Real Artsakh

“Artsakh: A Heritage in Danger”, Yerevan 2021 and Brussels 2022

The first exhibition under this title, devoted to the Armenian heritage of Artsakh took place in the Yerevan municipality hall from April 25 to May 6, 2021. The first viewing of the exhibition was on April 24, for the guests and dignitaries arriving in Yerevan to take part in the Genocide commemoration events and for the diplomatic corps accredited in Armenia. The exhibition opened with a speech by Ara Aivazyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia. The “Hover” choir performed before and after the minister's remarks.

A partial demonstration of the exhibition took place in the building of the European Parliament, Brussels, in November 2022.

The exhibition consisted of 1. photographs (the main part). 2. medieval manuscripts, 3. samples of the first books printed in Shushi and 4. Karabakh carpets. It was accompanied with 5. ongoing shorts videos about several spiritual centres and architectural marvels of Artsakh.

The exhibits were chosen to depict the spiritual and cultural heritage of Artsakh and its nature, as well as evidence of its centuries-long Armenian statehood and identity.

Photographs, which comprise the main body of the exhibition, were taken in the course of decades and present monuments and territories both under the control of the authorities of Artsakh and Azerbaijan.

Photographs depict samples of medieval fortresses and bridges, as symbols of statehood and sovereignty, churches and monasteries built as in the Middle Ages, as well as in the 20-21th centuries, archaelogical sites, manors of meliks (prices), museums and their exhibits, manuscripts and carpets, pontifical visits of Armenian Catholicoi (Supreme Patriarchs) to the Artsakh Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church, details of architecture and Armenian inscriptions, scenes of spiritual life and the rich nature of Artsakh. The photos include aerial ones and have been taken during all seasons of the year.

Whenever it was possible, cultural monuments and sites are shown both before the 2020 Turkish-Azeri aggression and after the war, with the evidence of Azeri vandalism.

The author of most pictures and the exhibition curator is Vahe Gabrielyan and photos on the site are his unless otherwise mentioned.

A selection of the exhibits can be found below.

Damaged, occupied and destroyed churches and monasteries and those in danger

**Domes of the Hovhannes Mkrtich Church.** *Blown up immediately after the Azeri-Turkish occupation in 2020.*The domes of the Hovhannes Mkrtich (John the Baptist) Church built in 1818 were visible from almost all parts of Shushi. The church also stands out for its unique interior among Armenian churches. The domes were intentionally destroyed by the Azeri-Turkish military either at the very end of the 2020 aggression or immediately after following the capture of Shushi. Photos by Vahe Gabrielyan (top and left bottom row) and from Karabakh Records Telegram channel (bottom right).

**The Red Church in Tumi.** *Endangered: occupied in Azeri-Turkish aggression in 2020*.The village of Tumi in the current Hadrut region was the seat of the rulers of Dizak, one of the historical Armenian kingdoms/princedoms in Artsakh. The ruins of several buildings associated with those rulers included a palace, a spring, a cemetery and a church, called Red Church. The tympanum of the Red Church, now in the Stepanakert Museum of History and Local Lore, bears an inscription saying that the church was built in the year of 1000, during the authority of Movses’ son King Gagik, by Movses’ daughter Sopi.

Manuscripts

(Photos of manuscripts are courtesy of Matenadaran, the Institute-Museum of Ancient Manuscripts)

**The Art of Manuscript Illumination in Artsakh** This Gospel, copied in the 13th-15th centuries, was illuminated by Ovannes and Toros. The picture on the left depicts the scene of the Baptism of Jesus, with crowds watching and the picture on the right shows Jesus entering Jerusalem, common themes in medieval Armenian religious literature as well. Gandzasar Branch of Matenadaran, Martakert Region, Temporarily on exhibition in Yerevan

Museums

**Museum of the History of Shushi.** *Looted. Occupied in Azeri-Turkish aggression of 2020.* The Museum of the History of Shushi was founded in May 1992. It has artefacts from this region dating from the Stone Age to the Late Bronze Age and to the 19th-20th century life in the fortress-town. Separate sections cover the burning of Shushi in 1920 by Azeri-Turkish forces and the killing of thousands of Armenians and the liberation of the town in 1992.

