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Stepanakert / Khankendi Template:Lang-hy / Template:Lang-az
City
From top left: Holy Mother of God Cathedral Renaissance Square • Downtown Stepanakert Stepanakert Airport • Stepanakert skyline Park Hotel Artsakh  • We Are Our Mountains Artsakh University  • Stepanakert Memorial
Coat of arms
Stepanakert / KhankendiLocation of Stepanakert in Artsakh and in Azerbaijan.Show map of Republic of ArtsakhStepanakert / KhankendiStepanakert / Khankendi (Azerbaijan)Show map of Azerbaijan
Coordinates: Template:Xb_type:city(75000) 39°48′55″N 46°45′7″E / 39.81528°N 46.75194°E / 39.81528; 46.75194
Country	Artsakh (de facto)  Azerbaijan (de jure)
Province	Stepanakert (de facto)
District	Khankendi (de jure)
City status	1923
Government
• Type	Mayor–Council
• Body	Stepanakert City Council
• Mayor of Stepanakert	David Sargsyan
Area
• Total	29.12 km (11.24 sq mi)
Elevation	813 m (2,667 ft)
Population
• Total	75,000
• Density	2,600/km (6,700/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+4 (GMT+4)
Area code	+374 47
Website	stepanakert.am
Sources: Stepanakert city area and population

Stepanakert (Template:Lang-hy, Eastern Armenian pronunciation: [əstɛpʰanaˈkɛɾt]), or Khankendi (Template:Lang-az, Azerbaijani: [xɑncænˈdi] ), is the de facto capital and the largest city of the self-proclaimed Republic of Artsakh, though internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan. The city is located in a subtropical valley on the eastern slopes of the Karabakh mountain range, on the left bank of the Qarqarchay river. Covering approximately 11.2 square miles (29.12  km), it is the de facto center of the Stepanakert Province and the de jure center of Khankendi District.

The area that would become Stepanakert was originally an Armenian settlement named Vararakn. During the Soviet period, the city was made the capital of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast, becoming a hub for economic and industrial activity. In addition, the city became a hotbed for political activity, serving as the center for Armenian demonstrations calling for the unification of Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia. Stepanakert suffered extensive damage following the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the outbreak of the First Nagorno-Karabakh War and passed into the hands of local Armenians with the establishment of the Artsakh republic.

The city is a regional center of education and culture, being home to Artsakh University, musical schools, and a palace of culture. The economy is based on the service industry and has varied enterprises, food processing, wine making, and silk weaving being the most important. The inhabitants also engage in producing furniture and footwear. As of 2021, the population of Stepanakert is 75,000. Almost all of its inhabitants are ethnic Armenians.

Etymology

Medieval Armenian sources attest to a settlement in the locale called Vararakn (Վարարակն, meaning "rapid spring" in Armenian). Vararakn remained the local Armenian name for the town until 1923.

Most Azerbaijani sources claim that the settlement was built in late 18th century, as a place of rest for the heads of the Karabakh Khanate. In the first years, it was known as "Khan's village" (Template:Lang-az) because only the khan's family and his relatives lived there. By the 19th century, the settlement was renamed Khankendi ("village of the khan" in Azerbaijani).

The town was renamed Stepanakert ("the city of Stepan") in 1923, after Armenian Bolshevik revolutionary Stepan Shahumian. The name is formed from the words Stepan (Template:Lang-hy) and "kert" (Template:Lang-hy, meaning "created").

History

Founding and Soviet era

According to medieval Armenian sources, the settlement was originally an Armenian village named Vararakn (Template:Lang-hy). From the 10th-16th centuries, the settlement was a part of the Armenian Principality of Khachen. Over the centuries, it would successively pass into the hands of the meliks of Karabakh, the Karabakh khans, before passing under the control of Russia in 1822.

Under the Russian Empire, the town was a part of the Shusha district of the Elisavetpol province. According to the 19th century author Raffi, in 1826, the local Armenian meliks met with the Persian crown prince Abbas Mirza, who had invaded Karabakh with his army, in the village to reconcile relations with the Persians and ensure the safety of the Karabakh Armenian population. In 1847, Vararakn was a village of about 132 houses, consisting of 80 Armenian households, 52 Russian households, an Armenian church, and a cemetery. That same year, the village was renamed from Vararakn to Khankendi. By 1886, there were 52 houses in the settlement. The population of Khankendi consisted of retired soldiers and their descendants, who belonged to the Russian Orthodox Church. The population was engaged in agriculture, as well as various crafts, carriage, the renting of apartments (mainly to military personnel), and so on. After 1898, the tsarist government turned Khankendi into a Russian military garrison. The garrison consisted of barracks, hospitals, and a church, as well as, several houses where officers' families and a small local population, who supplied the military units with food, lived. The local population consisted of Armenians and Azerbaijanis.

