The “Mrakats” Village Site

Historical Overview

The state register of immovable monuments of history and culture of Artsakh records forty heritage sites in Knatsakh; among these are the "Mrakats" village remains and its associated cemetery. Written sources on "Mrakats" are sparse. Sh. Mkrtchyan merely observes that, in the environs of Stepanakert, the old settlement of "Mrakats" and a cemetery marked by inscribed khachkars have survived (Mkrtchyan 1989, 152).

Architectural-compositional examination

The core complex is set within woodland atop a rocky spur that externally evokes a fortress (Fig. 1). It comprises a burial ground and a small chapel beneath the ruins of the original village settlement. Within the cemetery, primarily khachkars are preserved—many now half-buried beneath soil cover (Figs. 2–5). Although they bear no dated inscriptions, their sculptural ornament—interlace, rosettes, and knotwork—assigns them stylistically to the 9th–11th centuries.

The ruins of the chapel (approximately 4 × 2 m) are in the cemetery's centre; on its eastern wall, the altar slab remains in situ, though stripped of decorative carving. In the lower part of the cemetery, the ruins of a granary and an oil press have been preserved. (certificate of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport of the Republic of Artsakh).