Karabakh

Karabakh ( _az. Qarabağ, _hy. Ղարաբաղ) is a geographic and historic region in western Azerbaijan and southern Armenia, extending from the highlands of the Lesser Caucasus down to the lowlands between the rivers Kura and Aras. It includes three regions: Nagorno-Karabakh, Lowland Karabakh (the southern Kura-steppes) and Syunik [Arakel Babakhanian, Collection of Works, volume 3, "History of Armena. Book 2". "Hayastan" publishing, Yerevan 1973, p. 9.] [Bagrat Ulubabyan, "Survival struggle of Artsakh", Yerevan 1993, p. 3. ISBN 5-8079-0869-4.] [Mirza Jamal Javanshir Karabagi. [http://zerrspiegel.orientphil.uni-halle.de/t1154.html The History of Karabakh] . Chapter 2: "About the borders, old cities, population aggregates and rivers of the Karabakh region".] , the latter is the part of this region that is located in Armenia.

The word "Karabakh" originates from Turkic and Persian, literally meaning "black garden". [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/country_profiles/3658938.stm BBC News — Regions and territories: Nagorno-Karabakh] ] The placename for the first time is mentioned in the Georgian chronicle of "Kartlis Tshovreba" (ქართლის ცხოვრება, i.e "Life of Georgians"), as well in Persian sources in the 13th and 14th centuries.Hy icon Soviet Armenian Encyclopedia, "The Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast", Vol. 7, Yerevan 1981. p. 26] Before the 1230's, when the region was conquered by the Mongols and became known as Karabakh, it was known as Artsakh and Utik, two historic regions of Armenia and Caucasian Albania. [Great Soviet Encyclopedia, "NKAO, Historial Survey", 3rd edition, translated into English, New York: Macmillan Inc., 1973]

In the 15th century the German traveler Johann Schiltberger toured the lowland part of Karabakh and described it as a large plain in Armenia. He wrote "although this plain lies in Armenia, nevertheless it belongs to the heathens, whom Armenian settlements are compelled to pay tribute. Armenians always treated me well...". [Johannes Schiltberger, Als Sklave im Osmanischen Reich und bei den Tataren: 1394—1427 (Stuttgart: Thienemann Press, 1983), p. 209.]

The highland part of the region became known as "Mountainous" or "Nagorno"-Karabakh ( _az. Dağlıq Qarabağ, _hy. Լեռնային Ղարաբաղ), and was for ages ruled by Armenian princely dinasties [Andrew Andersen, Atlas of Conflicts: Armenia and Karabakh. [http://www.conflicts.rem33.com/images/Armenia/ar_monturk.htm Armenian Lands (1236-1600)] ] . On a part of Nagorno-Karabakh an autonomous oblast was establishmed within the Azerbaijan SSR in 1923 [Andrew Andersen, Atlas of Conflicts: Armenia and Karabakh. [http://www.conflicts.rem33.com/images/Armenia/kars.htm The Treaty of Kars] ] . This region declared its independence in 1991 as the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, which remains unrecognized worldwide. Portions of lowland Karabakh have been controlled by Armenian forces since the Nagorno-Karabakh War ended in 1994 [http://www.state.gov/p/eur/rls/or/13508.htm US State Department - 1993 UN Security Council Resolutions on Nagorno-Karabakh] ] .

The Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh and Syunik speak the Karabakh dialect [H. Petrosian, S. Galstian, T. Karagulian, "Linguistic dictionary". Armenian SSR Academy of Sciences, Language Institute named after H. Acharian, Yerevan 1975, p. 204. ] .

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