# Talk:Stepanakert

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Please remove the name "Stepanakert" it violates the sovereignty of Azerbaijan Redmi 14C (talk) 15:38, 10 August 2025 (UTC)

 Not done. See above. Mellk (talk) 15:41, 10 August 2025 (UTC)

Hello, 
I would like to suggest updating the article title and references regarding the city currently listed as Stepanakert. The internationally recognized name of the city, used by the Republic of Azerbaijan and in official UN documents, is Khankendi. While Stepanakert has been historically used during the Soviet period and remains in circulation in some contexts, the official of the city is Khankendi.
To ensure consistency with Wikipedia’s naming policies (such as WP:COMMONNAME and WP:NPOV), I suggest that the article clearly present Khankendi as the primary name in the lead.
This change would help reflect the city’s official name in international and state usage.
Thank you for considering this suggestion. RuhiAliyev (talk) 08:11, 10 September 2025 (UTC)

 Not done for now: please establish a consensus for this alteration before using the {{Edit extended-protected}} template. Further, it is worth noting that llms do not actually understand Wikipedia policies. CMD (talk) 08:30, 10 September 2025 (UTC)

I have tried to verify the given source [15] and [1] for the claim about the name of the city having been changed from "Vararakn to Khankendi by Russian authorities", the book by Hewsen [1] and part of [15] has no mention of Khankendi, Vararakn or anything related to renaming of Vararakn. 
Secondly, the second source in [15] only has the name Vararakn but no sources attested to the claim. 
The source [14] about the existence of Vararakn which is the Soviet Armenian Encyclopaedia is not readily available online to be verified, so I request that book to be verified by someone who has the book itself.
Lastly, it is said in the Etymology section that it is claimed that there has existed a "settlement in the locale" which was called Vararakn, which was then renamed by the Russian authorities. The claim about the renamjng is unfounded, there are no maps with the name Vararakn by, say the Russian authorities who did extensive cartographic work in the area, and the sources attesting the existence of Vararakn are under question until proven. 
If, however, there was such a settlement that was in the vicinity of where Khankendi was founded, and it got eaten up by the growing 
City where the Khan (local ruler) resided in, it is also a stretch to attribute the name Vararakn the whole city. 
I request that until such sources are provided, these claim are either removed, or explicitly labeled as having no credible sources.
Best Regards,
Amazonium Amazonium (talk) 09:26, 8 November 2025 (UTC)