Following the massacre of the Armenian population of Shusha in March 1920, the city received an influx of Armenians which would then go on to become the majority of the population. In the summer of 1920, the city was occupied by part of the Red Army. In 1923, Khankendi was renamed Stepanakert by the Soviet government in honor of Stepan Shahumian, a fallen Bolshevik party member and leader of the 26 Baku Commissars. Since the Shusha massacre had resulted in major destruction and mass killing of its Armenian population by Azerbaijani forces, the former regional capital, Stepanakert, was made the capital of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO). In time, Stepanakert grew to become the region's most important city (a status it received in 1940). Its population rose from 10,459 in 1939 to 33,000 in 1978.

In 1926, municipal authorities adopted a new city layout designed by Aleksandr Tamanian; two additional designs for expansion were approved in the 1930s and 1960s, both of which retained Tamanian's initial plan. Several schools and two polyclinics were established, and an Armenian drama theater was founded in 1932 and named after Maxim Gorky. Stepanakert served as Nagorno-Karabakh's main economic hub, and by the mid-1980s there were nineteen factories in operation in the city.

First Nagorno-Karabakh War and independence

The political and economic reforms that General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev undertook in 1985 saw a marked decentralization of Soviet authority. Armenians, in both the Armenian SSR and Nagorno-Karabakh, viewed Gorbachev's reform program as an opportunity to unite the two together. On 20 February 1988, tens of thousands of Armenians gathered to demonstrate in Stepanakert's Lenin Square (now Renaissance Square) to demand that the region be joined to Armenia. On the same day, the Supreme Soviet of Nagorno-Karabakh voted to join the Armenian SSR, a move strongly opposed by the Soviet Azerbaijani authorities.

Relations between Stepankert's Armenians and Azerbaijanis, who supported the Azerbaijani government's position, deteriorated in the following years. Inter-ethnic strife in the city in September 1988, encompassing physical attacks and burning of property, forced nearly all Azerbaijanis to flee the city. The Soviet Army took up positions in the city and announced a curfew three days later. In 1990 the army dispatched special forces units and various other elements to Stepanakert in order to prevent its takeover by Azerbaijani forces.

After Azerbaijan declared its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, Stepanakert was renamed Khankendi by the Azerbaijani government. Fighting broke out over control of Nagorno-Karabakh, which, after three years of war, resulted in Armenian control of the region and a connecting corridor to Armenia to the west. Prior to the conflict, Stepanakert was the largest city of the NKAO, with a population of 70,000 out of a total 189,000 (Armenians at the time comprised 75% of the region's total population). By early 1992, that figure had dropped to 50,000.

During the war, the city suffered immense damage from Azerbaijani bombardment, especially in early 1992 when the Azerbaijanis positioned BM-21 Grad rocket artillery in Shusha and rained down missiles over Stepanakert. A journalist for Time noted in an April 1992 article that "scarcely a single building escaped damage in Stepanakert." It was not until 9 May 1992, with the capture of Shusha, that the ground bombardment ceased. The city, nevertheless, continued to suffer aerial bombardment until the end of the war.

The city came under intense bombardment once again during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war. Residential areas were continuously hit by the Azerbaijani Army with cluster munitions throughout the war, starting on the first day of fighting, and residents were urged to use the city's bomb shelters. As Azerbaijani forces advanced on the city of Shusha, the Lachin corridor was shut down by Artsakh authorities.

With Azerbaijani forces 15 kilometers from the capital, a ceasefire agreement was signed on 10 November. As part of the agreement, Russian peacekeepers were deployed to the region. Following the war, the population of Stepanakert swelled to 75,000 residents as a result of some 10,000 to 15,000 displaced people who lost their homes elsewhere in the Republic of Artsakh during the war.

Geography and climate

Stepanakert is located on Karabakh plateau, at an average altitude of 813 m (2,667 ft) above sea level.

The city has a humid subtropical climate (Cfa) according to the Köppen climate classification system and a semi-arid climate (BS) according to the Trewartha climate classification system. In the month of January, the average temperature drops to 0.5 °C (33 °F). In August, it averages around 22.6 °C (73 °F).

Politics and government

During the period of the USSR, Stepanakert served as the capital of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast within the Azerbaijani Soviet Socialist Republic, between 1923 and 1991. With the self-declared independence of Artsakh in 1991, Stepanakert continued with its status as the political and cultural centre of the newly established republic, being home to all the national institutions: the Government House, the National Assembly, the Presidential Palace, the Constitutional Court, all ministries, judicial bodies and other government organizations.

Artsakh is a presidential democracy since the 2017 constitutional referendum. The Prime Minister's post was abolished and the executive power now resides with the President, who is both the head of state and head of government. The president is directly elected for a maximum of two consecutive five-year terms. The current President is Arayik Harutyunyan. On 19 July 2012, Sahakyan was re-elected for a second term. He was again re-elected to a third term on 19 July 2017.

