Mkhitarashen ( hy, Մխիթարաշեն) or Mukhtar ( az, Muxtar) is a village ''

de facto ''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with '' de jure'' ("by l ...

'' in the

Askeran Province Askeran Province ( hy, Ասկերան) is a province of the breakaway Republic of Artsakh, ''de jure'' part of the Khojaly District of the Republic of Azerbaijan. It is in the center of Artsakh, surrounding the capital, Stepanakert / ...

of the breakaway

Republic of Artsakh Artsakh, officially the Republic of Artsakh () or the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (),, is a breakaway state in the South Caucasus whose territory is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan. Artsakh controls a part of the former ...

, ''

de jure In law and government, ''de jure'' ( ; , "by law") describes practices that are legally recognized, regardless of whether the practice exists in reality. In contrast, ("in fact") describes situations that exist in reality, even if not legall ...

'' in the

Khojaly District Khojaly District ( az, Xocalı rayonu) is one of the 66 districts of Azerbaijan. It is located in the west of the country and belongs to the Karabakh Economic Region. The district borders the districts of Kalbajar, Lachin, Shusha, Agdam and K ...

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...

, in the disputed region of

Nagorno-Karabakh Nagorno-Karabakh ( ) is a landlocked region in the South Caucasus, within the mountainous range of Karabakh, lying between Lower Karabakh and Syunik, and covering the southeastern range of the Lesser Caucasus mountains. The region is mos ...

Toponymy

The village was known as ''Mkhitarikend'' ( hy, Մխիթարիքենդ; az, Mxitarikənd; russian: Мхитарикенд) during the

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

period.

History

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

Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast The Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO), DQMV, hy, Լեռնային Ղարաբաղի Ինքնավար Մարզ, ԼՂԻՄ was an autonomous oblast within the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic that was created on July 7, 1923. Its cap ...

. The village has been administrated as part of the

of the

after the First Nagorno-Karabakh War. There was some initial confusion regarding control of the village after the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, however, on 1 March 2021, the Armenian news organization CivilNet published a video report from the village, confirming continued Artsakh control.

Historical heritage sites

Historical heritage sites in and around the village include a 17th/18th-century cemetery and the 19th-century church of ''Surb Astvatsatsin'' ( hy, Սուրբ Աստվածածին, ). A monument in honor of the 18th-century Armenian satirist and fabulist

Pele Pughi Pele Pughi (; 1731–1810) was an 18th-century Armenian satirist and fabulist from Karabakh. Biography Pele Poughi was born in 1731 in either Avetaranots or Shosh village of Safavid Karabakh. He served as a jester in the court of Melik Sha ...

was built in 1976 between Mkihtarashen and Shosh.

Economy and culture

The population is mainly engaged in

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled peop ...

and

animal husbandry Animal husbandry is the branch of agriculture concerned with animals that are raised for meat, fibre, milk, or other products. It includes day-to-day care, selective breeding, and the raising of livestock. Husbandry has a long history, star ...

. As of 2015, the village has a municipal building, a house of culture, and a medical centre. Students study in the secondary school of the neighboring village of Shosh.

Demographics

The village has 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 across the ...

-majority population, had 90 inhabitants in 2005, and 91 inhabitants in 2015.

Gallery

Համայնապատկեր Մխիթարաշենում.jpg, A view of the village Մուտք դեպի Մխիթարաշեն.jpg, A sign reading "Mkhitarashen" in Armenian Մխիթարաշեն.jpg, Janapar Trail sign in the village Պըլը Պուղուն նվիրված հուշարձան,Մխիթարաշեն.jpg, Monument to

Առաջին բուժօգնության կայան Մխիթարաշենում.jpg, Aid station Հուշարձան, Մխիթարաշեն.jpg, WWII memorial

References

External links

* * {{Portal bar, Geography Populated places in Askeran Province Populated places in Khojaly District