Monitoring Alerts > Wildfires in Artsakh and the threat posed to immovable monuments

Wildfires in Artsakh and the threat posed to immovable monuments

In recent days, several individuals and media outlets concerned about Artsakh’s cultural heritage have been raising the alarm about the wildfires that have been burning across the territory of the Republic of Artsakh for over a week and their consequences. On 29 June, the Ministry of Culture of Artsakh posted on its Facebook page a warning that around 100 monuments located within the fire zone were endangered.

Fig. 1 The Artsakh Ministry of Culture’s alert.

At present, there are only a few fragmentary reports from Azerbaijani sources and the online map of the system firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov providing information about the fires.

Fig. 2 Fires in the territory of the Republic of Artsakh during the past month, from the system firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov.

The wildfires affecting the eastern parts of the Republic of Artsakh pose a major threat to the entire cultural heritage of these regions. Although summer fires are typical in these steppe areas, in the years of independence such fires were extinguished much more quickly.

Fig. 3 Monuments monitored by the MonumentWatch initiative and the July fires.

Fires often broke out near the Tigranakert archaeological site; nonetheless, according to data from the past month on firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov, none of them has covered the area of Tigranakert.

Fig. 4 The fires of the past month and the Tigranakert archaeological site, from the system firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov.

By contrast, various fire outbreaks are recorded in and around the grounds of the Amaras Monastery. As with other monuments, there is still no information about damage to the monastery.

Fig. 5 The past month’s fires and Amaras, from the system firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov.

Fortunately, according to the same system, most of the fires have now been extinguished. At the moment only a few small hotspots remain in the area of the village of Talish in the Martakert district.

Fig. 6 The wildfire situation in the Republic of Artsakh and the village of Talish, photo from the firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov system.

There is currently no information on monuments damaged by the fires.