NKR Cultural Heritage Ombudsman: About 30 museums in occupied Artsakh  in danger

ArmInfo.  About 30 state and private museums and collections in Artsakh, with their unique archaeological, historical, ethnographic, and artistic exhibits, are in danger of disappearing. Artsakh Cultural Heritage Ombudsman and Vice President of the Azgayin Historical and Cultural NGO, Hovik Avanesov, announced this on his Facebook page, noting that May 18 marks International Museum Day.

However, as Avanesov noted, despite the significance of global initiatives, cultural heritage in many regions remains under serious threat, particularly when it becomes the target of occupation  policies, the rewriting of history, and the deliberate destruction of  cultural identity. 

In this regard, he recalled that in occupied Artsakh, as a result of  Azerbaijani state policy, all cultural heritage is under a real and  constant threat of complete destruction, distortion, and  appropriation. These processes, he stated, threaten the irreplaceable  values of not only Armenian but also global cultural heritage.

As the NKR Cultural Heritage Ombudsman noted in this regard,  Artsakh's museums and cultural institutions were not only centers for  preserving memory but also key pillars of scientific research and the  preservation of cultural identity. "Following the events of 2023,  approximately 30 state and private museums and collections in  Artsakh, with their unique archaeological, historical, ethnographic,  and artistic exhibits, have been deprived of their normal operations,  and their collections are at high risk of complete destruction,  dismantling, falsification, and deliberate appropriation. Artsakh's  cultural heritage, which is of not only national but also universal  value, is subject to a systematic policy aimed at distorting  historical memory," the Cultural Heritage Ombudsman noted.

Avanesov emphasized that this situation requires more consistent and  targeted attention from the international community as an urgent  issue of cultural heritage protection. In these circumstances, the  Ombudsman noted, International Museum Day should be viewed not only  as a symbolic holiday but also as a day of responsibility for the  international community to promote actions to protect cultural  heritage, raise awareness of threats, and prevent them.

Since the occupation of Artsakh, Azerbaijan has completely destroyed  or significantly damaged the following cultural and religious sites.  The Kanach Zham (Surb Hovhannes Mkrtich) Church in Shushi was  completely destroyed in April 2024. The Ghazanchetsots Cemetery in  Shushi was completely destroyed.  The village of Karintak was  completely bulldozed. Monuments and busts in Stepanakert, including  those of Charles Aznavour, Hovhannes Aivazovsky, Hovhannes Tumanyan,  and Marshal Baghramyan, were dismantled. The Marshal Khudyakov Museum  in the village of Mets Tager was destroyed.

Today, approximately 4,000 Armenian cultural sites remain under  Azerbaijani control, including more than 370 churches and 119 ancient  fortresses.