Cemetery near Vazgenashen / Hajisamly

This 14th-16th century cemetery is reported to contain carved cross stones (khachkars), including one inscribed in Armenian dating to the 14th century. Our initial report on damage to the site in June 2023 noted encroachment into the territory of the cemetery on the southern and northeastern edges. Since that time, a significant area of the cemetery has been damaged by continued earth moving activity along the eastern margin. A 2011 plan compiled by the unrecognized Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh shows the outline of the burial ground’s preservation zone. Most of the khachkars in this cemetery are embedded in the ground, so it is not possible from satellite imagery to determine how many have been destroyed.