Medieval bridges

**Hunot Bridge.** *Status unknown. Occupied in Azeri-Turkish aggression in 2020.* The Hunot bridge was built in 1720 to connect the town of Shushi with surrounding settlements. Although the village nearby is in ruins, the bridge is still used to cross the river in the Hunot Canyon on foot. At 890 metres above sea level, it is 25 metres long, 4 metres wide and 8 metres above water level.

Pontifical Visits of Armenian Supreme Patriarchs to the Artsakh Diocese

(Original photos are courtesy of the Holy See of Mother Echmiatsin)

**Pontifical Visits to Amaras and ‘Kanach Zham’.** *Amaras is endangered because of the proximity of and threats by Azeri soldiers. Kanach Zham is half-destroyed*. Catholicos and Supreme Patriarch of All Armenians, Vazgen I at the Amaras Monastery (left) and the Hovhannes Mkrtich (John the Baptist) Church, known as Kanach Zham (the ‘Green Church’) in Shushi during his pontifical visit to Artsakh in 1957.

Carpet-making

**Carpets of Artsakh.** *The museum suffered from bombardment and is in an unknown state after the occupation of Shushi in 2020.* Karabakh carpets have long been known outside the region. Families would have their carpets passed from generation to generation as would carpet weaving skills be. The production of carpets or rugs was not intended for the market: a carpet was woven for the household and was seldom, if ever, sold. *Photos courtesy of and by Vahram Tatikyan, Map courtesy of the Centre of Cartography and Geodesy of Armenia.*

Archaeological sites and excavations

**Excavations in the Azokh Cave, Endangered.** *Occupied in Azeri-Turkish occupation in 2020*. At 962 m above sea level, near the village of Azokh in the Hadrut region, the Azokh Cave site consists of numerous rocky cavities that form a large limestone karst system. It was discovered in 1960, and during the earlier excavations a part of the lower jaw of an ancient man was found. It corresponds to the transition period between the Neanderthal and Homo erectus, which is now considered as the Homo heidelbergensis age. Excavations in the cave were resumed by an international research expedition in 2002 at the invitation of the Government of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic and continued till 2019. *Photos courtesy of Levon Yepiskoposyan.*

Monuments and spiritual edifices

**Vazgen Sargsyan’s Statue in Shushi.** *The statue was toppled and destroyed in the 2020 occupation of Shushi by Azeri-Turkish forces.* Vazgen Sargsyan, a Minister of Defence and later also Prime Minister of Armenia, was a hero of the first Artsakh war in 1991-1994, who was killed in a terrorist attack on the Armenian Parliament in 1999. One of the first things that the Azeri-Turkish militants did when they took hold of Shushi, was to topple and vandalize Vazgen Sargsyan’s statue in Shushi. *Photos courtesy of the Mother See of Holy Echmiatsin (top) and from Karabakh Records Telegram channel (bottom).*

Other destructions of war, other photos

**The Consecration and Destruction of Mekhakavan (Jrakan) Church.** *Destroyed and all traces erased by Azeri government*. Mekhakavan Church still stood undamaged after the military aggression of the Azeri-Turkish forces, assisted by jihadist mercenaries introduced into the region by Turkey. They desecrated the prayer house as soon as they captured it and weeks or months later erased it clean off the ground, leaving no trace, the way Azeris have treated other Armenian cultural heritage under their control. *From the https://artsakhpress.am and https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-europe (bottom right image and inset) websites*

