Hilis

Hilis or Garakotuk is a village in the Khojaly District of Azerbaijan, in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Until 2023 it was controlled by the breakaway Republic of Artsakh. The village had an ethnic Armenian-majority population until the expulsion of the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh by Azerbaijan following the 2023 Azerbaijani offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh.

History

During the Soviet period, the village was a part of the Askeran District of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast.
Hilis was a part of the Republic of Artsakh until its dissolution on 2024.

Historical heritage sites

Historical heritage sites in and around the village include a village and cemetery from between the 16th and 18th centuries, St. John's Church built in 1860, and a 19th-century spring monument.

Economy and culture

The population is mainly engaged in agriculture and animal husbandry. As of 2015, the village has a municipal building, a house of culture, the Hilis branch of the Khndzristan Secondary School, and a medical centre.

Demographics

The village had 172 inhabitants in 2005, and 180 inhabitants in 2015.