armenian diaspora The Armenian diaspora refers to the communities of Armenians outside Armenia and other locations where Armenians are considered an indigenous population. Since antiquity, Armenians have established communities in many regions throughout the world. ...

. Levon Hairapetyan, a Russian-based Armenian businessman and a native of Vank, has funded the reconstruction of homes, the local school, and sponsored the building of a zoo, and the nearby Hotel Eclectica, which resembles a ship.Noble, John et al. ''Georgia Armenia & Azerbaijan, 3rd ed''. Oakland, CA: Lonely Planet, 2008, p. 306. In October 2008, Vank was also one of several venues in Nagorno-Karabakh for a mass wedding of 560 Armenian couples.Hayrapetyan, Anahit.
Nagorno-Karabakh: Mass Wedding Hopes to Spark Baby Boom in Separatist Territory
" ''Eurasianet''. October 23, 2008. Retrieved November 11, 2010.

Historical heritage sites

Historical heritage sites in and around the village include the 12th-century church of ''Yeghtsun Khut'' (), the 12th/13th-century monastery of '' Havaptuk'' (), a 12th/13th-century cemetery, Gandzasar monastery (1216-1238), a 13th-century

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 ...

, a 13th-century village, and the medieval shrine of ''Yeghegyan Nahatak'' ().

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, an art school, a kindergarten, 18 shops, two hotels, and a medical centre. The community of Vank includes the village of Nareshtar.

Demographics

Vank had a population of 1,284 in 2005, and 1,574 inhabitants in 2015.

Gallery

Xoxanaberd.JPG, The remains of Prince Hasan-Jalal's fortress of

(on left), as seen from Gandzasar Paysage Gandzasar - 3.JPG, Vank as seen from Gandzasar Monastery Vank Hotel.jpg, Hotel ''Eclectica'' in Vank Vank Village 004.jpg, Lion of Vank Գյուղատեղի, Վանք ArmAg (1).jpg, Entrance to the village Княжеский дворец Хачена7.jpg, Walls of

, close by are the ruins of the monastery of Havaptuk 2014 Wank, Szkoła (01).jpg, School in Vank

References

External links

* Musaelian, Lusine.
A Taste of China in Karabakh
" IWPR. CRS Issue 408, September 5, 2007.
Gandzasar.com: Gandzasar Monastery, Nagorno Karabakh Republic
*

* {{Portal bar, Geography Populated places in Aghdara District