Domes of the Hovhannes Mkrtich Church. Blown up immediately after the Azeri-Turkish occupation in 2020.The domes of the Hovhannes Mkrtich (John the Baptist) Church built in 1818 were visible from almost all parts of Shushi. The church also stands out for its unique interior among Armenian churches. The domes were intentionally destroyed by the Azeri-Turkish military either at the very end of the 2020 aggression or immediately after following the capture of Shushi. Photos by Vahe Gabrielyan (top and left bottom row) and from Karabakh Records Telegram channel (bottom right).	Destroying ‘Kanach Zham’ (the Green Church). Blown up immediately after the Azeri-Turkish occupation in 2020. The Hovhannes Mkrtich Church is popularly known as Kanach Zham (the Green Church) as its domes were originally painted in green. It was built in 1818 and together with Ghazanchetsots was one of the only two surviving Armenian churches in Shushi before the town was subjected to daily missile attacks and was later occupied by Azeri-Turkish aggressors. Photos by Vahe Gabrielyan (top and left bottom row) and from Karabakh Records Telegram channel (bottom right).	Ghazanchetsots Attacked. Endangered and partly destroyed. Occupied in Azeri-Turkish aggression in 2020. In 1988, Azeris completely drove out Armenians from Shushi and set out destroying everything of Armenian origin that had remained after the infamous 1920 destruction and killings, and seventy-year Soviet Azeri rule. They toppled the statues of the angels and destroyed them and used the church as an ammunition depot. In 2020 they attacked it with precision missiles, as seen in the bottom image. Photos by Vahe Gabrielyan (top) and David Ghahramanyan (bottom).	Ghazanchetsots Attacked. Endangered and partly destroyed. Occupied in Azeri-Turkish aggression in 2020. After the liberation of Shushi, Ghazanchetsots was restored to its former glory, became a functioning church and was the seat of the Artsakh Primate and the main Cathedral before the Church of the Protection of the Holy Mother of God was consecrated in Stepanakert in 2019. Photos by Vahe Gabrielyan (top) and David Ghahramanyan (bottom).
Horekavank. Endangered, occupied in Azeri-Turkish aggression in 2020. The 13th century monastery is 3-4 kilometres to the south-west of the Talish village. A settlement near this monastery is now abandoned though the cemetery is still used by the Talish village. The older part of the cemetery was the cemetery of Gyulistan Meliks (princes). The ruins of Melik Beglaryan’s manor are about 100-120 metres from the monastery.	Handaberd Monastery and Cross-Stone. Endangered, occupied in Azeri-Turkish aggression in 2020.Parts of the Monastery near the Handaberd Fortress, are known to have been built in the 13th century, while the time of construction of the other buildings is not known.The uniquely ornamented khachkar or cross-stone is also from the 13th century.	Surb Harutyun (Holy Resurrection) Church. Status unknown. Endangered. Occupied in Azeri-Turkish aggression in 2020. Surb Harutyun (Holy Resurrection) Church in the town of Hadrut is a one-nave basilica built in 1621. Of the entire church, only the small tower is built of finely hewn stones. The church walls have inscriptions relating both to the history of the church and the region in general.	The Khachkars of Dadivank. Endangered. Occupied in Azeri-Turkish aggression in 2020. The fine embroidery of these two 13th century khachkars (cross-stones) places them among the best pieces of Armenian cross-stone art. Commissioned by the abbot Atanas in 1283, they are enclosed in the lower part of the monastery bell tower, which completes the cloister starting at the cathedral church, St. Katoghiké.
Service at Dadivank Dadivank Monastery is endangered since its occupation in Azeri-Turkish aggression in 2020. Father Hovhannes, a well-known cleric in Artsakh and all of Armenia and the then priest of Dadivank (also, a former priest of Gandzasar, another renowned medieval monastery of Artsakh), conducts a noon liturgy at the cathedral church, St. Katoghiké.	Service and the Faithful at Dadivank. Endangered. Occupied in Azeri-Turkish occupation in 2020. Re-consecration of a Dadivank church by Archbishop Pargev Martirosyan, the Primate of Artsakh Diocese takes place in May 2019, as restoration works proceed. Dadivank is a pilgrimage venue for many believers who come to pray and to admire its magnificent architecture and impressive history.	St. Grigoris' Tomb at Amaras Monastery. Under the jurisdiction of Artsakh but endangered because of Azeri proximity. Grigoris, the grandson of Gregory the Illuminator who founded Amaras in the 4th century and thus the Artsakh Diocese, became the Bishop of the Diocese. He was martyred preaching Christianity in the neighbouring lands. When Azeri special police forces took temporary control of the monastery in the first Artsakh war of 1992-1994, they shot at Grigoris’ tombstone with machine guns and it had to be replaced.	Avetaranots Monastery. Endangered. Occupied in Azeri-Turkish occupation in 2020. The St. Nshan Church of Kusanats Anapat (Hermitage) Monastery (1616) has been the family mausoleum of the Melik Shahnazaryans of Varanda. Meliks (princes) were rulers of different princedoms in Artsakh. The tombstone is that of Gayané, the famous heroine and daughter of Melik Husein.