The National Assembly is a unicameral legislature. It has 33 members who are elected for five-year terms.

Gallery

• The Presidential Palace
• The National Assembly
• The Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Government building, 20 February Street

Demographics

According to the data of the Transcaucasian Statistical Committee, extracted from the family lists of 1886, there were 71 houses and 279 residents registered in Khankendi, of which 276 were Russians, 2 Armenians and 1 Tatar (Azerbaijani), who were respectively Orthodox, Armenian Gregorian and Sunni Muslim by religion.

According to the Caucasus calendar of 1910, there were 362 residents in the village of Khankendi of the Shusha uyezd of the Elisavetpol governorate in 1908, who were mostly Russians.

The Caucasus calendar of 1912 registered 1076 residents, also mostly Russians.

However, according to the Caucasus calendar of 1915 there were 1550 Tatar (Azerbaijani) and 180 Armenian residents in Khankendi.

According to the Azerbaijani agricultural census of 1921, the population of Khankendi (Template:Lang-az) was 1208 people, mostly Armenians.

Religion

The late-19th-century church of Saint George was destroyed in the 1930s to build the Stepanakert Drama Theatre. Throughout the rest of the Soviet era, there were no traditional churches in Stepanakert, although most of the population of the city were members of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

The church of Surp Hakob (or Saint James) was opened in 2007; it remained the only open church in the city until 2019. The church was financed by Nerses Yepremian from Los Angeles. The church was consecrated on 9 May 2007, in honor of the 15th anniversary of the capture of Shusha by Armenian forces.

The construction of the Holy Mother of God Cathedral was launched on 19 July 2006. The cost of the project was expected to be around US$2 million and the architect of the church is Gagik Yeranosyan. However, the construction process was slow due to a lack of financial resources. The inauguration of the church was expected to take place in September 2016. Construction finished and the church was opened in 2019.

There is a small community of Armenian Evangelicals with around 500 members. The Evangelical community supports many schools, hospitals and other institutions through the help of the Armenian Diaspora.

Transportation

Bus

Stepanakert is served by a number of regular minibus lines. Old Soviet-era buses have been replaced with new modern buses. Regular trips to other provinces of Nagorno-Karabakh are also operated from the city.

Air

Stepanakert is served by the nearby Stepanakert Airport, north of the city near the village of Ivanyan. In 2009, facilities reconstruction and repair work began. Though originally scheduled to launch the first commercial flights on 9 May 2011, Karabakh officials postponed a new reopening date throughout the whole of 2011. In May 2012, the director of the NKR's Civil Aviation Administration, Tigran Gabrielyan, announced that the airport will begin operations in summer 2012. However, the airport still remains closed due to political reasons. The OSCE Minsk Group, which mediates the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, reaffirmed that the operation of this airport could not be used to support any claim of a change in the status of Nagorno-Karabakh, and urged the sides to act in accordance with international law and consistent with current practice for flights over their territory.

Railway

Stepanakert used to be connected through a railway line with the Yevlakh station on the Baku-Tbilisi railway. However, trips have been discontinued since the start of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Economy

Stepanakert is the centre of the economy of Artsakh. Prior to the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, the economy of Stepanakert was mainly based on food-processing industries, silk weaving and winemaking. The economy was severely damaged during the war. However, in recent years, the economy has been developed mainly due to investments from the Armenian diaspora.

The most developed sectors of Stepanakert and the rest of the Republic of Artsakh are tourism and services. Several hotels have been opened by diasporan Armenians from Russia, the United States and Australia. Artsakhbank is the largest banking services provider in Artsakh, while Karabakh Telecom is the leading provider of mobile telecommunications and other communication services.

Stepanakert is also home to many large industrial firms, including Stepanakert Brandy Factory, Artsakh Berry food products and Artsakh Footwear Factory.

Construction is also one of the leading sectors in the city. Artsakh Hek is the leading construction firm, while Base Metals is the leader in mining and production of building materials.

Culture

The Vahram Papazyan Drama Theater of Stepanakert was founded in 1932. In 1967, the monumental complex of Stepanakert known as We Are Our Mountains was erected to the north of Stepanakert, It is widely regarded as a symbol of the Armenian heritage of the historic Artsakh. After the independence of Armenia, many cultural and youth centres were reopened. The cultural palace of the city is named after Charles Aznavour.

Stepanakert is home to the Mesrop Mashtots Republican Library opened in 1924, Artsakh History Museum opened in 1939, Hovhannes Tumanyan Children's Library opened in 1947, Stepanakert National Gallery opened in 1982, and the Memorial Museum of the Martyred Liberators opened in 2002. A new cultural complex of the Armenian heritage of Artsakh is under construction.

