The Black Garden Of Europe

The republic of Nagorno-Karabakh does not appear on all maps. And for a reason: the region is the subject of an unresolved dispute between Azerbaijan, in which the republic officialy lies, and its ethnic Armenian majority, backed by adjacent Armenia. The three countries found in south Caucasus (Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan) have always had complex and feudal relationships.

After the fall of the Soviet Union towards the end of the 1980s the situation became even more complex and intricate. The Nagorno-Karabakh Republic is one of the illustrations of such difficult relationship. To demonstrate the multi-ethnicities and melting pot of the region its name “Nagorno-Karabakh” is made up from words of three different languages: Nagorno means mountainous in Russian, Kara means black in Turkish and Bakh means garden in Persian. But locals refer to their region as Artsakh.

A landlocked territory, the republic forms an enclave and is only accessible by a road corridor from Armenia. With a similar status to the countries of Abkhazia, Transnistria and South Ossetia the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic is not recognized by the international community. With no official borders, skirmishes between Armenian and Azeri soldiers still do occur. With the trauma of a bloody war still in the minds the inhabitants of the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh are rebuilding their country little by little. With a head in the west and a heart in the East the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh remains a mystery. With ongoing diplomatic efforts from all sides, visiting the republic of Nagorno-Karabakh is visiting place that might exist one day.

Armenia. The road leading to the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic is one of the silk routes. These are the very same roads used thousands of years ago by Silk Road merchants who left behind them a very rich cultural heritage still found in Armenia to date.

Shoushi, Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh. Two Armenian men are lighting a candle at the Ghazanchetsots Cathedral. The majority of the Armenian population in the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic is Christian and belongs to the Armenian Apostolic Church, an Oriental Orthodox Church.

Nagorno-Karabakh means “the mountainous Black Garden” in a mix of in Russian, Turkish and Persian. Most of its territory is located on a plateau standing over 1000m above sea level. The republic is only accessible by a road corridor from Armenia.

Soviet memorabilia can be seen in the village of Goris, the main entry point into the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh.

A man on horseback is bringing back his herd of cows near the village of Vank, Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Askeran, Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. Memorial near the Askeran fortress to the fallen soldiers of the Nagorno-Karabakh War (February 1988 to May 1994), in which between 20,000 and 30,000 people are estimated to have lost their lives.

Geghard monastery, Armenia. A man is bringing a chicken to be blessed during a ceremony at the one of most ancient monastery in the world.

Ruins in Ağdam, Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. The town is a ghost town located officially in the south-western part of Azerbaijan. The city once had a population of over 150,000 people before the war who destroyed most of it.

A gravestone for a Karabakh fighter killed in 1992 during the Nagorno-Karabakh War, in the St John the Baptist monastery’s graveyard, Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.

Azeri mosq in Ağdam, Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. Ağdam is dubbed the “Hiroshima of the Caucasus” because of its appearance as a ghost town.

A man and his grand-son on their way to morning prayers. The birth encouragement program started in 2008 in an effort to repopulate the region after the disastrous Nagorno-Karabakh war is credited to have directly contributed to an increased birth rate of 25%.

Inside of one of the last structurally intact building in Ağdam is a mosque, which is today used as an Armenian cattle stable. The area is currently being used as a buffer zone between NKR and Azeri force.

The restored Ghazanchetsots Cathedral, in the medieval town of Shoushi, Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh. Once the theatre of fierce combat between Azeris and Armenians the cathedral is now a symbol of Karabakh resistance and a pride for the inhabitants of the Republic.

A wall made of Azeri car plates from people that fled the country during the war can be seen in the eccentric village of Vank, Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh.

A statue of an eagle, the emblem of the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh, seen in the eccentric village of Vank. The Russian Millionaire Levon Hayrapetyan took on the mission to invest in the town of this birthplace. The result is an eclectic and curious mix with dubious taste.

Persian, Arab and Ottoman traders who passed through the country throughout the centuries left their indelible mark on the Armenian folklore and culture.

Tatik u Papik" (Grandma and Grandpa), also known as “We are the mountains” in Stepanakert, capital of the de-facto Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh. The monument representing the mountain people of Karabakh is integrally part of the life in the republic and is said to bring luck to visitor.

Geghard monastery, Armenia. Most of the Armenian population adheres to the Catholic Christianity. Armenia was the first country to officially adopt Christianity in the 301AD. Most of churches and monasteries are very ancient like the monastery of Geghard, thought to have been built in the 4th century. Part of the monastery has been carved into the rocks.

Geghard monastery, Armenia. Ribbons are tied to a tree as a prayer.

Mass is on-going at the Geghard monastery, Armenia. The majority of the Armenian is Christian and belongs to the Armenian Apostolic Church.

People are throwing stones to a rock as a tradition at the Geghard monastery, an UNESCO World Heritage Site, Armeni.

A cow looks confused in front of a monument near the village of Vank, Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh

A Karabakh border soldier takes a moment to pose for a photograph with a friend.

A war memorial as an Armenian tank in Nagorno-Karabakh aimed in defiance at the Azeri forces.

A female choir is having a post-mass discussion with a priest at the monastery of Geghard, Armenia.