Shurnukh () is a village in the

Goris Municipality Goris Municipality, referred to as Goris Community ( ''Goris Hamaynk''), is an urban community and administrative subdivision of Syunik Province of Armenia, at the south of the country. Consisted of a group of settlements, its administrative centr ...

of the

Syunik Province Syunik (, ) is the southernmost province of Armenia. It is bordered by the Vayots Dzor Province to the north, Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic exclave to the west, Azerbaijan to the east, and Iran to the south. Its capital and larg ...

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 ...

. The village is located on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border. Following the end of the

2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war The Second Nagorno-Karabakh War was an armed conflict in 2020 that took place in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding occupied territories. It was a major escalation of an unresolved conflict over the region, involvi ...

and the withdrawal of Armenian forces from the adjacent

Qubadli District Qubadli District () is one of the 66 districts of Azerbaijan. It is located in the south-west of the country and belongs to the East Zangezur Economic Region. The district borders the Lachin, Khojavend, Jabrayil and Zangilan districts, and ...

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 ...

, a small part of the village, including 12 houses, was determined to be part of the Qubadli District and fell under the control of Azerbaijan.

History

Shurnukh is first mentioned in Stephen Orbelian's 13th-century work ''History of the Province of Sisakan'' as ''Shornokho'' (), located in the Baghk (or Kashunik) canton of the

Syunik province Syunik (, ) is the southernmost province of Armenia. It is bordered by the Vayots Dzor Province to the north, Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic exclave to the west, Azerbaijan to the east, and Iran to the south. Its capital and larg ...

of historic Greater Armenia. According to one theory, the name of the village comes from Old Armenian and originally had the meaning of "running water, a place of running water, a damp area." The date of the destruction of the historic village is unknown; however, it is known that there were ruins at its site at the end of the 19th century, including remnants of a church. Shurnukh and the surrounding area was the sight of fighting during the Armenian–Azerbaijani conflict of 1918–1920. The area was strategically important due to its proximity to the road connecting the towns of

Goris Goris ( ) is a town and the centre of the Goris Municipality in the Syunik Province in southern Armenia. Located in the valley of the Goris (or Vararak) River, it is 254 kilometres from the Armenian capital Yerevan and 67 kilometres from the provi ...

and

Kapan Kapan ( ) is a town in southeast Armenia, serving as the administrative centre of the Kapan Municipality and also as the provincial capital of Syunik Province. It is located in the valley of the Voghji (river), Voghji River and is on the norther ...

(then called Ghapan). In January 1920, forces under the command of

Garegin Nzhdeh Garegin Ter-Harutyunyan, better known by his ''nom de guerre'' Garegin Nzhdeh (, ; 1 January 1886 – 21 December 1955), was an Armenian statesman, military commander and nationalist revolutionary. As a member of the Armenian Revolutionary Fed ...

attacked and captured Shurnukh and several nearby villages and heights. The modern village was founded in 1930 on the site of the ruins of the historic village. In Soviet times, the village council also included the nearby villages of Aghbulagh and

Vanand Vanand () is the area of historic Armenia that roughly corresponds to the Kars Province of present-day Turkey. Named after the Armenian family of Vanandi (derived from the Bulgar chieftain Vund), it was a principality of the Kingdom of Arme ...

(now both uninhabited) and a settlement attached to a woodworking factory.

Geography

Shurnukh is located on a scenic, thickly forested mountainside near the river Shurnukh, a small tributary of the Vorotan. It is located on the Goris-Kapan road.

Demographics

Shurnukh's population consisted of 84 residents in 1897, 101 residents in 1926, 351 residents in 1939, 363 in 1959 and 1970, 324 in 1979, 0 in 1989, 148 in 2001 and 197 in 2004. The community's population increased to 224 in 2010, but reduced to 207 people in the 2011 census. In 2016, the population was recorded as 153 people. According to ''Syunyats Yerkir'' magazine, Shurnukh was populated by Azerbaijanis from 1930 to 1989 who fled as a result of 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 ...

, after which the village was repopulated by Armenians who fled from Azerbaijan.

Sights

In the late 2010s, an iron cross was erected on the hill in the centre of the village. The cross lights up in the night.

Border dispute

On 24 December 2020, Shurnukh village head Hakob Arshakyan said that Azerbaijanis were in Shurnukh negotiating with a representative of the Armenian National Security Service and Russian border guards. The Azerbaijani representatives demanded that the Armenian side cede twelve houses located on the eastern side of the Goris-Kapan road to Azerbaijan which, according to Soviet-era maps, fall in the

of Azerbaijan bordering Armenia's

. Most of Qubadli District was captured by Azerbaijani forces during

2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War The Second Nagorno-Karabakh War was an armed conflict in 2020 that took place in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding occupied territories. It was a major escalation of an unresolved conflict over the region, involvi ...

, and the remaining parts still under Armenian control were transferred to Azerbaijan according to unwritten provisions of the trilateral agreement which ended the war. Further demarcation according to the administrative borders of the Soviet era raised tensions among the villagers living close to the border and residents of Syunik in general. On 21 December residents of Syunik blocked roads to prevent Prime Minister

Nikol Pashinyan Nikol Vovayi Pashinyan (born 1 June 1975) is an Armenian politician who is serving as the 16th and current Prime Minister of Armenia, prime minister of Armenia since 8 May 2018. A journalist by profession, Pashinyan founded his own newspaper in ...

from entering the region. The 12 houses were ceded to Azerbaijan on 4 January 2021. There is no frontier post yet, just a small sign, and people can cross freely between parts of the village. On 9 January the Armenian government announced that it would build 12 new houses in the village to compensate the villagers whose homes came under the control of Azerbaijan. In February 2021, the government announced a compensation package of 300,000

Armenian dram The Armenian dram (; Armenian dram sign, sign: ֏; abbreviation: դր.; ISO 4217, ISO code: AMD) is the currency of Armenia. It was historically subdivided into 100 luma (). The Central Bank of Armenia is responsible for issuance and circulation ...

s (about US$577) as a single payment followed by a monthly payment of 68,000 Armenian drams (about US$130) for six months, and the start of the construction of a new residential block to provide permanent accommodation to those villagers who lost their homes.

Gallery

Shurnukh cross.jpg, The Shurnukh cross

References

{{Portal bar, Geography Populated places in Syunik Province Former Azerbaijani inhabited settlements