The Artsakh State Museum based in Stepanakert, has an important collection of ancient artifacts and Christian manuscripts.

Education

Stepanakert is the centre of higher education in Artsakh. Five higher educational institutions operate in the city:

• Artsakh State University, founded in 1969 as a branch of the Baku Pedagogical Institute. In 1973, it was renamed Stepanakert Pedagogical Institute and following the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh, in 1992, it received its current status. The university offers courses spread across seven departments and has 4,500 students.
• Stepanakert campus of the Armenian National Agrarian University.
• Grigor Narekatsi University (private).
• Mesrop Mashtots University (private).
• Gyurjyan Institute for Applied Arts (private).

Many new schools in Stepanakert were opened during the last decade with the help of the Armenian diaspora. Existing schools were also renovated with donations from the diaspora.

The Stepanakert branch of Tumo Center for Creative Technologies was opened in September 2015, as a result of continued cooperation between the Tumo Centre and the Armenian General Benevolent Union, with the support of mobile operator Karabakh Telecom.

Sport

Football is the most popular sport in Nagorno-Karabakh and the city has a renovated football stadium. Since the mid-1990s, football teams from Karabakh started taking part in some domestic competitions in Armenia. Lernayin Artsakh is the football club that represents the city of Stepanakert. The Artsakh national football league was launched in 2009.

The non-FIFA affiliated Artsakh national football team was formed in 2012 and played their first competitive match against the unrecognized Abkhazia national football team in Sukhumi on 17 September 2012. The match ended with a 1–1 draw. The following month, on 21 October 2012, Artsakh played the return match at the Stepanakert Republican Stadium against Abkhazia, winning it with a result of 3–0.

There is also interest in other sports, including basketball and volleyball.

Artsakh athletes also take part with the representing teams and athletes in the Pan-Armenian Games, organized in Armenia.

As an unrecognized entity, the athletes of Artsakh compete in international sports competitions under the flag of Armenia.

Twin towns – sister cities

Stepanakert is twinned with:

• Montebello, United States: On 25 September 2005, Montebello, California and Stepanakert became sister cities. This prompted a complaint by the ambassador of Azerbaijan to the United States, Hafiz Pashayev, who sent a letter to California leaders, stating that the decision jeopardized peace talks between his country and Armenia. The letter was sent to then-California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who deferred the letter to Montebello mayor Bill Molinari since it concerned a local, not a state, issue. Molinari responded to Pashayev that the city would go ahead with its plans to inaugurate Stepanakert under the sister city program. Stepanakert's relationship with Montebello is aimed at revitalizing the capital's economic infrastructure and building cultural and educational ties, as well as developing trade and health care between the two cities. Azerbaijan has described this as a contradictory foreign policy of the United States that purportedly supports the NKR government and Armenian aggression against Azerbaijan.
• Mairiporã, Brazil: Since June 18, 2018, Law 3767/18 has made Eternal Armenia the name that declares Sister Cities the Municipalities of Mairiporã, State of São Paulo, and Stepanakert, capital of the self-declared Nagorno-Karabakh Republic which triggered an alert from Itamaraty, Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on the attitude of the Municipality as Brazil does not recognize the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Friendship declarations

• On 22 May 1998, Stepanakert and the commune of Villeurbanne in France signed a Friendship Declaration.
• On 28 September 2012, Stepanakert and Yerevan, Armenia, the capitals of the two Armenian republics, became friends after signing a partnership agreement.
• On 15 September 2014, San Sebastián, Spain, and Stepanakert signed a cooperation agreement.
• On 17 May 2015, Stepanakert and the commune of Valence in France signed a Friendship Declaration.
• On 3 February 2016, Stepanakert signed a Friendship Declaration with the municipality of Franco da Rocha, Brazil.
• On 23 July 2019, Stepanakert signed a Friendship Declaration with the City of Ryde, Australia.

Notable people

• Armen Abaghian – Armenian academic
• André – Armenian singer
• Don Askarian – Armenian filmmaker
• Vladimir Arzumanyan – Armenian singer, winner of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2010
• Samvel Babayan – Armenian military general
• Zori Balayan – Armenian writer
• Aghabeyim agha Javanshir – Azerbaijani poet, daughter of the second khan of Karabakh Ibrahim Khalil Khan, a wife of Qajar emperor Fath-Ali Shah Qajar
• Karen Karapetyan – 14th Prime Minister of Armenia
• Robert Kocharyan – Second President of Armenia
• Fakhraddin Manafov – Azerbaijani actor
• Marat Manafov – Azerbaijani businessman and lawyer
• Serzh Sargsyan – Third President of Armenia
• Roza Sarkisyan - theatre director in Ukraine
• Nikolay Yenikolopyan – Soviet Armenian chemist, academician

Notes

1. Mentioned as "Turks" in the 1926 figures.

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68. LLC, Asbarez. "Australia's Ryde Forms Friendship City with Stepanakert". www.asbarez.com. Archived from the original on 24 July 2019. Retrieved 24 July 2019.

