History

The Askeran Museum of History and Local Lore was established in 1996.

By a decision of the Artsakh government, in January 2004, it was renamed and reorganised as the “Askeran Museum of History and Local Lore” (a state non-commercial organisation). By Government Decision No. 849 of December 1, 2008, it was dissolved, and an Askeran branch of the “Artsakh State Museum of History and Local Lore” (a state non-commercial organisation) was established.

The museum was housed in the Askeran Regional Administration building, at 14 N. Stepanyan Street.

Following the military aggression of September 19, 2023 and the forced displacement of Armenians, the city of Askeran—including the museum—came under Azerbaijani occupation.

Collection

The Askeran Museum of History and Local Lore comprised two halls. Its holdings included approximately 500 objects, of which only a small number were archaeological finds. The main displays consisted primarily of ethnographic objects relating to Armenian culture of the 19th–20th centuries, as well as materials associated with the Great Patriotic War (Figs. 1–3). Items entered the museum through both collection work and voluntary donations.

Work focused primarily on acquiring and organising materials reflecting the Great Patriotic War and the Artsakh liberation struggle. The museum also presented historical-geographical descriptions of villages in the Askeran region; materials on distinguished educators; personal files of prominent state and public figures; and local-history and ethnographic materials relating to the history of Artsakh.

The exhibition halls

The Askeran museum consisted of two sections.

In the first hall—the archaeology and ethnography section—local history and ethnographic exhibits were displayed, along with photographs of Artsakh’s historical and architectural monuments and villages, books, pictures, and other materials on the history and culture of Askeran.

The second hall presented exhibits dedicated to the Great Patriotic War and to the Artsakh movement and war.

The condition after the war

During the 44-day war, the museum exhibition remained in place and sustained no damage. During the period of Artsakh’s blockade by Azerbaijan, the main objects of the permanent exhibition were packed into evacuation crates; however, following the Azerbaijani military attack of September 19, 2023 and the subsequent forced displacement of Artsakh Armenians, these crates were not evacuated and remained on site.

The current condition of the museum collections is unknown.

The museum and international legal regulations

As with any cultural property, the international legal framework for the protection of the museum and its collection is formed by the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and its two Protocols (1954 and 1999). Under Article 4 of the 1954 Hague Convention, any act of vandalism, theft, pillage, appropriation, hostility, or reprisals directed against cultural heritage is prohibited. Under the First Protocol to the 1954 Hague Convention, it is forbidden to destroy cultural or spiritual values in occupied territories. The Second Protocol of 1999 reaffirms this requirement and, under Article 15, classifies such conduct as an international crime. The destruction of cultural property is also prohibited under the four international conventions and protocols of 12 August 1949 (Geneva Conventions) concerning the protection of war victims and the laws and customs of war, as well as relevant UN resolutions and human rights protection treaties.