Martakert

Etymology

Traditionally, the Armenian name of the town is interpreted as consisting of the elements hy ('man, person,' or in this context 'brave') and hy ('built by'), supposedly referring to the inhabitants' reputation for bravery.** Other explanations link the name with the word hy ('chapel').** The Azerbaijani name for the settlement, Aghdara, translates to 'white river'.

History

The site of the settlement was historically a part of the Melikdom of Jraberd, one of the Melikdoms of Karabakh.

In 1918, a battle took place near the town between Ottoman and Armenian forces where the latter emerged victorious.**

During the Soviet period, Martakert was the administrative centre of the Martakert District of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast. It received the status of an urban-type settlement in 1960.

Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

First Nagorno-Karabakh War

Main article: First Nagorno-Karabakh War

During the First Nagorno-Karabakh War (1991–94), Martakert and the surrounding district saw heavy fighting, especially during the Azerbaijani Operation Goranboy and the Mardakert and Martuni Offensives in 1992. The town was captured by Azerbaijani forces on 4 July 1992, forcing Martakert's Armenian population to flee the town. Martakert was heavily damaged during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War and many of its buildings remain ruined and uninhabited. According to Thomas Goltz, who was in Martakert in September 1992, the town became a "a pile of rubble", noting "more intimate detritus of destroyed private lives: pots and pans, suitcases leaking sullied clothes, crushed baby strollers and even family portraits, still in shattered frames". HRW later noted that harsh actions taken by Karabakh Armenian forces during and after the offensive against Aghdam were seen as a revenge for the Azeri destruction of Martakert, in the context of the tit-for-tat nature of the conflict. Martakert was recaptured by Armenian forces on 27 June 1993. The area around the town has been controlled by Artsakh since the end of the war. Some of Martakert's natives gradually returned over the years, but many remained in Armenia, Russia, and elsewhere.

Border clashes (1994–2020)

Main article: 2008 Mardakert clashes

The 2008 Mardakert clashes began on 4 March after the 2008 Armenian election protests. It involved the heaviest fighting between ethnic Armenian and Azerbaijani forces over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh since the 1994 ceasefire after the First Nagorno-Karabakh War.

Armenian sources accused Azerbaijan of trying to take advantage of ongoing unrest in Armenia. Azerbaijani sources blamed Armenia, claiming that the Armenian government was trying to divert attention from internal tensions in Armenia.

In 2020, some clashes along the ceasefire lines took place near Martakert.

Second Nagorno-Karabakh war

During the Second Nagorno-Karabakh war, the town was bombed by Azerbaijani forces more than once, resulting in civilian deaths.

2023 Nagorno-Karabakh offensive

The town came under Azerbaijani control on 24 September 2023, following the 2023 Nagorno-Karabakh offensive.

Geography

The town is located on the right bank of the Tartar River, between two mountains.**

Economy and culture

The population mainly works in different state institutions as well as with agriculture. As of 2015, Martakert has a municipal building, a house of culture, two schools, two kindergartens, a youth centre, 88 commercial enterprises, two factories and a regional hospital. The enlarged municipal community of Martakert includes the villages of Haykajur, Jraberd, Maralyan Sarov, and Levonarkh.

Historical heritage sites

Historical heritage sites in and around the town include tombs from the 2nd–1st millennia BCE, the pre-Christian hy Cemetery, the medieval village of hy, cemeteries from between the 17th and 19th centuries, St. John the Baptist Church (hy) built in 1883 (possibly originating from as early as the 13th century), and a bridge across the Kusapat River from the early 20th century.

Demographics

Climate

The climate in Martakert is classified as Humid subtropical climate (Cfa) by the Köppen climate classification.

|Jan record high C = |Feb record high C = |Mar record high C = |Apr record high C = |May record high C = |Jun record high C = |Jul record high C = |Aug record high C = |Sep record high C = |Oct record high C = |Nov record high C = |Dec record high C = |year record high C= |Jan record low C = |Feb record low C = |Mar record low C = |Apr record low C = |May record low C = |Jun record low C = |Jul record low C = |Aug record low C = |Sep record low C = |Oct record low C = |Nov record low C = |Dec record low C = |year record low C=

Twin towns – sister cities

• ARM Vagarshapat, Armenia (2010–2023).

Partnership agreement:

• Lebanon Bourj Hammoud, Lebanon. In May 2018, representatives of the Artsakh city of Martakert and the Lebanese town of Bourj Hammoud signed a Memorandum of Cooperation. The memorandum states that aiming at the establishment of social, economic, tourism, and cultural relations between the two towns as well as realizing that cooperation between the towns can contribute to the strengthening of regional stability and peace.

Gallery

Martakert062.JPG|Park and monument in Martakert Martakert049.JPG|Martakert House of Culture Martakert061.JPG|View from the town Martakert002.JPG|One of the main streets in Martakert Martakert012.JPG|Martakert Museum Martakert063.JPG|Monument in Martakert

References

References

1. (2015). "Figures".
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3. Андрей Зубов. "Андрей Зубов. Карабах: Мир и Война".
4. Sauer, Pjotr. (2 October 2023). "‘It’s a ghost town’: UN arrives in Nagorno-Karabakh to find ethnic Armenians have fled". [[The Guardian]].
5. (December 1, 1994). "Azerbaijan: Seven Years of Conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh". Human Rights Watch/Helsinki.
6. (1986). "Հայաստանի և հարակից շրջանների տեղանունների բառարան [Dictionary of toponymy of Armenia and adjacent territories]". Yerevan State University Publishing House.
7. Hakobyan, Tatul. (27 June 2021). "Մարտակերտի ազատագրումը. հունիս 27, 1993թ".
8. Thomas Goltz. In TCG-33, Institute of Current World Affairs, Hanover, New Hampshire, September 18, 1992.
9. [https://www.hrw.org/reports/pdfs/a/azerbjn/azerbaij94d.pdf AZERBAIJAN: Seven Years of Conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh Human Rights Watch/Helsinki. page 47, 1994]
10. (2008-03-05). "Karabakh casualty toll disputed". BBC News.
11. (2008-03-05). "Fatal Armenian-Azeri border clash". BBC News.
12. (2008-03-04). "Armenia/Azerbaijan: Deadly Fighting Erupts In Nagorno-Karabakh". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
13. (4 March 2008). "Deadly Fighting Erupts In Nagorno-Karabakh".
14. (30 September 2020). "Ադրբեջանի ռազմական ինքնաթիռը ռմբակոծել է Մարտակերտը, կա երեք զոհ. Վահրամ Պողոսյան".
15. (23 October 2020). "Մարտակերտը ռմբակոծվում է, կիրառվում է ռազմական ավիացիա, հայտնում է ԱԻՊԾ-ն".
16. "Azerbaijani flag raised in Aghdara-VIDEO".
17. Hakob Ghahramanyan. "Directory of socio-economic characteristics of NKR administrative-territorial units (2015)".
18. (2019). "Rediscovering Armenia: An in-depth inventory of villages and monuments in Armenia and Artsakh". Armeniapedia Publishing.
19. (1910). "Кавказский календарь на 1910 год". Tipografiya kantselyarii Ye.I.V. na Kavkaze, kazenny dom.
20. "Result of the Soviet census of 1970 of the Martakert district".
21. "Result of the Soviet census of 1979 of the Martakert district".
22. "The Results of the 2005 Census of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic".
23. "Marakert / Agdere climate: Average Temperature, weather by month, Marakert / Agdere weather averages - Climate-Data.org".
24. "Official page of Vagarshapat city".
25. "Karabakh's Martakert, Lebanon's Bourj Hammoud sign memorandum of cooperation".