Bibliography

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• Busse, H. (1983). Ehsan Yarshater (ed.). ABU'L-FATḤ KHAN JAVĀNŠĪR. Vol. I (3 ed.). New York. pp. 285–286. ISBN 978-0710090928. {{cite encyclopedia}}: |work= ignored (help)CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

• Davies, Norman (2017). Beneath Another Sky: A Global Journey Into History. United Kingdom: Penguin Books Limited. ISBN 9781846148323.

• De Waal, Thomas (2013). Black Garden: Armenia and Azerbaijan Through Peace and War. NYU Press. p. 46. ISBN 9780814785782.

• Everett-Heath, John (2019). The Concise Dictionary of World Place Names (5 ed.). United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780192556462.

• Hagobian, Hagob Melik; Melkonian, Ara Stepan (2020). The Five Melikdoms of Karabagh. Yerevan: Gomidas Institute. ISBN 9781909382602.

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• Hewsen, Robert H. (2001). Armenia: A Historical Atlas. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. p. 265. ISBN 0-226-33228-4.

• Ismail-Zadeh, D. (1976). "Русские поселения в Закавказье в 30-х — 80-х годах XIX века" [Russian settlements in Transcaucasia in the 30s-80s of the 19th century]. Voprosy Istorii. Moscow: Russian Academy of Sciences: 20. ISSN 0042-8779.

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• Kuciukian, Pietro (2003). Giardino di tenebra : viaggio in Nagorno Karabagh [Garden of Darkness: Journey to Nagorno Karabakh]. Milan: Guerini e Associati. pp. 1000–1005. doi:10.1400/41657. ISBN 9788881952854.

• Kuliev, Jemil (1987). Khankendi (in Azerbaijani). Vol. 10. Baku: Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences. {{cite encyclopedia}}: |work= ignored (help)

• Lobell, Steven E.; Mauceri, Phillip (2004). Ethnic Conflict and International Politics: Explaining Diffusion and Escalation. New York: Palgrave MacMillan. p. 58. ISBN 1-4039-6356-8.

• Mkrtchyan, Shahen (1985). Viktor Ambartsumian (ed.). Stepanakert (in Armenian). Vol. 11. Yerevan: Academy of Sciences of the Armenian SSR. pp. 124–125. OCLC 22420067. {{cite encyclopedia}}: |work= ignored (help)

• Mutafian, Claude; Chorbajian, Levon; Donabédian, Patrick (1994). "Karabagh In The Twentieth Century". The Caucasian Knot: The History & Geopolitics of Nagorno-Karabagh. London and New Jersey: Zed Books. p. 139. ISBN 9781856492881.

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External links

• Stepanakert Municipality (hy)
• 360 Panoramic view of the City Center (en)
• Artsakh tourism Office (en)
• Stepanakert on Lonely Planet (en)
• Stepanakert at GEOnet Names Server

