Sardarashen, Nagorno-Karabakh
Sardarashen or Sardarkend 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
The modern village was founded in the 1760s. During the Soviet period, the village was part of the Askeran District of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast.
Historical heritage sites in and around the village include the cave of Chngl, the village of Norshen from between the 12th and 19th centuries, a 12th/13th-century khachkar, a cemetery from between the 17th and 19th centuries, the 18th-century St. George's Church, and a 19th/20th-century shrine.
The population is mainly engaged in agriculture and animal husbandry. As of 2015, the village has a municipal building, a house of culture, a secondary school, and a medical centre.
Demographics
The village has an ethnic Armenian-majority population. It had 181 inhabitants in 2005, and 137 inhabitants in 2015.