Tigranakert of Artsakh (archaeological site)
Tigranakert of Artsakh is a politically charged archaeological site in Aghdam district, excavated by Armenian archaeologists after 2005 and identified with a Hellenistic foundation of Tigranes the Great, with later Armenian phases. Azerbaijan disputes Armenian archaeological claims and reads the excavations through the politics of occupation, since Aghdam's Azerbaijani population was displaced in 1993. After the 2020 return of the district to Azerbaijan, the Armenian-built site museum was reportedly vandalised or damaged. The site matters because archaeology itself became part of sovereignty argument: Armenian excavation was used to deepen historical claim, while Azerbaijani restoration of control reframed the work as occupation-era appropriation. The material remains require protection regardless of which national narrative one accepts.
Tigranakert of Artsakh is a politically charged archaeological site in Aghdam district, excavated by Armenian archaeologists after 2005 and identified with a Hellenistic foundation of Tigranes the Great, with later Armenian phases. Azerbaijan disputes Armenian archaeological claims and reads the excavations through the politics of occupation, since Aghdam's Azerbaijani population was displaced in 1993. After the 2020 return of the district to Azerbaijan, the Armenian-built site museum was reportedly vandalised or damaged. The site matters because archaeology itself became part of sovereignty argument: Armenian excavation was used to deepen historical claim, while Azerbaijani restoration of control reframed the work as occupation-era appropriation. The material remains require protection regardless of which national narrative one accepts.