The city

Tigranakert of Artsakh is located in the Askeran region of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), in the inner valley of the second largest river of the highlands, Khachenaget. It extends over the southwestern inner slope of Mount Vankasar and into the adjacent dale, near the Royal Springs (Shahbulagh), covering an area of more than 70 hectares (Fig. 1). The city was founded by the Armenian king Tigranes II the Great (95-55 BC) in the late 90s BC. The traces of the city were discovered in 2005, and archaeological excavations were carried out in its territory until 2020 by the Artsakh expedition of the Institute of Archeology and Ethnography of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia. Tigranakert of Artsakh is the only one of the many settlements named after Tigranes where the location has been precisely determined and archaeological research has been conducted. Based on the abundant archaeological findings, the city’s museum was established in 2010. Tigranakert is widely recognized as the foremost archaeological monument in Artsakh, esteemed by both scientific circles and the public. 

As a result of the 44-day war of 2020, Tigranakert came under the control of Azerbaijan.