Yeghegis () is a village in the Yeghegis Municipality of the

Vayots Dzor Province Vayots Dzor (, ) is a province (''marz'') of Armenia. It lies at the southeastern end of the country, bordering the Nakhchivan exclave of Azerbaijan to the west and the Kalbajar District of Azerbaijan to the east. It covers an area of . With a ...

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 ...

. It has a rich historical past, with the medieval Zorats Church, the Tsakhats Kar Monastery and the

Smbataberd Smbataberd ( ) is a medieval fortress located upon the crest of a hill between the villages of Artabuynk and Yeghegis in the Vayots Dzor Province of Armenia. It may have existed as early as the 5th century or earlier, although other sources da ...

fortress being located in the vicinity of Yeghegis, as well as a Jewish cemetery from the 13th century.

Toponymy

The name ''Yeghegis'' originated from the

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 ...

word which means

reed Reed or Reeds may refer to: Science, technology, biology, and medicine * Reed bird (disambiguation) * Reed pen, writing implement in use since ancient times * Reed (plant), one of several tall, grass-like wetland plants of the order Poales * Re ...

. The village was also previously known as ''Alagyaz'' and ''Erdapin''.

History

Yeghegis was a prominent economic and political centre during the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

, being the seat of the Orbelian Dynasty in the 13th and 14th centuries, which ruled most of

Zangezur Zangezur () is a historical and geographical region in Eastern Armenia on the slopes of the Zangezur Mountains which largely corresponds to the Syunik Province of Armenia. It was ceded to Russia by Qajar Iran according to the Treaty of Gulistan ...

. However, after the incursion of the armies of

Timur Timur, also known as Tamerlane (1320s17/18 February 1405), was a Turco-Mongol conqueror who founded the Timurid Empire in and around modern-day Afghanistan, Iran, and Central Asia, becoming the first ruler of the Timurid dynasty. An undefeat ...

, as well as Turkmen and Persian forces, Orbelian rule ended by the 15th century. After numerous earthquakes ruined Yeghegis and with the local Armenian population being forcibly exiled into Persia, the village was abandoned. Later the village was populated by Turkish-speaking residents. Following the

Sumgait pogrom The Sumgait pogrom, : "Sumgait massacres"; lit.: "Sumgait events"; , was perpetrated by ethnic Azerbaijanis against the Armenian population of the town of Sumgait, in the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic, in February 1988. The pogrom to ...

in 1988, Armenian refugees deported from Azerbaijan settled in the village. Refugees from

Sumgait Sumqayit (or Sumgait; ; , ) is a city in Azerbaijan, located near the Caspian Sea, on the Absheron Peninsula, about away from the capital Baku. The city had a population of 427,000 at the beginning of 2024, making it the List of cities in Azerb ...

settled in the village in 1988.

Zorats Church

Zorats Church (, ) is a unique Armenian church on a hill close to Yeghegis. It was dedicated in 1303 by archbishop Stepanos, during a period in which Armenia was a Mongol vassal state. The church was designed so that cavalry could receive the sacraments without getting off their horses.

Jewish cemetery

There is a Jewish cemetery in Yeghegis that dates from the period between the 13th and 14th centuries, with the oldest tombstone in the cemetery having been dated to be from 1266 AD and the most recent one having been dated to be from 1346 AD. The Jewish community living in Yeghegis likely had an Iranian origin.One Way Tour - Jewish Cemetery in Yeghegis
/ref> The lost community was rediscovered by Bishop Abraham Mkrtchyan, who, together with his brother, stumbled across the place while making a camp for some orphans from 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 cemetery consisted of 64 different gravestones that are believed to have come from an isolated community from the Jewish communities of

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

and the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprising parts of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus Mountains, i ...

Gallery

Եղեգիս գետի կիրճը.jpg, Scenery Jewish Cemetery, Yeghegis 02.jpg, Jewish cemetery in Yeghegis Jewish Cemetery, Armenia.jpg, Jewish cemetery in Yeghegis Եղեգիսի եկեղեցիների և դամբարանների լուսանկարներ 28.jpg, St. Nshan Church Ցաղաց Քարի վանական համալիրը 01.JPG, Tsaghats Kar Monastery Եղեգիսի լեռներից.jpg, Yeghegis old cemetery St Astvatsatsin Chapel (built 1703) - panoramio.jpg, St. Astvatsatsin Chapel (built in 1703) Սմբատաբերդ9.JPG,

Hermon Monastery 9.JPG, Hermon Monastery Yeghegis Street.jpg, Main village street Bridge in Yeghegis.jpg, Bridge that connects Yeghegis and the Jewish cemetery Megalith in Yeghegis.jpg, Megalith near Zorats church

References

External links

* * {{portal bar, Geography Populated places in Vayots Dzor Province Jewish Armenian history Orbelian family