Daşbulag, Khojali
Dashbulag (formerly Astghashen)
Daşbulaq | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Dashbulag (formerly Astghashen)  Dashbulag (formerly Astghashen) | |
| Coordinates: 39°55′37″N 46°42′17″E / 39.92694°N 46.70472°E | |
| Country |  Azerbaijan |
| • District | Khojaly |
| Elevation | 772 m (2,533 ft) |
| Population (2015)[1] | |
• Total | 507 |
| Time zone | UTC+4 (AZT) |
Dashbulag (Armenian: Դաշբուլաղ; Azerbaijani: Daşbulaq, formerly Astghashen (Armenian: Աստղաշեն) is a village in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, in the Khojaly District of Azerbaijan.
The village is famous for its unique star-shaped stones, which the village derives its name from.[2]
Until 2023 it was controlled by the self-proclaimed "Nagorno-Karabakh Republic". The village had an ethnic Armenian-majority population[3] until the expulsion of the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh by Azerbaijan following the 2023 Azerbaijani offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh.[4]
Toponymy
[edit]According to Armenian sources the village was historically known as Karaghbyur (Armenian: Քարաղբյուր).[5] The name Astghashen means "village of stars", with the word Astgh (Armenian: Աստղ) meaning "star" in Armenian, referring to the famous star-shaped fossils of the village.
The village's name Dashbulag comes from the Azerbaijani words "daş" (stone) and "bulaq" (spring), meaning "stone spring", referring to natural water sources found in the area.
History
[edit]The village is known for its star-shaped fossils. The fossils originate from small marine animals that lived in the Tethys Ocean that covered the area millions of years ago. There are also many other types of fossils in the area.[6]
During the Soviet period, the village was a part of the Askeran District in the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast of Azerbaijan SSR. The village has been administered by the Republic of Artsakh as a part of its Askeran Province since the First Nagorno-Karabakh War.
After the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, Artsakh launched the construction of a new settlement for IDPs close to Astghashen, on the road towards the neighboring village of Patara, for people displaced from the villages of Sghnakh, Jraghatsner, Madatashen and Moshkhmhat in the Askeran Province.[7][8][9]
After the 2023 Azerbaijani offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh the entire Nagorno-Karabakh region was restored to Azerbaijani control[10].
Economy and culture
[edit]The population is mainly engaged in agriculture and animal husbandry. As of 2015, the village has a municipal building, a secondary school, a house of culture, two shops, and a medical centre. The Astghashen Art School is also located in the village.[1]
After the restoration Azerbaijani control in the entire Nagorno-Karabakh region in September 2023 one of the flagship economic projects is the revival of sericulture in the village of Dashbulaq.[11] Key developments include the establishment of a 13-hectare mulberry orchard with approximately 130,000 mulberry trees imported from China, planned expansion to more than 150 hectares, expected production of up to 500 tons of mulberry leaves annually by 2030, resumption of silkworm cocoon harvesting in Khojaly for the first time in 34 years.
The Khojaly Brick Factory is one of the largest industrial projects established in the Khojaly District since reconstruction efforts began in the Karabakh region. The factory is located in the village of Dashbulag and was officially inaugurated on 18 July 2025.
Demographics
[edit]The village had 520 inhabitants in 2005,[12] and 507 inhabitants in 2015.[1]
As of December 2025, the 34 Azerbaijani families, totaling 133 individuals, have been resettled in the village by Azerbaijan.[13][14]
Historical heritage sites
[edit]Historical heritage sites in and around the village include burial sites from the 2nd–1st millennia BCE, a 14th-century tomb about 4 km southwest of the village, St. George's Church (Armenian: Սուրբ Գևորգ եկեղեցի, romanized: Surb Gevorg Yekeghetsi) built in 1898, with two 16th/17th-century khachkars, and a spring monument from 1930.[15][1]
In June 2026 it was reported that the World War II memorial and the memorial to the first Karabkah war had been demolished by Azerbaijan.[16]
Gallery
[edit]-
St. George's Church in Dashbulag -
Inside St. George's Church -
Monument to the victims of the Great Patriotic War (WWII) -
Closeup of monument to the victims of the Great Patriotic War (WWII) -
Municipal building in Dashbulag -
School entrance -
The famous star-shaped fossils of the village
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Hakob Ghahramanyan. "Directory of socio-economic characteristics of NKR administrative-territorial units (2015)".
- ^ Khachatrian, Vahagn (2023-08-10). "Astghashen: Mysterious Village of Artsakh". The Armenian Weekly. Retrieved 2023-11-03.
- ^ Андрей Зубов. "Андрей Зубов. Карабах: Мир и Война". drugoivzgliad.com.
- ^ Sauer, Pjotr (2 October 2023). "'It's a ghost town': UN arrives in Nagorno-Karabakh to find ethnic Armenians have fled". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 9 November 2023.
- ^ Վահրամ Բալայան (2002). Արցախի պատմությունը հնադարից մինչեւ մեր օրերը.
- ^ "Mysteries of Astghashen". Armenian Geographic.
- ^ Armenpress (2021-02-16). "Construction of new residential settlement for displaced citizens launched in Artsakh".
- ^ Siranush Ghazanchyan (2021-02-13). "New settlement being established in Artsakh's Askeran region". Public Radio of Armenia.
- ^ Tirayr Muradyan & Saro Baghdasaryan (2021-07-12). "New Artsakh Village to House IDPs". hetq.am.
- ^ Sauer, Pjotr (2023-09-28). "Nagorno-Karabakh's breakaway government says it will dissolve itself". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2026-06-25.
- ^ "Infrastructure created for sericulture development in Dashbulag village of Khojaly reviewed". Apa.az. Retrieved 2026-06-25.
- ^ "The Results of the 2005 Census of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic" (PDF). National Statistic Service of the Republic of Artsakh.
- ^ "Növbəti köç karvanları bu kəndlərə çatdı". axar.az (in Azerbaijani). Retrieved 2025-12-22.
- ^ "Another group of families resettled in Dashbulag village of Khojaly district -PHOTO". Apa.az. Retrieved 2026-06-25.
- ^ Kiesling, Brady; Kojian, Raffi (2019). Rediscovering Armenia: An in-depth inventory of villages and monuments in Armenia and Artsakh (3rd ed.). Armeniapedia Publishing.
- ^ https://panarmenian.net/m/eng/news/334295
External links
[edit]
Capital: Askeran | ||
| Urban communities |  | |
| Rural communities |
| |
| Not under Artsakh control | ||