Links to related articles

v t e Stepanakert Landmarks We Are Our Mountains Renaissance Square Freedom Fighters' Boulevard Lovers' Park Places of worship Surp Hakob Church Holy Protector Mother of God Cathedral Education and culture Garabagh University Vahram Papazyan State Drama Theatre Artsakh State Museum Sports and recreation Khankendi Stadium Lernayin Artsakh FC Other Stepanakert Airport v t e Administrative divisions of Azerbaijan Districts Absheron Agdam Aghdara Agdash Aghjabadi Agstafa Agsu Astara Babek Balakan Barda Beylagan Bilasuvar Dashkasan Fuzuli Gadabay Goranboy Goychay Goygol Hajigabul Imishli Ismayilli Jabrayil Jalilabad Julfa Kalbajar Kangarli Khachmaz Khizi Khojaly Khojavend Kurdamir Lachin Lankaran Lerik Masally Neftchala Oghuz Ordubad Qabala Qakh Qazakh Gobustan Quba Qubadli Qusar Saatly Sabirabad Sadarak Salyan Samukh Shabran Shahbuz Shaki Shamakhi Shamkir Sharur Shusha Siyazan Tartar Tovuz Ujar Yardimli Yevlakh Zangilan Zagatala Zardab Cities Baku Ganja Khankendi Lankaran Mingachevir Naftalan Nakhchivan Shaki Shirvan Sumgait Yevlakh Towns Aghdam Aghdara Agdash Aghjabadi Agstafa Agsu Astara Babek Balakən Barda Beylagan Bilasuvar Dashkasan Fuzuli Gadabay Goranboy Goychay Goygol Hajiqabul Imishli Ismayilli Jabrayil Jalilabad Julfa Kalbajar Khachmaz Khizi Khojavend Khojaly Khirdalan Kurdamir Lachin Lerik Masally Neftchala Oğuz Ordubad Gabala Qakh Gazakh Gobustan Quba Qubadli Qusar Saatly Sabirabad Salyan Shabran Shahbuz Shamakhi Shamkir Sharur Shusha Siyazan Tartar Tovuz Ujar Yardimli Zangilan Zagatala Zardab Names in italics indicate parts of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic v t e Administrative divisions of Artsakh Capital city Stepanakert Provinces Askeran Hadrut (nominal) Kashatagh (nominal) Martakert Martuni Shahumyan (nominal) Shushi Provincial capitals Askeran Hadrut (nominal) Berdzor (nominal) Martakert Martuni Karvachar (former) Shushi (nominal) Other urban communities Chartar Zoravan/Nerkin Chartar v t e Capitals of European states and territories Capitals of dependent territories and states whose sovereignty is disputed shown in italics. Sovereign states Amsterdam, Netherlands Andorra la Vella, Andorra Ankara, Turkey Astana, Kazakhstan Athens, Greece Baku, Azerbaijan Belgrade, Serbia Berlin, Germany Bern, Switzerland Bratislava, Slovakia Brussels, Belgium Bucharest, Romania Budapest, Hungary Chișinău, Moldova Copenhagen, Denmark Dublin, Ireland Helsinki, Finland Kyiv, Ukraine Lisbon, Portugal Ljubljana, Slovenia London, United Kingdom Luxembourg, Luxembourg Madrid, Spain Minsk, Belarus Monaco Moscow, Russia Nicosia, Cyprus Oslo, Norway Paris, France Podgorica, Montenegro Prague, Czech Republic Reykjavík, Iceland Riga, Latvia Rome, Italy San Marino, San Marino Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina Skopje, North Macedonia Sofia, Bulgaria Stockholm, Sweden Tallinn, Estonia Tbilisi, Georgia Tirana, Albania Vaduz, Liechtenstein Valletta, Malta Vatican City Vienna, Austria Vilnius, Lithuania Warsaw, Poland Yerevan, Armenia Zagreb, Croatia States with limited recognition North Nicosia, Northern Cyprus Pristina, Kosovo Sukhumi, Abkhazia Tiraspol, Transnistria Tskhinvali, South Ossetia Dependencies United Kingdom Constituent countries London, England Edinburgh, Scotland Cardiff, Wales Belfast, Northern Ireland Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories Douglas, Isle of Man Episkopi Cantonment, Akrotiri and Dhekelia Gibraltar, Gibraltar St Helier, Jersey Saint Peter Port, Guernsey Other Longyearbyen, Svalbard (Norway) Tórshavn, Faroe Islands (Denmark) Federal states Austria Bregenz, Vorarlberg Eisenstadt, Burgenland Graz, Styria Innsbruck, Tyrol Klagenfurt, Carinthia Linz, Upper Austria Salzburg, Salzburg Sankt Pölten, Lower Austria Vienna, Vienna Belgium Communities Brussels, Flemish Community and French Community Eupen, German-speaking Community Regions Brussels, Brussels-Capital Region and Flanders Namur, Wallonia Bosnia and Herzegovina Banja Luka (de facto), Republika Srpska Brčko, Brčko District Sarajevo, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Germany Berlin, Berlin Bremen, Bremen Dresden, Saxony Düsseldorf, North Rhine-Westphalia Erfurt, Thuringia Hamburg, Hamburg Hanover, Lower Saxony Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein Magdeburg, Saxony-Anhalt Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate