Spitakashen, Martuni

For other places with the same name, see Spitakashen, Hadrut and Ağkənd.

Spitakashen Սպիտակաշեն Ağkənd
Spitakashen Show map of Azerbaijan Spitakashen Show map of Karabakh Economic Region
Coordinates: 39°49′24″N 47°01′04″E
Country	Azerbaijan
• District	Khojavend
Elevation	687 m (2,254 ft)
Population  (2015)[1]
• Total	453
Time zone	UTC+4 (AZT)

Spitakashen (Armenian: Սպիտակաշեն) or Aghkend (Azerbaijani: Ağkənd) is a village in the Khojavend District of Azerbaijan, in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Until 2023 it was controlled by the breakaway Republic of Artsakh. The village had an ethnic Armenian-majority population[2] until the exodus of the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh following the 2023 Azerbaijani offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh.[3]

Etymology

The village's name means "white village" in both Armenian and Azerbaijani.

History

During the Soviet period, the village was a part of the Martuni District of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast.

Historical heritage sites

Historical heritage sites in and around the village include the 13th-century Holy Savior Church (Armenian: Սուրբ Ամենափրկիչ Եկեղեցի, romanized: Surb Amenaprkich Yekeghetsi) and a 13th-century cemetery.[1]

Economy and culture

The population is mainly engaged in agriculture and animal husbandry. As of 2015, the village has a municipal building, a house of culture, a secondary school, and a medical centre.[1]

Demographics

The village had 437 inhabitants in 2005,[4] and 453 inhabitants in 2015.[1]

References

1. Hakob Ghahramanyan. "Directory of socio-economic characteristics of NKR administrative-territorial units (2015)".
2. Андрей Зубов. "Андрей Зубов. Карабах: Мир и Война". drugoivzgliad.com.
3. Sauer, Pjotr (2 October 2023). "'It's a ghost town': UN arrives in Nagorno-Karabakh to find ethnic Armenians have fled". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
4. "The Results of the 2005 Census of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic" (PDF). National Statistic Service of the Republic of Artsakh.

External links

• Spitakashen, Martuni at GEOnet Names Server
• A short documentary about the village on YouTube