“Dialog” NGO: Response to the Book “Artsakh’s Cultural Heritage Under Attack”
The book "Artsakh’s Cultural Heritage Under Attack", published in Yerevan in 2022 and edited by Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor, Head of the Chair of Cultural Studies at Yerevan State University, Hamlet Petrosyan, and YSU Cultural Studies Department Assistant, Haykuhi Muradyan, is a fundamental study that reveals the scale of the destruction and appropriation of Armenian cultural heritage in the territories of Artsakh that have come under Azerbaijani control. In 2022–2023, Artsakh lived through yet another tragic chapter in its history: renewed military operations by Azerbaijan, thousands of casualties, blockade, and the complete, forced, and tragic exodus of the Armenian population.
Let us recall that the "DIALOG" NGO signed a cooperation agreement with MONUMENT WATCH (an independent scientific platform headed by Hamlet Petrosyan) to jointly monitor the condition of Artsakh's cultural heritage, provide scholarly descriptions, and disseminate the results of these studies.
Drawing on facts, photographs, archival and contemporary data, the authors of "Artsakh's Cultural Heritage in the Crosshairs" document a long-standing, targeted policy aimed at erasing the Armenian historical and cultural presence in the region. Referring to archaeological, architectural, and epigraphic sources, the study details how the historically established Armenian presence in Artsakh is systematically weakened—both in its physical and symbolic dimensions.
Particular attention is paid to the methodology of "Albanisation" that is widespread in contemporary Azerbaijani historiography. For decades, Azerbaijan has attempted to present Armenian churches, khachkars, cemeteries, and inscriptions as "Albanian" and, later, as "Azerbaijani," based on the idea of supposed historical succession. This approach, encouraged in the late Soviet period, has become the basis of Azerbaijan's present-day cultural policy towards Artsakh's historical heritage, where the Armenian presence is documented from ancient times.
The authors begin the book with a historical and cultural overview describing Artsakh and Utik as inseparable regions of Greater Armenia, inhabited by Armenians at least since the 6th century BCE. They examine the continuity of Armenian statehood, ecclesiastical and cultural life up to the 19th century, when, after incorporation into the Russian Empire and the dissolution of the Church of Albania, the latter's dioceses were finally united with the Armenian Apostolic Church.
The cultural identity of the Armenians of Artsakh was consolidated through the creation and development of Christian monuments—monasteries, churches, khachkars, tombs, rock inscriptions, and manuscripts. The monuments discovered in the region—such as Amaras, Dadivank, Gandzasar, Tsitsernavank, Khadar Monastery, and others—clearly testify to the age-old presence of Armenian Christian culture in this territory.
In this context, it is imperative to mention the Armenian melikdoms of Karabakh, also known as the Five Melikdoms of Khamsa—five Armenian principalities that existed in the territory of Mountainous Karabakh from the early 17th century to the mid-18th century. These were the melikdoms of Gulistan, Jraberd, Varanda, Khachen, and Dizak, which were vivid expressions of Armenian feudal autonomy, culture, and the region's political tradition.
The period of the melikdoms became an era of flourishing for Armenian architecture, spiritual culture, and the idea of national unity—at a time when no state called "Azerbaijan" existed in the neighboring area at all. The modern Republic of Azerbaijan is a 20th-century geopolitical formation, shaped mainly within the framework of Soviet policy and ideology.
Processes of appropriation, renaming, destruction, and the ideological distortion of facts became an even more intensive part of Azerbaijani policy, especially after the end of the 44-day war in 2020.
The evidence gathered by the authors on the mass destruction of Armenian monuments is terrifying in scale. Churches, tombstones, khachkars, monasteries, museums, as well as memorials dedicated to the victims of the Armenian Genocide, the Great Patriotic War, and the Artsakh wars have been destroyed. For example, in Shushi, the monument dedicated to the victims of the Armenian Genocide, built after the First Artsakh War and also dedicated to the victims of the Great Patriotic War, has been destroyed. In the village of Azokh in the Hadrut region, the monuments dedicated to the victims of the Armenian Genocide and the heroes of the Great Patriotic War have also been demolished, as well as the memorial to freedom-fighters in Hadrut town. In Vorotan (Kubatly), the khachkar erected in honor of the heroes of the First Artsakh War has been destroyed. The bust of Marshal of Aviation of the Soviet Union Armenak Khanperyants in the village of Mets Tagher has likewise been dismantled. The historical cemeteries in Shushi, Mets Tagher, and Sghnakh have been razed to the ground, as documented by satellite images. The memorial to Twice Hero of the Soviet Union Nelson Stepanyan in Shushi has been desecrated and subsequently destroyed. Acts of vandalism against the monument were filmed and widely circulated on the Internet.
