Gyurdashen village of Aghsu district

Gyurdashen (Gyurda Shen) village in the Aghsu district was located 3 km northwest of the Armenian-inhabited Hghnar village and was one of the historically Armenian settlements of the region.

In the mid-19th century, Gyurdashen was exclusively Armenian-inhabited and had 17 households of Armenian residents. During the visit of the Bishop Makar Barkhutaryants in 1888, the village had 30 Armenian households with a population of 151. In 1914, Gyurdashen had a population of 189.

The population of the village suffered greatly during the events of 1918–1919.

In 1986, Gyurdashen was entirely Armenian-inhabited, with a population of 42. However, the residents were forcibly displaced in 1988.

Southwest of Gyurdashen was an old Armenian cemetery with numerous uninscribed tombstones. Samvel Karapetyan, a monument specialist, published a three-line inscription from a 16th-century tombstone found there.

The year 1547․ This is the resting place of Agha Payantir pashkh.

Nearby, another tombstone was preserved with the following inscription:

This is the resting place of Bsishoy. Whoever reads this prayer, remember.

The village is now called Gyurda (Azerbaijani: Girdə or Girde) and is inhabited by Azerbaijanis.

Bibliography

Barkhutaryants M., Land of Aghvank and its Neighbors: Artsakh, Yerevan, 1999.
Karapetyan S., The Armenian Lapidary Inscriptions of Aghvank Proper, Yerevan, 1997.

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