Parukh () or Farukh (, also , ; ), is an

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...

-populated village located in the

Khojaly District Khojaly District () is one of the 66 districts of Azerbaijan. It is located in the west of the country in the Karabakh Economic Region. The district borders the districts of Kalbajar, Lachin, Shusha, Agdam and Khojavend. Its capital and larg ...

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 ...

, in the

disputed Controversy (, ) is a state of prolonged public dispute or debate, usually concerning a matter of conflicting opinion or point of view. The word was coined from the Latin ''controversia'', as a composite of ''controversus'' – "turned in an oppo ...

region of

Nagorno-Karabakh Nagorno-Karabakh (, ; ) is a region in Azerbaijan, covering the southeastern stretch of the Lesser Caucasus mountain range. Part of the greater region of Karabakh, it spans the area between Lower Karabakh and Syunik Province, Syunik. Its ter ...

. Until 2023 it was controlled by the breakaway

Republic of Artsakh Artsakh ( ), officially the Republic of Artsakh or the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh ( ), was a breakaway state in the South Caucasus whose territory was internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan. Between 1991 and 2023, Artsakh cont ...

. The village had an ethnic

-majority population until the

exodus Exodus or the Exodus may refer to: Religion * Book of Exodus, second book of the Hebrew Torah and the Christian Bible * The Exodus, the biblical story of the migration of the ancient Israelites from Egypt into Canaan Historical events * Ex ...

of the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh following the

2023 Azerbaijani offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh Between 19 and 20 September 2023, Azerbaijan launched a large-scale military offensive against the political status of Nagorno-Karabakh, self-declared breakaway state of Republic of Artsakh, Artsakh, a move seen as a violation of the 2020 Nago ...

History

During the

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

period, the village was part of the Askeran District of the

Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast The Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO) was an Autonomous oblasts of the Soviet Union, autonomous oblast within the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic that was created on July 7, 1923. Its capital was the city of Stepanakert. The majori ...

. On 24 March 2022, Azerbaijani forces crossed the line of contact established after the

2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement The 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement was an armistice agreement that ended the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War. It was signed on 9November by the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan and the Pr ...

, advancing towards the village, with initial reports stating that the forces had entered the village and surrounding areas. On 27 March 2022, the

Russian Defense Ministry The Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation (; MOD) is the governing body of the Russian Armed Forces. The President of Russia is the Commander-in-Chief of the forces and directs the activity of the ministry. The Minister of Defence exerci ...

reported that Azerbaijani forces had withdrawn from the village. According to the Ministry of Defence of Azerbaijan, withdrawal of units and change in the positions didn't happen. According to Artsakh authorities, despite Azerbaijani forces having left the settlement, they continue to occupy a piece of the Karaglukh mountain. On 9 June 2022, Russian foreign minister

Sergey Lavrov Sergey Viktorovich Lavrov (, ; born 21 March 1950) is a Russian diplomat who has served as Minister of Foreign Affairs (Russia), Minister of Foreign Affairs since 2004. He is the longest-serving Russian foreign minister since Andrei Gromyko d ...

promised that a solution for the situation in the village will be provided in the process of demarcation between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Historical heritage sites

Historical heritage sites in and around the village include the Armenian cemetery of ''Kalen Khut'' () from between the 9th and 13th centuries, with a distinctive

khachkar A ''khachkar'' (also spelled as ''khatchkar'') or Armenian cross-stone (, , խաչ ''xačʿ'' "cross" + քար ''kʿar'' "stone") is a carved, memorial stele bearing a cross, and often with additional motifs such as rosette (design), rosettes ...

, approximately one kilometer to the southwest of the village. To the southeast of Parukh there is a height with the ruins of the village of ''Karaglukh'' (, ). On the road between Parukh and Karaglukh there are three khachkars, with one of them being notable due to its use as a road sign. In and around Karaglukh there is a cemetery from between the 13th and 20th centuries with two distinctive khachkars, as well as the notable khachkar of ''Mote Jur'' (, ) near the cemetery. The cemetery has one gravestone from 1253 dating from the period of the

Kingdom of Artsakh The Kingdom of Artsakh () was a medieval dependent Armenian kingdom on the territory of Syunik and Artsakh provinces, Gardman canton of Utik province, Mazaz and Varazhnunik canton of Ayrarat province. Contemporary sources referred to it ...

, as well as one gravestone with a relief of a rider with a sword where an Armenian soldier that died in 1918 during the Armenian–Azerbaijani War is buried. Nearby is also the St. Astvatsatsin Church from the late medieval period with khachkars in the walls, possibly built on the foundations of an earlier 13th-century basilica, as well as settlement ruins and a cemetery from between the 16th and 17th centuries.

Economy and culture

The population is mainly engaged in

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

and

animal husbandry Animal husbandry is the branch of agriculture concerned with animals that are raised for meat, animal fiber, fibre, milk, or other products. It includes day-to-day care, management, production, nutrition, selective breeding, and the raising ...

. As of 2015, the village has a municipal building, the Parukh branch of the Khramort Secondary School, and a medical centre. The community of Parukh includes the uninhabited village of Karaglukh.

Demographics

The village has an ethnic

-majority population, had 42 inhabitants in 2005, and 72 inhabitants in 2015.

References

{{Portal bar, Geography, Azerbaijan Populated places in Khojaly District