Munich, Bavaria Potsdam, Brandenburg Saarbrücken, Saarland Schwerin, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg Wiesbaden, Hesse Russia Republics Cheboksary, Chuvashia Cherkessk, Karachay-Cherkessia Elista, Kalmykia Grozny, Chechnya Izhevsk, Udmurtia Kazan, Tatarstan Magas, Ingushetia Makhachkala, Dagestan Maykop, Adygea Nalchik, Kabardino-Balkaria Petrozavodsk, Karelia Saransk, Mordovia Simferopol, Crimea (disputed) Syktyvkar, Komi Ufa, Bashkortostan Vladikavkaz, North Ossetia–Alania Yoshkar-Ola, Mari El Autonomous okrugs Naryan-Mar, Nenets Krais Krasnodar, Krasnodar Krai Perm, Perm Krai Stavropol, Stavropol Krai Oblasts Arkhangelsk, Arkhangelsk Oblast Astrakhan, Astrakhan Oblast Belgorod, Belgorod Oblast Bryansk, Bryansk Oblast Ivanovo, Ivanovo Oblast Kaliningrad, Kaliningrad Oblast Kaluga, Kaluga Oblast Kirov, Kirov Oblast Kostroma, Kostroma Oblast Krasnogorsk and Moscow, Moscow Oblast (de facto) Kursk, Kursk Oblast Lipetsk, Lipetsk Oblast Murmansk, Murmansk Oblast Nizhny Novgorod, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast Orenburg, Orenburg Oblast Oryol, Oryol Oblast Penza, Penza Oblast Pskov, Pskov Oblast Rostov-on-Don, Rostov Oblast Ryazan, Ryazan Oblast Gatchina, Leningrad Oblast Samara, Samara Oblast Saratov, Saratov Oblast Smolensk, Smolensk Oblast Tambov, Tambov Oblast Tula, Tula Oblast Tver, Tver Oblast Ulyanovsk, Ulyanovsk Oblast Veliky Novgorod, Novgorod Oblast Vladimir, Vladimir Oblast Volgograd, Volgograd Oblast Vologda, Vologda Oblast Voronezh, Voronezh Oblast Yaroslavl, Yaroslavl Oblast Federal cities Moscow Saint Petersburg Sevastopol (disputed) Switzerland Aarau, Aargau Altdorf, Uri Appenzell, Appenzell Innerrhoden Basel, Basel-Stadt Bellinzona, Ticino Chur, Grisons Delémont, Jura Frauenfeld, Thurgau Fribourg, Canton of Fribourg Geneva, Canton of Geneva Herisau, Appenzell Ausserrhoden Lausanne, Vaud Liestal, Basel-Landschaft Lucerne, Canton of Lucerne Neuchâtel, Canton of Neuchâtel Sarnen, Obwalden Schaffhausen, Canton of Schaffhausen Schwyz, Canton of Schwyz Sion, Valais Solothurn, Canton of Solothurn Stans, Nidwalden St. Gallen, Canton of St. Gallen Glarus, Canton of Glarus Zug, Canton of Zug Zurich, Canton of Zürich Autonomous entities Italy Autonomous regions Cagliari, Sardinia Palermo, Sicily Trento, Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol Aosta, Aosta Valley Trieste, Friuli Venezia Giulia Portugal Autonomous regions Ponta Delgada, Angra do Heroísmo, & Horta, Azores Funchal, Madeira Spain Barcelona, Catalonia Las Palmas & Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands Logroño, La Rioja Madrid, Community of Madrid Mérida, Extremadura Murcia, Region of Murcia Oviedo, Asturias Palma de Mallorca, Balearic Islands Pamplona, Navarre Santander, Cantabria Santiago de Compostela, Galicia Seville, Andalusia Toledo, Castilla–La Mancha (de facto) Valencia, Valencian Community Valladolid, Castile and León (de facto) Vitoria-Gasteiz, Basque Country (de facto) Zaragoza, Aragon Other Ajaccio, Corsica Collectivité (France) Batumi, Adjara (Georgia) Comrat, Gagauzia (Moldova) Karyes, Mount Athos (Greece) Mariehamn, Åland Islands (Finland) Nakhchivan, Nakhchivan (Azerbaijan) Novi Sad, Vojvodina (Serbia) Simferopol, Crimea (Ukraine)  Also the capital of the Kingdom of the Netherlands  Continental placement may vary depending on geographic convention being followed  Also the seat of the European Union, see Institutional seats of the European Union and Brussels and the European Union  A city-state v t e Nagorno-Karabakh conflict Background Nagorno-Karabakh History Armenian–Azerbaijani war (1918–1920) Deportation of Azerbaijanis from Armenia Dissolution of the Soviet Union Karabakh movement Miatsum Armenians in Azerbaijan Armenians in Baku Azerbaijanis in Armenia Anti-Armenian sentiment in Azerbaijan Armenia–Azerbaijan relations First war (1988–1994) Çardaqlı clash Askeran clash Sumgait pogrom Gugark pogrom Zvartnots Airport clash Shusha and Stepanakert pogroms Kirovabad pogrom Il-76 crash near Leninakan (1988) Baku pogrom Bağanis Ayrum 1990 Tbilisi–Agdam bus bombing Operation Ring Voskepar massacre Battle of Togh 1991 Azerbaijani Mil Mi-8 shootdown Law on Abolishment of Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast Siege of Stepanakert Operation Dashalty 1992 Azerbaijani Mil Mi-8 shootdown Capture of Gushchular and Malibeyli