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This is one of the holiest places of Armenian heitage.
Tigranakert of Artzakh, or Tigranakert, as the 4 other town's founded by Tigran the Great are at this stage in enemy hands, and are called by turkified names.
The site filmed in this sections is 'brand new', that is, it was an infamous mosquito infested wetland, till last year, when I visited the place for the last time. It is cleaned, and reshaped rather tastfully since then.
The 'fortress' you see behind, has nothing original.
It was built by Heidar Aliyev, in the soviet era, in the late 70-s, on the ruins of a persian garrison, built by the self-proclamed 'Khan of Karabagh', a man named Panakh.
The guy, willing to seize Artzakh, first built a temporary stronghold in nowdays Paylagan(Belogan) district's lowlands, east of Varanta.
After being smashed by an army of Karabakh Meliks, on a punitive expedition, (Khamasayi Melikoutiounner), he was ousted.
The following spring, still willing to conquer the country, he came here, in the ruins of original Tigranakert, deserted for hundred of years. It had two major interesting aspects for him.
The springs of Tikranakert, one of the few fresh and icy water sources in all the area (today, analysis of the water showed it is identical to Sevan lake's, that means, it is the result of leak from Sevan, as are most of the springs in Garni, Godayk, etc... feeding Yerevan), and its geostrategic location, in the heart and footsteps of Artsakh.
Plus, the ruins of the city, and the fortress, provided huge reserves of building material.
He distroyed most standing christian(=armenian), monuments still standing, to erase every trace of armenian identity, and amassed the stones to form an artificial hill. The 'fortress' you see on the back in the film, is standing on this hill. Researches found, that the hill was made of carved, armenian stones, among others, the stones of the basilic cathedral of the city center (foundations unearthed today, research are on for 3 years there).
No matter all his efforts, his own people named the place 'Shahboulagh', that is, King's springs, in reference to Tikran (an in no way, related to Panakh oghlou echek, who was a 'Khan', not a Shah..)
He then built his 'fortress', on that artificial hill.
But the Meliks of Karabagh destroyed this 'fortress', before it was completed...
Next year, he came back, and rebuilt a second 'fortress', that was destroyed for a second time!
Unfortunately, in the meantime, taking profit of internal animosity between the 5 Meliks, he was invited by the Melik of Varanta, right in the middle of Artsakh, to build a stronghold on the ruins of Shushi, an old, abandoned armenian fortress...
The rest is well known...
------
So, in the 70-s, there was virtually nothing standing in this place, only ruins..., but a lot of armenian ruins, with armenian letters, and carvings on it.
But before sovietisation, famous Armenian intelectuals, like Raffi, Leo, etc... came to the site, and were already on the trace of Tikranakert, guided by the local population, Artzakhians always calling the site 'Tgrgert/Dgragert'.
A lonely armenian monastery was still standing up the real hill, called Vankassar. And in the caves all around the hill, ancient armenian churches, and monasteries remained...
To prohibit access to the site, Soviet Azebaijany leadership (= Heidar Aliyev), decided to create High security prison in the site, prohibitting all access to any non penirentianary personel, for kilometeres around...
Plus, they used the workforce of the gulag, to destroy anything standing, all over the region (that's why, only underground ruins remain).
As if it was not enough, they opened a stone mine, on the other side of the hill, providing the famous white cubiks...
When nothing was remained, Heidar decided, it was time to prove the turkic identity of Artzakh, so he decided to rehabilitate the place, by building a brand new, fortress looking restaurant (that is what we see by now) and resting place.
It means, the 'fortress' is all but original, and is perceived as symbol of the azeri occupation, and years of humiliation by Artzakhian population.
The still standing Vankassar was 'reshaped', so horrifically, that nothing armenian was left, white, ugly stones reshaped the look, and angles, etc..., and it was proclaimed as proof of Albanian origin in the region...
So happy was Heidar with the result, he buit a Datsha, on a little hill looking the 'fortress', as he built one in Martuni(Varanta); (the Datsha in Martuni was used as field hospital during the war).
