Haterk

History

During the period of Zakarid Armenia, at end of the 12th century, the Armenian principalities of the region consisted of the three branches of Khachen: Tsar, Haterk and Khokhanaberd (with their spiritual center at Gandzasar) along with the Khaghbakian family in northern Syunik (Vayots Dzor). The Armenian princes of Haterk (Upper Khachen) were established on the left bank of the Tartar River, with their spiritual center being at Dadivank, the principal church of which was established by Arzu-Khatun, the wife of Vakhtang of Haterk. Prince Hasan of Haterk left an inscription at Dadivank in 1182. The leading family among the three Khachen princes was the one from Haterk. Vakhtang of Haterk contributed in 1191 to the building of the Nor Getik monastery (present day Goshavank in northeastern Armenia). In the 15th century, Artsakh was subjugated by the Turkmen tribes of Qara Qoyunlu and Aq Qoyunlu, and Haterk was destroyed. Its inhabitants founded the modern village close to the original settlement in the 16th century. In 1603, the Persians established a protectorate over the Melikdoms of Karabakh and sponsored the establishment of a local khanate in 1750.

During the Soviet period, Haterk was a part of the Mardakert District in the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast of the Azerbaijan SSR. Haterk came under the control of Armenian forces during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War and subsequently became part of the Martakert Province of the Republic of Artsakh. After the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, 157 displaced people settled in the village.

Historical heritage sites

Haterk can be divided into three historical parts, Shen or Pap – the village center, Kyok and Mtghaser. There are several historical and cultural heritage sites in and around Haterk, including the ruined St. Nshan Church (), the chapel of Astghablur () and an oil mill from the Middle Ages, the monastery of Mesis (), the ruined village of Khotorashen (), a chapel-tomb and khachkars from between the 12th and 13th centuries, a 19th/20th-century fortress, and the 19th-century church of Surb Astvatsatsin (, ) in the center of Haterk, the only one of the three churches in Haterk that still stands.

Economy and culture

The population is mainly engaged in agriculture and animal husbandry. As of 2015, the village has a municipal building, a house of culture, a medical centre, a secondary school, a kindergarten, and 19 shops.

Demographics

Haterk had 1,531 inhabitants in 2005, and 1,638 inhabitants in 2015. The population of the village was estimated to be 1,800 inhabitants in 2021.

As of January 2026, 724 Azerbaijani families, comprising 2718 people, have been resettled in the Hasanriz village by Azerbaijan.

Gallery

Հաթերք, Արցախ.jpg Landscape from Haterk village, Artsakh 02.jpg

References

References

1. Андрей Зубов. "Андрей Зубов. Карабах: Мир и Война".
2. Sauer, Pjotr. (2 October 2023). "‘It’s a ghost town’: UN arrives in Nagorno-Karabakh to find ethnic Armenians have fled". [[The Guardian]].
3. Levon Chorbajian, Patrick Donabédian, Claude Mutafian. (1994). "The Caucasian Knot: The History & Geopolitics of Nagorno-Karabagh".
4. Վահրամ Բալայան. (2020). "Արցախի Հանրապետության բնակավայրերի պատմության ուրվագծեր". Զանգակ հրատարակչություն.
5. Parry, Ken. (December 5, 2001). "The Blackwell Dictionary of Eastern Christianity". Wiley-Blackwell.
6. Artsakh Press. (2021-12-20). "38 displaced families settled in Haterk. Community Leader".
7. Hakob Ghahramanyan. "Directory of socio-economic characteristics of NKR administrative-territorial units (2015)".
8. (2019). "Rediscovering Armenia: An in-depth inventory of villages and monuments in Armenia and Artsakh". Armeniapedia Publishing.
9. Artsakh Press. (2019-05-11). "The Second Zhengyalov Hats Festival was held in Haterk, Artsakh Republic (Photos)".
10. "The Results of the 2005 Census of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic".
11. "Xankəndi, Xocalı və Ağdərəyə növbəti köç karvanı yola salınıb".