Capture of Garadaghly Khojaly massacre Maraga massacre Capture of Shusha Capture of Artsvashen Operation Goranboy Mardakert and Martuni Offensives Operation Həsənqaya Battle of Lachin Operation Qazançı 1993 Azerbaijani coup d'état Battle of Kalbajar Battle of Aghdam 1993 Summer Offensives Operation Geghamasar Operation Horadiz Operation Kalbajar 1994 Baku Metro bombings 1994 Iranian Air Force C-130 shootdown 1994 Bagratashen bombing Refugees in Azerbaijan Interwar clashes 2008 Mardakert clashes January 2009 Agdam military incident September 2009 Agdam military incident 2010 Nagorno-Karabakh clashes 2010 Mardakert clashes 2012 Armenian–Azerbaijani border clashes 2014 Armenian–Azerbaijani clashes 2014 Armenian Mil Mi-24 shootdown 2016 Odundağ clashes 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict 2017 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict Shelling of Alxanlı 2018 Armenian–Azerbaijani clashes 2019 clash near Chinari July 2020 Armenian–Azerbaijani clashes Incidents Protests in Azerbaijan Reactions Second war (2020) Timeline Casualties International reactions Allegations of third-party involvement Madagiz offensive Aras Valley campaign Bombardments (Barda, Ganja, Ghazanchetsots Cathedral, Martuni, Stepanakert, Tartar) Battle of Hadrut Lachin offensive Battle of Shusha Russian Mil Mi-24 shootdown War crimes Treatment of Armenian POWs Post-ceasefire events Azerbaijan's construction in gained areas 2020–2021 Armenian protests Chaylaggala and Hin Tagher Border crisis September 2022 escalation Susuzluq Shusha Farukh 2022 Armenian protests Blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh 2023 Azerbaijani offensive Protests in Armenia Flight of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians Berkadzor fuel depot explosion Main locations Administrative divisions of the Republic of Artsakh Stepanakert Askeran Province Hadrut Province Kashatagh Province Martakert Province Martuni Province Shahumyan Province Shushi Province Armenian-occupied territories Aghdam District Fuzuli District Jabrayil District Kalbajar District Lachin District Lachin corridor Qubadli District Zangilan District Political leaders  Armenia Levon Ter-Petrosyan Robert Kocharyan Serzh Sargsyan Nikol Pashinyan  Republic of Artsakh Artur Mkrtchyan Robert Kocharyan Leonard Petrosyan Arkadi Ghukasyan Bako Sahakyan Arayik Harutyunyan Samvel Shahramanyan  Azerbaijan Ayaz Mutallibov Abulfaz Elchibey Heydar Aliyev Ilham Aliyev Azerbaijani Community of Nagorno-Karabakh Bayram Safarov Nizami Bahmanov Tural Ganjaliyev  Russia Mikhail Gorbachev Boris Yeltsin Vladimir Putin  Turkey Turgut Özal Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Military leaders  Armenia Vazgen Sargsyan Gurgen Dalibaltayan Norat Ter-Grigoryants Jirair Sefilian Tiran Khachatryan Seyran Ohanyan  Republic of Artsakh Samvel Babayan Kristapor Ivanyan Arkady Ter-Tadevosyan Monte Melkonian Jalal Harutyunyan Mikael Arzumanyan  Azerbaijan Isgandar Hamidov Rahim Gaziyev Surat Huseynov Valeh Barshadly Mais Barkhudarov Hikmat Mirzayev Hikmat Hasanov  Russia Viktor Polyanichko Pavel Grachev Rustam Muradov  Chechen Republic of Ichkeria Shamil Basayev  Afghanistan Gulbuddin Hekmatyar Peace process Baker rules Bishkek Protocol Tehran Communiqué Zheleznovodsk Communiqué OSCE Minsk Group Prague Process Madrid Principles 2020 ceasefire agreement 2020–2024 monitoring and peacekeeping Russia OSCE EU EUMCAP Oct–Dec 2022 EUPAT Dec 2022–Jan 2023 EUMA Feb 2023–present 2023 ceasefire agreement International documents Astrakhan Declaration Nagorno-Karabakh Declaration NATO Lisbon Summit Declaration OIC Resolution 10/11 OIC Resolution 10/37 PACE Resolution 1416 PACE Resolution 2085 UNGA Resolution 48/114 UNGA Resolution 60/285 UNGA Resolution 62/243 UNSC resolutions 822 853 874 884

v t e Administrative divisions of Artsakh
Capital city	Stepanakert
Provinces	Askeran Hadrut (nominal) Kashatagh (nominal) Martakert Martuni Shahumyan (nominal) Shushi
Provincial capitals	Askeran Hadrut (nominal) Berdzor (nominal) Martakert Martuni Karvachar (former) Shushi (nominal)
Other urban communities	Chartar Zoravan/Nerkin Chartar

• Geography

• Capitals in Asia
• Stepanakert
• Regions of the Republic of Artsakh
• Cities and towns in the Republic of Artsakh
• Populated places in the Republic of Artsakh
• Nagorno-Karabakh
• Districts of Azerbaijan
• Elisabethpol Governorate