Georgia Armenia Azerbaijan 4
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©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd N a g o r n o - K a r a b a k h POPULATION: 150,000 | %0479 | AREA 10,700 SQ KM Why Go? Stepanakert..................270 Nagorno-Karabakh is an enigma wrapped up inside the Shushi........................... 273 South Caucasus. It is a self-declared republic recognised by Azok Cave .....................275 no one. It is Armenian culture on land claimed by Azerbai- Tigranakert ................... 275 jan. Even the name is something of a mystery, being made up from words of three diff erent languages: nagorno means Agdam .......................... 275 mountainous in Russian, kara means black in Turkish and Gandzasar Monastery.. 276 bakh means garden in Persian. To confuse things further, Kelbajar ........................ 276 the locals refer to their region as Artsakh. Understand Nagorno- While there exist many questions about Nagorno-Kara- Karabakh ...................... 277 bakh and its political status, the beauty and cultural rich- Directory A–Z ............... 278 ness of this remote mountain landscape are undeniable. The Karabakh War left deep psychological and physical scars on the people and their landscape but the Karabakhtis are B e s t H i s t o r i c moving on, rebuilding their land stone by stone. Travel here is still an adventure, involving special permits and military- Sites occupied no-go zones, but rapidly improving infrastructure » Tigranakert (p 275 ) means better hotels, restaurants and facilities in the main tourist areas. Karabakhti hospitality makes wading through » Dadivank (p 276 ) the challenges a joy, even in diffi cult times. » Shushi (p 273 ) » Gandzasar (p 276 ) When to Go Best Places to Nagorno-Karabakh is just one mountain range over from Stay Syunik province in Armenia, so you can expect similar weather to what you’ll experience in Goris. An excellent » Saro B&B (p 274 ) time to visit is the 9 May Victory Day, which also marks the » Park Hotel (p 271 ) Day of Liberation in Shushi. You’ll see lots of military hard- » Hotel Armenia (p 271 ) ware paraded on the streets and an evening concert. Book » Eclectic Hotel (p 276 ) accommodation ahead of time as rooms are in short supply. Summer and early autumn (June to September) are the best times for hiking. Spring (March to mid-May) is often wet and foggy. 270 0 30 km 0 20 miles S t e p a n a k e r t % 0479 / POP 55,000 Shahumian Stepanakert, Karabakh’s capital, stands (Agcak÷nd) above the Karkar River, surrounded by a B÷rd÷ Mataghis typical landscape of forest, pasture and Chaylu fi elds backed by craggy mountains. The city M R A MtV MravR A N G E River (3340m) Tartar (Çayl‰) is not much diff erent from a typical Arme- Mt Jraberd AZERBAIJAN nian town, though it does have a bit more Gyamish Martakert (3724m) Sarsang vibrancy. There are lively local arts and Dadivank Reservoir Vankasar music scenes, modern shopping malls are Monastery Vaghuhas Nor Maragha popping up and cafés and restaurants, some Gandzasar Monastery Tigranakert surprisingly sleek, are often busy. A lot of re- Vank Ghshlagh construction has occurred since the end of Agdam Kolatak Mayraberd the war and it’s hard to believe that it was Dtretsik Airport Mayraberd under siege not long ago. A military pres- (Askeran) ence is still evident but this doesn’t impede Ayegestan Khnatsakh your movements around the city. Stepanakert Martuni arkar Nngi Shushi („uƒa) K Sights Laçin Skhtorashen Amaras 1 (Berdzor) Tsitsernavank Karmir Shuka F Artsakh State Museum MUSEUM Azokh NAGORNO-KARABAKH Fizuli Aghavno Cave (4 David Sasuntsi Poghots; h9am-5pm Tue-Sun) A R (Varanda) Mt Kirs Rich in local artefacts, this contains partic- R T Gtchavank (2725m) A S ularly interesting displays on the Karabakh N G A Hadrut Goris K War, including homemade weapons used in 1994 Ceasefire E H the crushing early days of the fi ghting. Line A R M E N I C÷bray‰l F Museum of Fallen Soldiers MUSEUM (btwn N Stepanyan & Vazgen Sarksyan Poghots; Nagorno-Karabakh h9am-6pm Mon-Sat) This stunning museum honours those men who died in battle dur- STEPANAKERT STEPANAKERT Highlights ing the 199094 war with Azerbaijan. The 1 Visit the Gandzasar Monastery walls are lined with photographs of soldiers (p 276 ): excellent Armenian architecture killed in action and there are displays of with rich friezes and magnifi cent detail. weaponry and other memorabilia. The en- 2 Wander around the lovely hilltop trance to the museum is in the back of a town of Shushi (p 273 ), Karabakh’s white building that stands on Vazgen Sark- cultural capital with revitalised museums, syan Poghots. The door is slightly hidden churches and historic sites. by trees but the cannons and other military 3 Explore the ancient remains of hardware outside act as a landmark. On the Tigranakert (p 275 ) one of the four cities north side of the same courtyard (behind a built by Tigran the Great, now home to an pink building) is the Museum of Missing excellent new museum. Soldiers (admission free; h9am-6pm Mon-Sat), 4 Eat, drink and be merry in which is similar to the Fallen Soldiers mu- Stepanakert (p 270 ), home to a seum, but just one room instead of three. surprisingly good choice of hotels, restaurants and bars. Amusement Park AMUSEMENT PARK 5 Wind your way through Karabakh’s (hMay-Sep) For something a little more light- rugged landscape to reach little-visited hearted, this has rides and live music on warm Dadivank Monastery (p 276 ), an overgrown summer nights. masterpiece on the edge of Kelbajar. Papik Tatik MONUMENT 6 Travel south of Stepanakert to explore On the outskirts of the town towards Mayra- the remarkable Azokh Cave (p 275 ), with berd (Askeran) is the tuff statue of a bearded tunnels and six chambers. elder and a woman with a veil. It is named 7 Contemplate the tragedy of Agdam ‘We are our mountains’, their stony gaze em- (p 275 ), a city ravaged by the Karabakh bodying the indomitable local spirit. 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