Abrakunis – From the history of the Armenian city

We highlight yet another example of cultural heritage devastated by Azerbaijani actions. Gaze upon the historic Surb Karapet Monastery, nestled in Abrakunis, a city in the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic. These images date back to the 1980s.

Abrakunis, an Armenian city teeming with life and prosperity, met its cruel fate in 1604 at the hands of Shah Abbas, leading to the mass deportation of its citizens to Iran.

Remarkably, the Surb Karapet Monastery, a 14th-century marvel, stood defiantly for four centuries following the downfall of Abrakunis, persisting through tumultuous times until the collapse of the Soviet Union.

However, the monastery met its demise in the mid-1990s, not by the passage of time, but due to deliberate destruction by the Azerbaijani authorities.

Today, the remnants of this revered monastery are replaced by a modest Turkic community bearing a Turkic name. The sacred terrain, once graced by the presence of the monastery, now echoes the emptiness of a barren field.

Vigen Avetisyan