Museum of the History of Shushi. Looted. Occupied in Azeri-Turkish aggression of 2020. The Museum of the History of Shushi was founded in May 1992. It has artefacts from this region dating from the Stone Age to the Late Bronze Age and to the 19th-20th century life in the fortress-town. Separate sections cover the burning of Shushi in 1920 by Azeri-Turkish forces and the killing of thousands of Armenians and the liberation of the town in 1992.	Shushi Centre of Arts. Looted. Occupied in Azeri-Turkish aggression in 2020. The Shushi Centre of Art was founded in 2012, as a private initiative. The building was half-destroyed as Armenians took control of Shushi in 1992 and had to undergo extensive reconstruction and restoration works. Before the Azeri-Turkish occupation in 2020 its ground floor hosted a permanent exhibition of Karabakh carpets and the second floor was a venue for various exhibitions of fine art and sculpture. The building suffered from missile attacks and bombs and some of its collections were lost and possibly looted.	Shushi Centre of Arts. Partly looted. Occupied in Azeri-Turkish aggression of 2020. The Carpet Museum of Shushi opened a permanent exhibition of Karabakh carpets in the Shushi Center of Arts in 2013. The museum collection boasts around 250 carpets from all regions of Artsakh, covering the period from the end of the 17th century to the beginning of the 20th century and the museum has traced all its carpets to their places of production. Some of this private collection was lost as Azeri-Turkish troops first extensively bombed the city and then took hold of it in the autumn of 2020.	Shushi Centre of Arts. Partly looted. Occupied in Azeri-Turkish aggression of 2020. Apart from the Carpet Museum, the Centre also housed a gallery exhibiting fine art, archaeological artefacts and other items..
Martuni Museum of History and Local Lore. Fossils from a Martuni village prove that Artsakh (Karabakh) was at the bottom of an ocean millions of years ago, a fact that is hard to believe looking at the snow-covered mountains of the country. The artifact with an animal shape on the left was found by a schoolteacher from a village in the region. Its exact age is not determined yet.	Hadrut Museum of Local Lore. Status unknown. Endangered. Occupied in Azeri-Turkish aggression in 2020. As most other such museums in Artsakh, the Museum of Local Lore in the town of Hadrut displays artefacts from ancient times to the not too distant past, as well as medieval cross-stones. The Hadrut region is world famous for remnants of a pre-historic man and extinct animals found there. The pre-independence director of this museum was Arthur Mkrtchyan, who became the first Chairman of the Artsakh Parliament after independence.	Kashatagh Museum of Local Lore in Berdzor. Endangered. Occupied as a consequence of the Azeri-Turkish occupation in 2020. The ritual vessel (top left), discovered in 1998 dates to the end of the 2nd millennium-beginning of the 1st millennium BC. The vessel below it, found in the Aghavno village of the Kashatagh region also dates back to the 1st millennium BC. The others, found in the Keren village of the same region in 2004, date back to the 7th-5th centuries BC.	Tigranakert Museum. Status unknown. Endangered. Occupied in Azeri-Turkish aggression in 2020. Vessels unearthed during the excavations of Tigranakert and displayed in the museum of the site cover a very big span of time, from the 1st c. BC - AD 1st c. to the Middle Ages.
