Martuni () or Khojavend ( ) is a town in

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 ...

, as the centre of its

Martuni Province Martuni Province (, ) was a province of the breakaway Republic of Artsakh, ''de facto'' and ''de jure'' part of the Republic of Azerbaijan. History The territory was formed from the Soviet-era raion of Martuni District within the former Na ...

, after 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 ...

. The village 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 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 ''Khojavend'' is of Persian origin. The name ''Martuni'' originates from the ''

nom de guerre A ''nom de guerre'' (, 'war name') is a pseudonym chosen by someone to use when they are involved in a particular activity, especially fighting in a war. In Ancien régime, ''ancien régime'' Kingdom of France, France it would be adopted by each n ...

'' of Armenian Bolshevik revolutionary and official

Alexander Miasnikian Alexander Fyodori Miasnikian or Myasnikov (28 January February1886 – 22 March 1925), also known by his revolutionary ''nom de guerre'' Martuni, was an Armenian Bolshevik revolutionary, military leader and politician. During the Russian Civi ...

History

Excavations in the settlement have uncovered a number of tombs dating to the

Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...

and

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

. The town is also home to several ruined medieval churches and remains of settlements, 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 ...

'' have also been preserved. Anon. ''«Մարտունի»'' (Martuni).

Armenian Soviet Encyclopedia Armenian Soviet Encyclopedia (also rendered ''Soviet Armenian Encyclopedia''; , ''Haykakan sovetakan hanragitaran''; ASE) is the first general encyclopedia in the Armenian language. It was published in 1974-1987 by the main editorial office of th ...

. vol. vii. Yerevan: Armenian Academy of Sciences, 1981, p. 352. The town was founded in the medieval period by local

Armenians Armenians (, ) are an ethnic group indigenous to the Armenian highlands of West Asia.Robert Hewsen, Hewsen, Robert H. "The Geography of Armenia" in ''The Armenian People From Ancient to Modern Times Volume I: The Dynastic Periods: From Antiq ...

as a village named ''Khonashen'' (), where ''shen'' means village and ''khona'', depending on the source, allows different interpretations (namely, “village, dwelling” or “reservoir, well, spring”). The old name of Khonashen originated from the nearby Khonashen river. Traditionally, the village belonged to the Melikdom of Varanda. In 1925, the settlement was transformed into a city and renamed Martuni. 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, Martuni was the capital of the Martuni District in 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 ...

. The population of the town, grouped into '' kolkhozes'', largely occupied itself with raising livestock, grape growing, wheat cultivation, and gardening.

Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

First Nagorno-Karabakh War

Martuni, and the district itself, became a frontline city during the latter stages of the

. In early February 1992,

Vazgen Sargsyan Vazgen Zaveni Sargsyan (, ; 5 March 1959 – 27 October 1999) was an Armenians, Armenian military commander and politician. He was the first Defence Minister of Armenia from 1991 to 1992 and then from 1995 to 1999. He served as Armenia's ...

, then Defence Minister of Armenia, appointed Monte Melkonian as Chief of Headquarters and assigned him to lead the defense of Martuni and the surrounding regions. On October 2, 1992, Armenian armed forces captured the region around Martuni. According to an Azerbaijani source, considerable damage was done to the infrastructure of 10 villages settled by Azerbaijanis in the region during the war. Melkonian remained as regional commander until he was killed in combat in June 1993.

2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war

From the very first days of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war (started on 27 September 2020), Martuni was subjected to artillery shelling by the armed forces of Azerbaijan. This led to the disconnection of the city from electricity and gas supply. On 1 November, Azerbaijani aviation launched an airstrike on the city. The Armenian detachments managed to hold their positions in Martuni until a ceasefire was established. On 15 November 2020, a Russian peacekeeping contingent formed an observation post in the city. On 13 February 2021, the specialists of the International Mine Action Center of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation completed the clearance of the territory in the Martuni region. On 1 March, a block-modular town was commissioned for the residence of military personnel of the Russian peacekeeping contingent.

2023 Azerbaijani offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh

Following the

, the town came under control of Azerbaijani forces on 26 September 2023. Azerbaijan's authorities reportedly dismantled a statue of Armenian militant Monte Melkonian.

Historical and cultural heritage

The town has a house of culture commonly called "The Opera", and the Church of St. Nerses the Great, opened in 2004. The Russian 19th-century Gevorgavan Church is located near Martuni.

Economy and culture

The population mainly works 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 ...

. In 2015, the town had a municipal building, a house of culture, two schools, a music school, two kindergartens, a youth centre, 36 commercial enterprises, two factories and a regional hospital. The town also includes the villages of Kajavan and Kakavadzor.

Climate

Demographics

According to the census of 1933, 1028 people lived in the village, divided into 120 households, all of whom were Armenians. The town has an ethnic

-majority population, and also had an Armenian majority in 1989. It had a population of 5,700 as of 2015.

Gallery

Martuni, Church, 2014.05.10 - panoramio.jpg, Church of St. Nerses the Great in Martuni, opened in 2004 Martuni010a.JPG, A street in Martuni Martuni,_Artsakh.JPG, A memorial in Martuni Martuni050.jpg, Martuni Museum Martuni, Theater building - panoramio.jpg, Martuni House of Culture ("The Opera") Martuni, Municipality building, 2014.05.10 - panoramio.jpg, Municipal building

References

External links

* * {{Administrative divisions of Artsakh Cities and towns in Azerbaijan Populated places in Khojavend District