Karki or Tigranashen is a village that is de jure an enclave and exclave of Azerbaijan, de facto under the control of Armenia, administered within the Ararat Municipality of the Ararat Province. The main highway connecting northern Armenia with southern Armenia passes right by the village. Today the village is mostly inhabited by Armenians, both locals and refugees from Azerbaijan.

Geography

The village is located on the bank of the Akhuryan River near the Yerevan–Jermuk highway, which is 15 km away from the district centre. The area of the village itself is 950 ha.

History

The village was captured by Armenian forces on 19 January 1990, during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War. Since May 1992, following the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, Karki has been controlled by Armenia, which governs the 19 km2 territory as part of its Ararat Province. After the war, many of the former inhabitants of Karki resettled in a new village, Yeni Kərki (New Karki), created within the Kangarli District of Azerbaijan.

Demographics

According to the 1910 publication of Kavkazskiy kalendar, Karki (Кярки) had a predominantly Tatar population of 244 in 1908. This number increased slightly to 245 in 1911. The village had a present population of 151, and a permanent population of 154 in 2011.

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