Shushi Museum of Fine Arts. Looted. Occupied in Azeri-Turkish aggression in 2020. Exhibits at the Shushi Museum of Fine Arts that were donated by both private collectors and artists and sculptors from various countries, represent different times and genres of art. The sculpture of Komitas, the most famous Armenian composer is by Albert Sargsyan, the picture named ‘Alyonushka’ next to him is by an unknown artist and the one below by Alexander Atayan is called ‘Spring’. All, as the rest of the rich collection, were lost to invaders.	Shushi Museum of Fine Arts. Looted. Occupied in Azeri-Turkish aggression in 2020. The Shushi Museum of Fine Arts was the initiative of Professor Grigori Gabrielyants (shown in the portrait by Sergey Avagyan in the top row in the middle), whose rich art collection became the basis of the collection, all consisting of donations and representing world-famous artists from a number of countries, including the Republics of Artsakh and Armenia.	Shushi Museum of Fine Arts. Looted. Occupied in Azeri-Turkish aggression in 2020.It was only natural that Shushi, a traditional centre of Armenian culture, although devastated during Azeri rule in the Soviet Union, soon after its liberation in 1992 boasted the highest number of museums in Artsakh and probably the best of them as well. The old building of a caravansary was renovated to become a modern centre of fine arts in 2010 and a collection surpassing 600 exhibits was put together by 2013.	Shushi Museum of the Armenian Dram. Looted. Occupied in Azeri-Turkish aggression in 2020. The collection of the Museum of Armenian Dram comprised old coins from the Armenian Kingdom of Tsopk; of the Artashesean (Artaxiad) dynasty rulers, such as Tigran the Great, Artavazd; of the Cilician Armenian Kingdom; and coins and banknotes of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union. A special part of the exhibition was devoted to Artsakh: coins found in Tigranakert and silver coins cut in Shushi at the end of the 18th and the beginning of the 19th centuries, as well as souvenir coins issued by the Central Bank of Armenia and devoted to Artsakh.
Shushi Museum of Geology. Looted. Occupied in Azeri-Turkish aggression in 2020. The Museum of Geology was founded in 2014 and was named after Grigory Gabrielyants, whose personal collection made the core of the museum’s collection. Doctor of Geological Sciences, Professor Gabrielyants had been the last Minister of Geology of the Soviet Union from 1989 to 1991 and is currently an advisor to the President of Artsakh.	Shushi Museum of Geology. Looted. Occupied in Azeri-Turkish aggression in 2020. The collection of the museum consists of geological findings brought from all over the world and the oldest among them estimated to be over many hundreds of millions of years old. Most items of the museum’s collection, comprising 400 samples from 48 countries and 20 regions of the Russian Federation, are from Grigory Gabrielyants’ private collection.	Shushi Museum of Geology. Looted. Occupied in Azeri-Turkish aggression in 2020. The State Geological Museum, founded in Shushi in 2014 displays geological findings, mainly minerals and fossils, from all over Artsakh, the oldest of which is estimated to be 146 million years old. Apart from Artsakh, minerals from about four dozen other countries are also part of its permanent collection..	Shushi Museum of Geology. Looted. Occupied in Azeri-Turkish aggression in 2020. The Museum of Geology was founded in 2014 and was named after Grigory Gabrielyants, whose personal collection made the core of the museum’s collection. Doctor of Geological Sciences, Professor Gabrielyants had been the last Minister of Geology of the Soviet Union from 1989 to 1991 and is currently an advisor to the President of Artsakh.

Artsakh: A Heritage in Danger.2021