Baghanis () is a rural village in northeastern

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

, near the country's border with

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...

. Administratively, it is part of

Noyemberyan Municipality Tavush (, ) is a province of Armenia located at the northeast of Armenia, bordered by Georgia from the north and Azerbaijan from the east. Internally, Tavush borders the Gegharkunik Province from the south, Kotayk Province from the southwest, and ...

Tavush Province Tavush (, ) is a administrative divisions of Armenia, province of Armenia located at the northeast of Armenia, bordered by Georgia (country), Georgia from the north and Azerbaijan from the east. Internally, Tavush borders the Gegharkunik Province ...

. Due to tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan arising from the

Nagorno-Karabakh conflict The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is an ethnic and territorial conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, inhabited mostly by ethnic Armenians until 2023, and seven surrounding districts, inhabited mostly by Azerbai ...

, Baghanis has occasionally received gunfire from the Azerbaijani side of the border.

History

Baghanis lies only a few kilometers from the

Armenia–Azerbaijan border The Armenia–Azerbaijan border (; ) is the international border between the Armenia, Republic of Armenia and the Azerbaijan, Republic of Azerbaijan. Estimates of the border's length vary from to . European routes European route E002, E002 and E ...

, making it one of Armenia's most vulnerable settlements in regard to cross-border skirmishes caused by escalations of the

. The village's proximity to Azerbaijani military positions has led to occasional incidents of stray gunfire hitting the village over the years, with bullet holes visible in many buildings. In response, a number of homes adjacent to the border have been fortified, and a classroom in the village school was converted into a

safe room A safe room or panic room is a fortified room that is installed in a private residence or business to provide a safe shelter, or hiding place, for the inhabitants in the event of a break in, home invasion, tornado, terror attack, or other th ...

. A new kindergarten was built in 2019 as far from the border as possible. The nearby, similarly-named Azerbaijani village of Baghanis Ayrum was under Armenian occupation from the time of the

First Nagorno-Karabakh War The First Nagorno-Karabakh War was an ethnic conflict, ethnic and territorial conflict that took place from February 1988 to May 1994, in the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh in southwestern Azerbaijan, between the majority ethnic Armenians of Nag ...

in the 1990s until the 2024 Armenia–Azerbaijan border demarcation agreement following the earlier

2023 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement On 20 September 2023 a ceasefire agreement ending the Azerbaijani military offensive against the self-proclaimed ethnic Armenian Republic of Artsakh in Nagorno-Karabakh was reached. The agreement was brokered by the Russian peacekeeping contin ...

Economy

Baghanis is an agricultural community, with the main economic activities being farming and cattle-breeding. Many areas near the border remain uncultivated due to security concerns, and livestock loss from cross-border gunfire has occurred in the past. Economic opportunities are otherwise limited, as aside from a tobacco-processing factory that employs about 40 people seasonally, most residents rely on small-scale farming for their income.

Demographics

The 2011 Armenian census recorded a population of 893 residents in Baghanis. The

Armenian General Benevolent Union The Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU, Eastern Armenian: Հայկական Բարեգործական Ընդհանուր Միություն, ՀԲԸՄ, ''Haykakan Baregortsakan Endhanur Miutyun'', or ,''Hay Parekordzagan Enthanour Miyutyun'' or ...

estimated in 2019 that Baghanis had about 800 residents remaining.

Culture

Baghanis has a church dedicated to St. Astvatsatsin (

Mary, mother of Jesus Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

References

External links

* * {{Portal bar, Geography Populated places in Tavush Province