During the liberation of the district, the Artzakh army captured first Vankassar, and the azeris fled east, abandoning their 'fortress', who remained in the no man's land. That's why, it received some direct hits on its western side... (it proved, if it was still necessary, that this artificial hill was undefendable when the attackers came from the montains..., while originally, Tikran, was defending from the lowlands)..
During the immediate years after the war, the place was the nest of huge snakes, living in the ruins, and having rare water nearby.., and in the 'fortress', it was an army of birds (Dzidzernags, I do not know how to tell in english).
The Aliyev's datcha was transformed first into a toilet (turkish ambassy), soldiers travelling from Askeran to Martakert used to use...
Then, some years on, when I visited the place, a refugee family had cleaned some space, bringing some rudimentary life to the zone...
Finally, an archeologist, originally from Koladak (a village just behind, in the Khatchen valley), turned professor in Yerevan, called Bedrossian, if I am not wrong, came to search the city he had only heard of from the elders..., but never having access.
So, having finally access to area, he found the city quite quickly, first unearhing the huge foundations of the original citadel, with typical hellenistic architecture (similar to Garni, called Dzidzernagabotch)...
First, the local population was willing to destroy all together the Aliyev restaurant, as a symbol reminding azeri occupation years.
Then, someone had the idea, to recycle and give life to the whole thing, thus forcing Heidar (already dead by then), to turn in his tomb...
They transformed the place into a museum, where all the artifacts found in the original city and fortress are exposed (very beautifull and tasfull museum). It was inaugurated in the spring of 2010, with minimal state funds.
When I visited the place last time, the guys, having decided to have a good laugh, were building an exact replica of Aliyev 'fortress/restaurant', down the hill, to be used as toilets...!
This was the little story.
But the real story, the HISTORY of our origins, is there to be seen.
No one can visit the place, and remain cold blooded.
When you visit it, you understand, or more precisely, you are convinced, that all the BS about negociations, is BS.
NEVER an Armenian commander, never Artzakhians can think about returning such a place!
Perhaps me may give ETCHMIADZIN, but not TIKRANAKERT!
Tikranakerti ou Shushva Darosse mer mnatzeal sourp kaghaknerin.
Kalou e ore, miyayn te menk tchtavajanenk mer hoghe.
Tigranakert of Artzakh, or Tigranakert, as the 4 other town's founded by Tigran the Great are at this stage in enemy hands, and are called by turkified names.
The site filmed in this sections is 'brand new', that is, it was an infamous mosquito infested wetland, till last year, when I visited the place for the last time. It is cleaned, and reshaped rather tastfully since then.
The 'fortress' you see behind, has nothing original.
It was built by Heidar Aliyev, in the soviet era, in the late 70-s, on the ruins of a persian garrison, built by the self-proclamed 'Khan of Karabagh', a man named Panakh.
The guy, willing to seize Artzakh, first built a temporary stronghold in nowdays Paylagan(Belogan) district's lowlands, east of Varanta.
After being smashed by an army of Karabakh Meliks, on a punitive expedition, (Khamasayi Melikoutiounner), he was ousted.
The following spring, still willing to conquer the country, he came here, in the ruins of original Tigranakert, deserted for hundred of years. It had two major interesting aspects for him.
The springs of Tikranakert, one of the few fresh and icy water sources in all the area (today, analysis of the water showed it is identical to Sevan lake's, that means, it is the result of leak from Sevan, as are most of the springs in Garni, Godayk, etc... feeding Yerevan), and its geostrategic location, in the heart and footsteps of Artsakh.
Plus, the ruins of the city, and the fortress, provided huge reserves of building material.
He distroyed most standing christian(=armenian), monuments still standing, to erase every trace of armenian identity, and amassed the stones to form an artificial hill. The 'fortress' you see on the back in the film, is standing on this hill. Researches found, that the hill was made of carved, armenian stones, among others, the stones of the basilic cathedral of the city center (foundations unearthed today, research are on for 3 years there).
No matter all his efforts, his own people named the place 'Shahboulagh', that is, King's springs, in reference to Tikran (an in no way, related to Panakh oghlou echek, who was a 'Khan', not a Shah..)
He then built his 'fortress', on that artificial hill.
But the Meliks of Karabagh destroyed this 'fortress', before it was completed...
