Mehmana (Armenian: Մեհմանա, Greek: Μεχμανά) is a village located in the Kalbajar District of Azerbaijan, in the 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]
Mehmana
Մէհմանա Μεχμανά | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Mehmana  Mehmana | |
| Coordinates: 40°09′10″N 46°40′09″E / 40.15278°N 46.66917°E | |
| Country |  Azerbaijan |
| • District | Kalbajar |
| Population (2015)[1] | |
| • Total | 26 |
| Time zone | UTC+4 (AZT) |
History
Metal ore has historically been mined in the area of the village, including silver and lead. From the beginning of the 19th century, Pontic Greeks from present-day Turkey settled in Mehmana, with many coming to mine the ore found in the area.[4]
During the Soviet period, the village was part of the Mardakert District of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast. During the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, the village was captured by Azerbaijani forces during the Mardakert and Martuni Offensives, and was almost completely destroyed, with the population fleeing and many moving to Greece. After the war, Artsakh rebuilt six houses in the village.[4] As of 2010, only one Greek resident remains in Mehmana.[5]
Historical heritage sites
Historical heritage sites in and around the village include tombs from the 2nd–1st millennia BCE, a 12th/13th-century cemetery, the church of Surb Astvatsatsin (Armenian: Սուրբ Աստվածածին, lit. 'Holy Mother of God') built in 1228, the Panaya Church (Armenian: Պանայա Եկեղեցի) built in 1249, and a 13th-century khachkar.[1]
Economy and culture
The population is mainly engaged in agriculture and animal husbandry. As of 2015, the village has a municipal building, and an aid station.[1]
Demographics
The village had 27 inhabitants in 2005,[6] and 26 inhabitants in 2015.[1]
Gallery
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Sign reading "Mehmana" in Armenian -
Cemetery -
Mehmana school
References
- ^ a b c d Hakob Ghahramanyan. "Directory of socio-economic characteristics of NKR administrative-territorial units (2015)".
- ^ Андрей Зубов. "Андрей Зубов. Карабах: Мир и Война". drugoivzgliad.com.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b "Селу Мехмана – триста лет | Статьи | Главная | Научно-культурологический журнал".
- ^ ""Հունաբնակ" գյուղի միակ հույնը". Azatutyun. 2010-07-10.
- ^ "The Results of the 2005 Census of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic" (PDF). National Statistic Service of the Republic of Artsakh.
External links
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