Vaghuhas

Vaghuhas (Armenian: Վաղուհաս) or Gozlu (Azerbaijani: Qozlu) is a village located in the Aghdara 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^[2] until the expulsion of the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh by Azerbaijan following the 2023 Azerbaijani offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh.^[3]

Elevation

988 m (3,241 ft)

Time zoneUTC+4 (AZT)

Quick facts Վաղուհաս, Country ...

Vaghuhas Վաղուհաս
Qozlu

Vaghuhas Show map of Azerbaijan Vaghuhas
Coordinates: 40°06′52″N 46°28′47″E
Country	Azerbaijan
• District	Aghdara
Elevation	988 m (3,241 ft)
Population (2015)^[1]
• Total	678
Time zone	UTC+4 (AZT)

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History

During the Soviet period, the village was a part of the Mardakert District of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast.

According to civilian reports, during the 2023 Azerbaijani offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijani soldiers entered the village and forcibly demanded that its entire Armenian population leave while firing their weapons in the air.^[4]^[5]

Historical heritage sites

Historical heritage sites in and around the village include the ruins of the ancient Armenian settlement of Mayrakahag (Armenian: Մայրաքաղաք), including the Tiramayr Monastery (Armenian: Տիրամայր Վանք) built in 1183,^[6] an 8th/9th-century chapel, a 12th/13th-century cemetery, the monastery of Khatravank (Armenian: Խաթրավանք) built in 1204, the monastery of Karmiravan (Armenian: Կարմիրավան) built in 1224, also known as the Red Monastery – Karmir Vank, Կարմիր վանք, and the medieval village of Hin Vaghuhas (Armenian: Հին Վաղուհաս, lit. 'Old Vaghuhas').^[1]

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, a secondary school, seven shops, and a medical centre.^[1]