Next year, he came back, and rebuilt a second 'fortress', that was destroyed for a second time!
Unfortunately, in the meantime, taking profit of internal animosity between the 5 Meliks, he was invited by the Melik of Varanta, right in the middle of Artsakh, to build a stronghold on the ruins of Shushi, an old, abandoned armenian fortress...
The rest is well known...
------
So, in the 70-s, there was virtually nothing standing in this place, only ruins..., but a lot of armenian ruins, with armenian letters, and carvings on it.
But before sovietisation, famous Armenian intelectuals, like Raffi, Leo, etc... came to the site, and were already on the trace of Tikranakert, guided by the local population, Artzakhians always calling the site 'Tgrgert/Dgragert'.
A lonely armenian monastery was still standing up the real hill, called Vankassar. And in the caves all around the hill, ancient armenian churches, and monasteries remained...
To prohibit access to the site, Soviet Azebaijany leadership (= Heidar Aliyev), decided to create High security prison in the site, prohibitting all access to any non penirentianary personel, for kilometeres around...
Plus, they used the workforce of the gulag, to destroy anything standing, all over the region (that's why, only underground ruins remain).
As if it was not enough, they opened a stone mine, on the other side of the hill, providing the famous white cubiks...
When nothing was remained, Heidar decided, it was time to prove the turkic identity of Artzakh, so he decided to rehabilitate the place, by building a brand new, fortress looking restaurant (that is what we see by now) and resting place.
It means, the 'fortress' is all but original, and is perceived as symbol of the azeri occupation, and years of humiliation by Artzakhian population.
The still standing Vankassar was 'reshaped', so horrifically, that nothing armenian was left, white, ugly stones reshaped the look, and angles, etc..., and it was proclaimed as proof of Albanian origin in the region...
So happy was Heidar with the result, he buit a Datsha, on a little hill looking the 'fortress', as he built one in Martuni(Varanta); (the Datsha in Martuni was used as field hospital during the war).
During the liberation of the district, the Artzakh army captured first Vankassar, and the azeris fled east, abandoning their 'fortress', who remained in the no man's land. That's why, it received some direct hits on its western side... (it proved, if it was still necessary, that this artificial hill was undefendable when the attackers came from the montains..., while originally, Tikran, was defending from the lowlands)..
During the immediate years after the war, the place was the nest of huge snakes, living in the ruins, and having rare water nearby.., and in the 'fortress', it was an army of birds (Dzidzernags, I do not know how to tell in english).
The Aliyev's datcha was transformed first into a toilet (turkish ambassy), soldiers travelling from Askeran to Martakert used to use...
Then, some years on, when I visited the place, a refugee family had cleaned some space, bringing some rudimentary life to the zone...
Finally, an archeologist, originally from Koladak (a village just behind, in the Khatchen valley), turned professor in Yerevan, called Bedrossian, if I am not wrong, came to search the city he had only heard of from the elders..., but never having access.
So, having finally access to area, he found the city quite quickly, first unearhing the huge foundations of the original citadel, with typical hellenistic architecture (similar to Garni, called Dzidzernagabotch)...
First, the local population was willing to destroy all together the Aliyev restaurant, as a symbol reminding azeri occupation years.
Then, someone had the idea, to recycle and give life to the whole thing, thus forcing Heidar (already dead by then), to turn in his tomb...
They transformed the place into a museum, where all the artifacts found in the original city and fortress are exposed (very beautifull and tasfull museum). It was inaugurated in the spring of 2010, with minimal state funds.
When I visited the place last time, the guys, having decided to have a good laugh, were building an exact replica of Aliyev 'fortress/restaurant', down the hill, to be used as toilets...!
This was the little story.
But the real story, the HISTORY of our origins, is there to be seen.
No one can visit the place, and remain cold blooded.
When you visit it, you understand, or more precisely, you are convinced, that all the BS about negociations, is BS.
NEVER an Armenian commander, never Artzakhians can think about returning such a place!
Perhaps me may give ETCHMIADZIN, but not TIKRANAKERT!
Tikranakerti ou Shushva Darosse mer mnatzeal sourp kaghaknerin.
Kalou e ore, miyayn te menk tchtavajanenk mer hoghe.
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