Karvajar (Kalbajar) province
|
|
APAHEN AND YEZNARATZANTS
These two historical villages were recorded for the first time in the bequest to be inherited by the monastery, later as its estate in the building inscription of Dadi Vank, dated 1214: "... And we assigned a village and a settlement within their borders: Apahen and Yeznaratzants as the bequest of the church... Once more Apahen and Yeznaratzants were mentioned as monastery estate in a document of the XIV cent. already. Contrary to Yeznaratzants that was not mentioned any more, Apahen was still mentioned in various records. Particularly, in 1652 the colophon of a Hymnal ("Sharaknots") rewritten, illustrated and compiled by Movses, the church scribe, referred the place of compilation as: "in the land of Tzar, in the village, which is called Apahen". Another manuscript completed in in 659 mentions: "Deacon Johannes, who comes from the village Apahen..." Apahen was mentioned under the same name in the cadastre of Dadi Vank estates dated 1763.70 After being emptied of Armenians, Apahen sank into oblivion, to such extent, that even its geographical location was a matter of dispute.
Apahen is located on the slope of the gorge, on the altitude of 1900 m, and extends (especially its old part) along the left (southern) bank of the Dotkhu. Contrary to rich historical past of the village, there are almost no traces of Armenians here. The walls of the spring situated 4.5 km southwest of the village are repaired by processed base stones apparently taken from the facing of some destroyed church.
Based on the building inscription of Dadi Vank dated 1214, we may assume that Yeznaratzants was a village situated rather close to Apahen, or in any case not too far of it. Actually, 4 km southeast of Apahen, at the left bank of one of the full right tributaries of the Dukhtu river, where the forest ends giving way to Alpine meadows, there is a small village called Chovdar. We are convinced that this should be the historical Yeznaratzants, the name of which has been literally translated (Yeznaratzants means the place of 'oxen grassing', or 'ox shepherd', while Pers 'Chovdar' means 'stockbreeder').
|