Nagorno-Karabakh
Soldier Maxim (age 20 - C) and his comrades patrol the border area with Azerbaijan - 300 m from the Azeri security point - in the Martakert military base situated on the Northeast borderline with Azerbaijan. The Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Defense Army is the formal defense force of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and was founded on May 9, 1992. The army is currently composed of around 20,000 officers and soldiers and its primary role is the protection of the NKR from foreign and domestic threats. Violations of the cease fire along the frontier are frequent and often result in the deaths of several soldiers and civilians each year. One of the most dangerous spots on the borderline with Azerbaijan is Martakert. In Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia the military service is compulsory for two years for the citizens at age of 18-27. Many of the Armenian soldiers are deployed in military units close to the border with Azerbaijan. Armenia officially declared itself as a guarantee of security of Nagorno Karabakh, but it doesn’t officially recognize the independence of Nagorno Karabakh. This makes military service a sensitive issue for both Karabakh's ethnic and Armenian population. Martakert, Nagorno-Karabakh, 20 September 2008.
Nagorno-Karabakh
A group of workers rests during the lunch break inside a ruined building in the city of Shushi. Before the Nagorno-Karabakh War the city was the main cultural center of Karabakh, also known as “Paris of the Caucasus”. With more than three quarters of the buildings being destroyed during the war, the city has begun the reconstruction of historical buildings with a special architectural and historical value. Shushi, Nagorno-Karabakh, 18 September 2008.
Nagorno-Karabakh
A staircase leads to a secondary altar in the Cathedral of St. Hovhannes Mkrtich, part of Gandzasar monastery, a X-XIIIth century Armenian monastery situated in the Martakert region, Nagorno-Karabakh. "Gandzasar" means treasure mountain or hilltop treasure in Armenian. The monastery holds relics believed to belong to St. John the Baptist and St Zechariah, father of John the Baptist. Most important structure of the Gandzasar monastery is the Cathedral of St. Hovhannes Mkrtich, built between 1216 and 1238. Gandzasar is considered one of five the most important examples of Armenian monumental art which belong to the world’s architectural masterpieces. Martakert, Nagorno-Karabakh, 20 September 2008.
Nagorno-Karabakh
The interior of Gandzasar monastery, a X-XIIIth century Armenian monastery situated in the Martakert region, Nagorno-Karabakh. "Gandzasar" means treasure mountain or hilltop treasure in Armenian. The monastery holds relics believed to belong to St. John the Baptist and St Zechariah, father of John the Baptist. Most important structure of the Gandzasar monastery is the Cathedral of St. Hovhannes Mkrtich, built between 1216 and 1238. Gandzasar is considered one of five the most important examples of Armenian monumental art which belong to the world’s architectural masterpieces. Martakert, Nagorno-Karabakh, 20 September 2008.
Nagorno-Karabakh
The main altar of the Cathedral of St. Hovhannes Mkrtich, part of Gandzasar monastery, a X-XIIIth century Armenian monastery situated in the Martakert region, Nagorno-Karabakh. "Gandzasar" means treasure mountain or hilltop treasure in Armenian. The monastery holds relics believed to belong to St. John the Baptist and St Zechariah, father of John the Baptist. Most important structure of the Gandzasar monastery is the Cathedral of St. Hovhannes Mkrtich, built between 1216 and 1238. Gandzasar is considered one of five the most important examples of Armenian monumental art which belong to the world’s architectural masterpieces. Martakert, Nagorno-Karabakh, 20 September 2008.
Nagorno-Karabakh
Gandzasar monastery is a X-XIIIth century Armenian monastery situated in the Martakert region, Nagorno-Karabakh. "Gandzasar" means treasure mountain or hilltop treasure in Armenian. The monastery holds relics believed to belong to St. John the Baptist and St Zechariah, father of John the Baptist. Most important structure of the Gandzasar monastery is the Cathedral of St. Hovhannes Mkrtich, built between 1216 and 1238. Gandzasar is considered one of five the most important examples of Armenian monumental art which belong to the world’s architectural masterpieces. Martakert, Nagorno-Karabakh, 20 September 2008.
Nagorno-Karabakh
Decorations are seen on the exterior walls of the Cathedral of St. Hovhannes Mkrtich, part of Gandzasar monastery, a X-XIIIth century Armenian monastery situated in the Martakert region, Nagorno-Karabakh. "Gandzasar" means treasure mountain or hilltop treasure in Armenian. The monastery holds relics believed to belong to St. John the Baptist and St Zechariah, father of John the Baptist. Most important structure of the Gandzasar monastery is the Cathedral of St. Hovhannes Mkrtich, built between 1216 and 1238. Gandzasar is considered one of five the most important examples of Armenian monumental art which belong to the world’s architectural masterpieces. Martakert, Nagorno-Karabakh, 20 September 2008.
Nagorno-Karabakh
Decorations are seen on the exterior walls of the Cathedral of St. Hovhannes Mkrtich, part of Gandzasar monastery, a X-XIIIth century Armenian monastery situated in the Martakert region, Nagorno-Karabakh. "Gandzasar" means treasure mountain or hilltop treasure in Armenian. The monastery holds relics believed to belong to St. John the Baptist and St Zechariah, father of John the Baptist. Most important structure of the Gandzasar monastery is the Cathedral of St. Hovhannes Mkrtich, built between 1216 and 1238. Gandzasar is considered one of five the most important examples of Armenian monumental art which belong to the world’s architectural masterpieces. Martakert, Nagorno-Karabakh, 20 September 2008.
Nagorno-Karabakh
A woman helps her son to walk up the stairs in front of a secondary door of the Cathedral of St. Hovhannes Mkrtich, part of Gandzasar monastery, a X-XIIIth century Armenian monastery situated in the Martakert region, Nagorno-Karabakh. "Gandzasar" means treasure mountain or hilltop treasure in Armenian. The monastery holds relics believed to belong to St. John the Baptist and St Zechariah, father of John the Baptist. Most important structure of the Gandzasar monastery is the Cathedral of St. Hovhannes Mkrtich, built between 1216 and 1238. Gandzasar is considered one of five the most important examples of Armenian monumental art which belong to the world’s architectural masterpieces. Martakert, Nagorno-Karabakh, 20 September 2008.
Nagorno-Karabakh
Tigranakert castle-museum near to the city of Tigranakert, built by Armenian King Tigran the Great (Ist century), dating back to the Hellenistic period. According to historians there were 5 major cities built by Tigran the Great at various strategic positions throughout the Armenian Empire. Each of these cities was named after the king - Tigranakert. This one, named Tigranakert of Artsakh, occupies an area of about 50 hectares and is located in the province of Martakert in the Nagorno-Karabakh, four kilometers South of the Khachenaget River. Excavations at Tigranakert began in March 2005, when it was first discovered, and are currently ongoing. Aghdam region, Nagorno-Karabakh, 19 September 2008.