2025
Davitbekov is the author of an article about the village of Hadrut in the Jabrayil uyezd of the Eelizavetpol Governorate, titled "The Village of Hadrut, Elizavetpol Governorate, Jabrayil uyezd." It is included in the 1888 issue of the periodical Collection of the Materials for Description of Places and Tribes of the Caucasus.
The author provides a detailed description of the origin of the name Hadrut, the location of the village, its archaeological sites and boundaries, buildings, flora and fauna, population, lifestyle and customs, and discusses education.
According to him, the village of Hadrut belonged to Sofia, the heir of lieutenant colonel Madatov, and the wife of military officer Mirzoyev. The name Hadrut is of Persian origin and means "the space between two rivers," or in other words, "interfluve."
Hadrut occupies a central position in the district due to its location and is surrounded by the villages of Taghaser, Vornashat, Sarinshen or Shakhakh, Vank, Tyak, Norashen, Koshbek (Kochbek), Melik-Janlu, Kara-Kolu, and Kaռmrakhuch. The inhabitants of all these villages are Armenians, except for the village of Kara-Kolu, where Muslims live.
Among the archaeological sites and places of worship in Hadrut and its surroundings, the old cemetery and church are noteworthy. There are no inscriptions or images on the tombstones, except for two with engraved crosses. Only the partially ruined walls and a part of the niches remain from the church.
The author was also present at the discovery of the ancient fortress ruins in 1887. To the south of the village, on a hill, lie the ruins of another fortress, Tstsakhach. Water was supplied to the fortress from the village of Shakhakh (or Sarinshen) through a system of pipes. The tomb of the fortress lord, Velijan, is located in the Spitak Khach church. Inscribed on the tombstone are the words: 'I, Velijan, son of Khumar, erected the cross in 1527.'
To the northwest of Hadrut, the ruins of another fortress, called Vnesa Gala, have been preserved. This fortress, which belonged to Vanes, also included a church.
In the village of Vank stands the Spitak Khach church, which is associated with a local folk legend about its cross. According to the story, several hundred years ago, one of the priests of the monastery acquired a white, shining cross, which was later silver-plated and found it honorary place in the monastery. Although the cross was eventually stolen, people continued to visit the church.
Northwest of Hadrut, on Mount Dizapayt, there is a fortress that was the first place of worship in the Jabrayil and Shushi districts. The author states that "dizapayt" is an Armenian word composed of the words "dez" and "payt". Religious Armenians and Muslims from the Jabrayil and Shushi districts travel there in the summer, early autumn, and late spring honor their martyrs.
The pilgrims stopped near the main springs: Kosh Spring and Bear Spring. The next famous place was Okhty (Seven) Door, which was a dilapidated stone hut without a roof, with one entrance and seven doors inside. Another pilgrimage site was Mina-Khoren; Mina was the sister's name, and Khoren is the brother's name. In Sarishen, there was a pilgrimage site called Shakhakh, after which the village was also called Shakhakh. Hadrut used drinking water from Khor-aghbyur and Shen-aghbyur.
The author notes that there were few indigenous people in Hadrut. The majority of the inhabitants were resettlers who had found refuge from various places due to Persian invasions.
According to data from 1863, 438 peasants in lived Hadrut. According to data from 1873, in Hadrut and the surrounding villages there were: 196 households in Hadrut, 84 in Taghaser, 24 in Vank, 27 in Tyak, 12 in Norashen, 36 in Kemakuch, and 16 households in Kochbek. In total, there were 395 households with 1,624 male inhabitants. In 1886, there were 252 households in Hadrut, 104 in Taghaser, 30 in Vank, 33 in Tyak, 17 in Norashen, 47 in Kermakuch, and 20 households in Kochbek. In total, there were 503 households with 2,221 male and 1,835 female inhabitants.
The surrounding villages of Hadrut also had Armenian names: Chirakuz, Tagh, Togh, Azokh, and Mameda Dzor.
In 1877, the village had a silk factory owned by three partners: Guli Akopov from Hadrut, Ivan Zorabov from Shushi, and Avag Isakhanov from Norashen.
In the 1885-1886 academic year, 65 boys studied at Hadrut's two-year school, while in the 1886-1887 academic year, there were 62 students. The pupils were from the villages of Hadrut, Taghaser, and Vank.
During the school's two years of operation, more than 100 applications were submitted, and the number of those wishing to study reached 200. The author notes that this reflects the Armenians' strong desire for education.
Hadrut also had a one-year Armenian parochial school for boys. It opened in 1881, operated until 1884, and then reopened in 1886 with 40 students. The school was supported by donations from Margar Ter-Oskanov, a resident of Hadrut. The opening of the existing 'Zemskoy' school was largely thanks to Khosrov Abalov, the former elder of the Hadrut community.
The village had a pharmacy with an emergency room, which opened on April 12, 1885. Urazov was the village doctor. The pharmacy served the residents of Jabrayil district.
Since Hadrut was populated exclusively by Armenians, everyone spoke Armenian. The information presented in this article further confirms that Hadrut was an Armenian settlement.