The Kataro Church in the village of Tog has been turned into a military hideout by Azerbaijani service members. The military use and destruction of religious structures continues the policy of cultural seizure. It must be remembered that the Great Patriotic War is a shared history of the peoples of the Soviet Union, and such acts against monuments dedicated to its heroes undermine the very idea of historical unity.
The authors of the book provide a detailed analysis of the methods of appropriation—from the manipulative use of notions like "common roots" to the construction of a so-called "Albanian identity" as an "intermediate link," mentioned earlier. This method has enabled dispossession to be presented as a scholarly debate rather than a political responsibility. Nevertheless, the facts show that such actions are systematic and centrally driven to destroy Armenian churches, inscriptions, and khachkars and to transform and rename historical and cultural sites.
The book places special emphasis on Azerbaijan's violations of its international obligations. The authors refer to the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and its Protocols, which clearly prohibit acts of vandalism, destruction, looting, and appropriation directed against cultural objects, as well as their use for military purposes.
Despite the lack of international recognition and the blockade, the Republic of Artsakh, for decades after the end of the First Liberation War (1991–1994), consistently worked to preserve and restore monuments, renovate monasteries, build new churches, and develop museums and educational institutions. Relevant laws were enacted, state cultural programs were established, and archaeological expeditions were conducted. One of the most significant events was the discovery of the Armenian city of Tigranakert—the only ancient Armenian city located outside the Republic of Armenia's present borders. This discovery became an undeniable material proof of the ancient presence of the Armenian people in the region.
A key part of the book is devoted to the barbaric destruction of Armenian cultural heritage during the 44-day war in 2020 and the subsequent period. The authors document the targeting of cultural sites—the destruction of the Holy Savior Ghazanchetsots Cathedral in Shushi, the bombing of museums, churches, and archaeological bases. After the trilateral statement of November 9, 2020, dozens of cultural sites came under Azerbaijani control, including 12 museums with around 20,000 artefacts and more than 2,000 architectural monuments.
These territories immediately became the scene of acts of vandalism, documented in videos that are often circulated on the Internet by Azerbaijani users themselves. Among the destroyed monuments are the Kanach Zham Church, the Ghazanchetsots Cathedral, numerous cemeteries, khachkars, and tombstones. Some videos show scenes of desecration of sacred sites, the destruction of Armenian inscriptions, the removal of crosses, the demolition of architectural elements, acts of vandalism in museums, and even the conversion of churches into utility or economic buildings.
These violations occurred in a context where Artsakh, as an unrecognized state, could not entirely rely on international legal protection mechanisms and, tragically, in our own time has ceased to exist… Nevertheless, the destruction of monuments continues to be viewed as an act of cultural genocide, condemned worldwide by numerous international organizations, scholars, and cultural figures.
Despite repeated appeals by the Ministries of Armenia and Artsakh to UNESCO, ICOMOS, WMF, ICCROM, "Blue Shield," and other bodies, the international response has been limited to expressions of concern, without any concrete action. A vivid example is the case of the Holy Savior Ghazanchetsots Cathedral in Shushi, which Azerbaijan shelled during the war. Although UNESCO declared its readiness to send a mission to assess the situation, Azerbaijan refused such cooperation. This passivity undermines the effectiveness of international mechanisms for protecting cultural heritage and underscores the need to reconsider their applicability in unrecognized but culturally significant regions.
Historians Hamlet Petrosyan and Haykuhi Muradyan stress that the destruction of culture is not an accidental by-product of war, but a deliberate strategy aimed at erasing memory, identity, and the future of the people of Artsakh (the Armenian people). Cultural genocide is no less dangerous than physical annihilation, as its goal is to erase a nation's existence from history altogether. Therefore, the protection of Artsakh's cultural heritage must be regarded as a moral and legal obligation of the international community. At the same time, the authors emphasize that confronting this policy requires a coordinated, resource-based, and professional strategy on the part of Armenia and Artsakh.
"Artsakh's Cultural Heritage in the Crosshairs" is a scholarly and civic response to the actions of the Azerbaijani side, covering the period from the early 20th century to the present day. It places before the reader the issues of rights, memory, and historical justice. This is not just an academic study, but a testimonial act against crimes committed against culture, a documentary record, and a call for international justice.