Aygestan, Askeran

Place in Khojaly, Azerbaijan
Aygestan / Ballyja
Այգեստան / Ballıca
39°51′57″N 46°43′24″E / 39.86583°N 46.72333°E / 39.86583; 46.72333
Country Azerbaijan
 • DistrictKhojaly
Area
 • Total2,283.46 km2 (881.65 sq mi)
Elevation
1,084 m (3,556 ft)
Population
 (2015)[1]
 • Total1,084
Time zoneUTC+4 (AZT)

Aygestan (Armenian: Այգեստան) or Ballyja (Armenian: Բալուջա, romanized: Baluja; Azerbaijani: Ballıca) is a village in the Khojaly District of Azerbaijan, in the 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

The modern village was founded in the 17th century.[4] During the Soviet period, the village was part of the Askeran District of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast.

Historical heritage sites

Historical heritage sites in and around the village include tombs from the 2nd–1st centuries BCE, a 12th/13th-century village, the 12th/13th-century Tamtsi Church (Armenian: Թամցի եկեղեցի), the 12th/13th-century shrine of Prshni Nahatak (Armenian: Փռշնի Նահատակ), a 13th-century khachkar, a cemetery from between the 17th and 19th centuries, and the church of Surb Astvatsatsin (Armenian: Սուրբ Աստվածածին, lit. 'Holy Mother of God') built in 1850.[1]

Economy and culture

The population is mainly engaged in agriculture and animal husbandry, as well as in different state institutions. As of 2015, the village has a municipal building, a house of culture, a secondary school, a kindergarten, and a medical centre.[1] The village is home to the Artsakh Brandy Company.[5]

Demographics

The village had 1,091 inhabitants in 2005,[6] and 1,084 inhabitants in 2015.[1]

  • St. Astvatsatsin Church
    St. Astvatsatsin Church
  • Municipal building
    Municipal building
  • School
    School
  • Beekeeping
    Beekeeping
  • Street
    Street
  • A view of the village
    A view of the village
  • WWII (Great Patriotic War) monument
    WWII (Great Patriotic War) monument

References

  1. ^ a b c d 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. ^ Kiesling, Brady; Kojian, Raffi (2019). Rediscovering Armenia: An in-depth inventory of villages and monuments in Armenia and Artsakh (3rd ed.). Armeniapedia Publishing.
  5. ^ "Contacts | OHANYAN BRANDY COMPANY".
  6. ^ "The Results of the 2005 Census of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic" (PDF). National Statistic Service of the Republic of Artsakh.
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