Lachin
| Population: | 65.542[citation needed] |
| Area (sq. km.): | 1.883 |
| Majority people | |
| Majority speaking | |
| Religion | |
| Capital: | Lachin |
| Number of villages | 125 |
| Number of towns | 2 |
Lachin (Azerbaijani: Laçın, Armenian: Լաչին, Kurdish: Laçîn) is a town in Azerbaijan, the center of the rayon of the same name. Since may 1992 this region has been under the control of Armenia and self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, where it is calledBerdzor (Armenian: Բերդձոր). The town and the surrounding region serve as part of a crucial for Armenialand corridor connecting the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic with Republic of Armenia.
Lachin Kurds
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The town was inhabited by nomadic Kurdish tribes in the 18th century. Eventually, this population became the majority in most parts of the region, particularly around Lachin. The town of Lachin on July 7, 1923, became the capital of Kurdistan Uyezd often known as Red Kurdistan. It was dissolved on April 8, 1929. According to what Bushkapin wrote, official statistics of 1931 showed that there were 3,322 Kurdish speakers in Lachin. These figures did not include those individuals who did not speak Kurdish but nonetheless defined themselves as Kurds.[1] Most of the Kurdish population in Lachin were Shi'a muslims. Most of the Kurdish population of Lachin was deported by the Soviet authorities, in late 1930s. Many Kurds still were able to remain in the town and there was a Kurdish minority in the area before the Nagorno-Karabakh war started. In 1992, the Lachin Kurdish Republic was declared in Armenia by a group led by Wekîl Mustafayev, but this attempt failed[citation needed]. Mustafayev took refuge in Italy.
Terrain
The town is scenically built on the side of a mountain. The Ahavni River runs by the town.
Nagorno-Karabakh war
Lachin town and the rayon surrounding the town was a scene of severe fighting during the 1990-1994 Nagorno-Karabakh war, this is why the town is still recovering from the destruct of a war. Lachin is the most important town under Armenian control because of the Lachin corridor which attaches Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh. The OSCE Minsk group co-chairs have noted that “Lachin has been treated as a separate case in previous negotiations.” This is because Lachin is Nagorno Karabakh’s humanitarian and security corridor. Without it, Nagorno-Karabakh would remain an isolated enclave. It is because of Lachin’s political and geographic reality and security dimension, that it is viewed differently in the negotiation process.[2] The Lachin corridor and the Kelbajar district have been at the center of Armenian demands during the Nagorno-Karabakh peace talks with Azerbaijan.[3]
Adminstartive divisions
There are 125 villages and city-type settlement in the Lachin district
Etnhic Groups
Religious
See also
External links
- Pictures of Lachin (Berdzor)
- Demographic Crisis in Lachin (Berdzor)
- More information about Lachin (Berdzor) from Armeniapedia.com
- "Lachin (Berdzor)". Azerb.com. Retrieved 2007-02-04.