Guneychartar (; ) is a village in the

Khojavend District Khojavend District () is one of the 66 Administrative divisions of Azerbaijan, districts of Azerbaijan. It is located in the west of the country in the Karabakh Economic Region. The district borders the districts of Lachin District, Lachin, Shush ...

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 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 town had an ethnic

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 ...

-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 ...

Etymology

The name ''Chartar'' is of

origin, meaning "dexterous, crafty".

History

The area of Chartar is one of ancient Armenian settlement, being home to various monasteries, churches, and

khachkars 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 rosettes, interlaces, and ...

from the 12th-19th centuries. Traditionally, it was part of the diocese of the

Amaras Monastery Amaras Monastery () is an Armenian monastery near the village of Sos, in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan. It was a prominent religious and educational center in medieval Armenia. Azerbaijan denies the monastery's Armenian Apostolic ...

. The modern town was populated by Armenians mostly from Agulis, Maghavuz, and

Khachen The Principality of Khachen ( Modern Armenian: ) was a medieval Armenian principality on the territory of historical Artsakh (present-day Karabakh).''Abū-Dulaf Misʻar Ibn Muhalhil's Travels in Iran (circa A.D. 950)'', ed. and trans. Vladim ...

. The town of Chartar was created out of a merger of the four villages of ''Ghuze Chartar'', ''Ghuze Kaler'', ''Gyune Chartar'' and ''Gyune Kaler''. 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 town was a part of the

Martuni District Martuni District (; ) was an administrative unit within the former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO) of the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic. History The administrative centre of the district was the town of Martuni. The Nagorno-K ...

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 ...

Historical and cultural heritage

Historical heritage sites in and around Chartar include Chartar Fortress (from between the 3rd and 1st centuries BCE), the Kohak Church (from between the 10th and 13th centuries), the St. Yeghishe Church from 1655, the church of ''Surb Amenaprkich'' (, ) founded in 1787, and the 19th-century St. George's Church (). The St. Vardanank Church () was consecrated in 2018 in Chartar.

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, a house of culture, five schools, an art school, two kindergartens, nine shops, a hospital, and a medical centre.

Demographics

According to the Caucasian calendar for 1910, the population of the village by 1908 was 2,757 people, mostly Armenians. By the beginning of 1914, 2,350 inhabitants were recorded, also predominantly Armenians. Chartar had 3,951 inhabitants in 2005 (with the census divided between "Chartar" with 2,213 inhabitants and "Ghuze Chartar" with 1,738 inhabitants), and 4,100 inhabitants in 2015.

Gallery

Սևակ Ղուկասյանի անվան մարզամշակութային պալատ.jpg, Chartar House of Culture (also called the "Sports and Cultural Palace" of Chartar) Հուշարձան Երկրորդ աշխարհամարտում զոհվածների, Ճարտար, Մարտունի.jpg, WWII monument Խաչքար «Սբ. Եղիշե» եկեղեցու բակում, 13-րդ դար.jpg, 13th-century

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 ...

near the St. Yeghishe Church Տապանաքար, Եկեղեցի «Սբ. Եղիշե», Ղշավանք.jpg, Tombstone near the St. Yeghishe Church Guzeychartar.jpg, A view of the town Արցախյան ազատամարտում զոհված նահատակների հուշարձան.jpg, Monument to the fallen in 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 ...

Ամրոց «Ճարտարի բերդ», մ.թ.ա. 1 դ. - 13 դ.jpg, Chartar Fortress «Սբ. Եղիշե» եկեղեցու խորանը.jpg, St. Yeghishe Church interior

Notable people

Nelson Davidyan Nelson Davidyan (, 6 April 1950 – 11 September 2016) was a Soviet Armenian Greco-Roman wrestler and coach. He was an Olympic silver medalist and two-time World and European Champion. Biography Davidyan was born in the village of Chartar within ...

, Olympic silver medalist and two-time world champion in Greco-Roman wrestling

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chartar Populated places in Khojavend District Cities and towns in Azerbaijan