The Armenian village of Voghohi or Aghahetsik in Nakhijevan

The Armenian village of Voghohi or Aghahetsik in Nakhijevan is now called Alahi[1] and is part of the enlarged Bist community in the Ordubad district. The dialectal form Alahi is derived from the variant Aghahi of the village name Voghohi, which is used by Azerbaijanis. In other words, the ‘Azerbaijani’ variant also has an Armenian origin. Ghevond Alishan used the variants Aleaghu or Gheamani as well. In the 1870s, more than 30 Armenian families lived in the village.

According to a 13th-century tax register, Voghohi paid 12 units of ‘dram’ in taxes to the Tatev Monastery. In the early 19th century, Armenians who had migrated from the Iranian settlements of Mazanabad, Qaradagh, and Salmast settled in Voghohi. However, in 1989, the Armenian population was forced to leave the village.

This settlement was known for its natural mineral springs. Alishan mentioned a mineral spring with sour water (tʿtʿuajur) near Voghohi. The village was notable for its bridge, the Church of Surb Stepanos, and the Monastery of the Surb Khach (Holy Cross). Notably, A. Ayvazyan, in his book dedicated to the epigraphic heritage of Nakhijevan, mentions that the Monastery of the Holy Cross was a prominent monastic complex, and a church still stood on its ruins until the mid-19th century. According to an inscription preserved in the village’s Surb Stepanos Church, the Monastery of the Holy Cross owned extensive lands in the 17th century. Armenian-inscribed tombstones were discovered in the village cemetery, which was later destroyed by Azerbaijanis.

Today, former residents of Voghohi live in Yerevan and in the village of Goghtanik in Armenia’s Vayots Dzor Province. They dream that historical justice will one day be restored and that they will return to their native village.

Bibliography

Ghevond Alishan, Topography of Sisakan, Venice, 1893

T. Kh. Hakobyan, St. T. Melik-Bakhshyan, H. Kh. Barseghyan, Dictionary of Toponyms of Armenia and Adjacent Regions, Vol. 4, Yerevan, 1998.

A. Ayvazyan, The Epigraphic Heritage of Nakhijevan, Vol. III, Goghtn District, 2007.

M. Zakaryan, The Dialect of Agulis, Yerevan, 2008.

[1] The village of Aghahetsik is currently called Alahi (Azerbaijani: Ələhi).

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