Karakend

For the village in Armenia, see Berdashen.

Karakend / Berdashen Qarakənd / Բերդաշեն
Karakend / Berdashen Show map of Azerbaijan Karakend / Berdashen Show map of Karabakh Economic Region
Coordinates: 39°50′51″N 47°01′49″E
Country	Azerbaijan
• District	Khojavend
Elevation	656 m (2,152 ft)
Population  (2015)[1]
• Total	1,606
Time zone	UTC+4 (AZT)

Karakend^[a] (Armenian: Քարաքենդ; Azerbaijani: Qarakənd, lit. 'black village'), or Berdashen (Armenian: Բերդաշեն, lit. 'village of the fortress' is a village in the Khojavend 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 population^[2] until the exodus of the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh following the 2023 Azerbaijani offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh.^[3]

History

During the Soviet period, the village was a part of the Martuni District of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast.

During the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, on November 20, 1991, an Azerbaijani MI-8 military helicopter, carrying a peacekeeping mission team consisting of 13 Azerbaijani government officials, 2 Russian and 1 Kazakhstani Ministry of Internal Affairs officials, 3 Azerbaijani journalists and 3 helicopter crewmen was shot down by Armenian forces near the village.^[4][5] All 22 people (19 passengers and 3 crew) on board were killed in the crash.^[6]

Historical heritage sites

Historical heritage sites in and around the village include a 12th-century khachkar, the 17th-century church of Surb Astvatsatsin (Armenian: Սուրբ Աստվածածին, lit. 'Holy Mother of God'), the chapel of Mets Nahatak (Armenian: Մեծ Նահատակ) built in 1676, a 17th/18th-century shrine and the fortress of Kusaberd (Armenian: Կուսաբերդ), also known as Aghjkaberd (Armenian: Աղջկաբերդ).^[1]

Economy and culture

As of 2015, the village has a municipal building, a house of culture, a secondary school, a kindergarten, six shops, and a medical centre.^[1]

Demographics

The village had 1,498 inhabitants in 2005,^[7] and 1,606 inhabitants in 2015.^[1]

Gallery

• 
  "Pitsi Nahatak" chapel
• 
  Kusaberd-Aghjkaberd monument

References

1. Also anglicized as Karakent or Garakend

1. Hakob Ghahramanyan. "Directory of socio-economic characteristics of NKR administrative-territorial units (2015)".
2. Андрей Зубов. "Андрей Зубов. Карабах: Мир и Война". drugoivzgliad.com.
3. Sauer, Pjotr (2 October 2023). "'It's a ghost town': UN arrives in Nagorno-Karabakh to find ethnic Armenians have fled". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
4. Roman Glebov (1991-11-25). "Республики. В Азербайджане сбит вертолет с VIP на борту" [Republics. A helicopter with VIP on board has been shot down in Azerbaijan.] (in Russian). Kommersant. Retrieved 2010-04-14.
5. Menashri, David (1998). Central Asia Meets Middle East. London, Great Britain: Frank Cass & Co. Ltd. p. 155. ISBN 0-7146-4600-8.
6. "Azerbaijan Association. 17 year passes since "Mi-8" military helicopter was shot in Garakand sky – complete list of the perished people". November 21, 2008. Archived from the original on 2011-07-06. Retrieved April 14, 2010.
7. Population of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (2005)

External links

• Karakend at GEOnet Names Server