Even if Hewsen did claim that the settlement changed its name from Vararakn to Khankendi in 1847, this claim is incorrect. Russian imperial sources do not mention any settlement called Vararakn, while the earliest Russian census of 1823 already refers to Khankendi. Therefore, it could not have been renamed to Khankendi in 1847 if it was already known by that name in 1823.
In the "Description of the Karabakh Province", compiled in 1823 by order of the Governor-General of Georgia and Caucasus, Yermolov, and authored by State Councillor Mogilevsky and Colonel Yermolov II, in the section titled “Estate belonging to the former Karabakh Khan Mehti Quli Khan”, Mogilevsky and Yermolov wrote that the newly settled Armenian village of Khan-Kendy was established by the former Karabakh Khan Mehti Quli Khan and was his estate, which he had gifted to his wife, Badridjagan Begum. After Mehti Quli Khan and his wife fled from the Russian Empire, the village was transferred to the Russian treasury. See page 291. The fact that the village was described as newly settled indicates that it could not have existed much earlier than 1823. Grandmaster 10:31, 8 November 2025 (UTC)
Thank you, User:Grandmaster, this just proves one of the points I am trying to make. Amazonium (talk) 10:54, 8 November 2025 (UTC)
Just clarifying, Hewsen’s Armenia: A Historical Atlas (p. 265) does mention Vararakn explicitly:
The City of Stepanakert
Originally called Vararakn, this Armenian village on the right bank of the Gargar (Arm. Karkaṙ) River was renamed Khankendi in 1847.
The fact that Russian sources refer to the settlement as "Khankendi" as early as 1823 doesn’t necessarily rule out Vararakn being used concurrently in local Armenian usage. It’s not uncommon for settlements in the Caucasus to have coexisting names, i.e. one used in administrative records (Persian or Azerbaijani) and another in local vernacular (Armenian). – Olympian loquere 13:01, 8 November 2025 (UTC)
The claim was that the city was renamed to Khankendi from Vararakn in 1847, whereas there are sources of Khankendi already being the name  of the city referred to by the Russian authorities that supposedly renamed the city.
It is not about concurrent names, but the renaming. Amazonium (talk) 13:04, 8 November 2025 (UTC)
My point is that Russian authorities probably used both names, Vararakn and Khankendi, interchangeably if they referred to Stepanakert as the latter even before 1847. You can also see multiple English language sources attesting to the renaming occurring in 1847 if you search this on Google Books:
"Stepanakert" "Vararakn" "1847"
Regards, – Olympian loquere 13:10, 8 November 2025 (UTC)
There are no sources for that claim, and there are sources to the contrary, which is the Russian surveys in the area much earlier than 1847.  Amazonium (talk) 13:14, 8 November 2025 (UTC)
I haven't seen any Imperial Russian sources that use the name Vararakn at any time. If such sources exist, please share them with us so we can verify them. Also, Hewsen does not state that both names were in use concurrently; he says that the town was renamed Khankendi in 1847, which means that it was not called by that name before then. But we can see that this claim is inaccurate. Grandmaster 15:26, 8 November 2025 (UTC)
he says that the town was renamed Khankendi in 1847, which means that it was not called by that name before then.
Please refrain from making speculations/deductions through a primary source (WP:SYNTH/WP:OR). If you're right, then I'm sure there are WP:RS that supports this. Also, you posted a welcome to Amazonium [1], yet you didn't mention WP:GS/AA? I've done it for you. HistoryofIran (talk) 15:52, 8 November 2025 (UTC)
It is an easily verifiable fact that the town was called Khankendi in 1823 in Imperial Russian sources. Therefore, it could not have been renamed to that name in 1847. Also, WP:OR does not apply to talk page discussions. Grandmaster 16:06, 8 November 2025 (UTC)
Nowhere does the primary source mention that it was the official designation of the place. That is your own deduction, which is against WP:OR/WP:SYNTH (which you constantly violate) no matter what. I assume you have no WP:RS. HistoryofIran (talk) 16:31, 8 November 2025 (UTC)
Ok, let's ask for more opinions on this at WP:RSN. Grandmaster 12:29, 9 November 2025 (UTC)
I found the source which Hewsen bases his claim on: Bishop Makar Barkhudaryants' 1895 book, Artsakh (p. 239):
Գ. ԽԱՆ-ՔԵԱՆԴԻ ԱՒԱՆ. Հիմնուած է մի տափարակի վերայ 1847 թուին Ռուսներից՝ իբրև զօրանոց։ Հետզհետէ հեռանում է զօրքն այստեղից եւ մնում են միայն ամուսնացեալ ռուս գերդաստաններ, եւ սակաւ զինուորականներ և ղազախներ։ Շուշուց, Կարկաժան, Խանածախ, Պալուճայ, Փահլուլ գիւղերից վաթսուն հայ գերդաստաններ գալով բնակում են այժմ Խան-քեանդում. ուր կայ փոշտ եւ գաւառական դատարան։
Տափարակս պատկանում է Վարար-ակն գիւղի բնակչաց, որք փոխադրուած են Շուշի, բայց աւերակն, քարուկիր եկեղեցին եւ հանգստարանն մնում են Խան-քեանդու հիւսիսային ձորակի ձախ լանջի վերայ՝ Վարարակն աղբիւրի մօտ։
Translation:
It [Khankiand] was founded on a plateau in 1847 by the Russians as a garrison. Subsequently, the troops departed, leaving behind only married Russian families and a handful of military personnel and Kazakhs. In the aftermath, sixty Armenian families relocated from Shushi, [and the villages of] Karkazhan, Khanatsakh, Palucha, and Pahlul to settle in Khankiand, where there is a post office and a district court.
This plateau belongs to the inhabitants of the village of Varar-akn, who have been relocated to Shushi; but the ruins, the stone-and-lime church, and the cemetery remain on the left slope of Vararakn's northern valley, near the Vararakn spring.
This information is also affirmed in a contemporary article:
In 1835, the Russian military established one of its main military stations on the eastern edge of Vararakn, which led to the formation of a new military station. The inhabitants of the surrounding Armenian villages were gradually transferred there. In 1847, Utsmiyev, chief of staff of the Mingrelian regiment of the Russian army, constructed new and more spacious barracks, which was a significant development in the establishment of the current Stepanakert.
— Olympian loquere 04:06, 10 November 2025 (UTC)
Could you show where in his book, Hewson mentions Vararakn, please? As I mentioned, Hewson's book in the source doesn't mention the claim.
May be this is another book by Hewson? Amazonium (talk) 06:04, 10 November 2025 (UTC)
I quoted Hewsen's mention of Vararakn in my first reply in this thread. – Olympian loquere 06:22, 10 November 2025 (UTC)
The Hewson book mentioned in the sources (ISBN: 9780226332284) does not contain the said text.  Amazonium (talk) 08:25, 10 November 2025 (UTC)
It is found on page 265, see the attached screenshot from the source (ISBN: 0-226-33228-4). – Olympian loquere 08:42, 10 November 2025 (UTC)
Let's end the discussion here, as I have found 2 digital copies of the mentioned book, and neither of them have the text in them. And I can't possibly agree or disagree with it solely based on a screenshot. This discussion is useless at this point. Take care, Olympian. Amazonium (talk) 09:02, 10 November 2025 (UTC)
You’re still not allowed to participate here due to WP:GSAA. Last warning. HistoryofIran (talk) 09:54, 10 November 2025 (UTC)
The problem with 1847 claim is that it contradicts contemporary Russian sources and maps. The 1823 census has a paragraph about Khan-Kendy that reads:

Новонаселенная Армянская деревня ХАНЪ-КЕНДЫ
Въ ней отбывающихъ повинности 3 дыма старожиловъ, 17 дымовъ вновь поселенныхъ и 5 дымовъ речбаровъ; ничего неплатящихъ: бѣдныхъ 6 дымовъ, священниковъ 2 дыма, кехвовъ 2 дыма, принадлежащихъ ханскому нукеру Алпана-беку 2 дыма речбаровъ, дѣтей умершаго Давыда-кехвы 2 дыма и 1 дымъ чикар-оглы или набоечнаго мастера.
Деревня сия, Мехти-Кули-Ханомъ устроенная, по новости населенія своего, не была еще никакими податями обложена, кромѣ малджегата съ урожая хлѣба и таругскихъ доходовъ; отъ казеннаго же посѣльства, который на земляхъ, къ сей деревнѣ принадлежащихъ, обязанъ весь Хачинскій магаль 10 сохами пахать два дня, на томъ самомъ основаніи — какъ сіе дѣлается на агдамской канавѣ; казна должна ежегодно получать пшеницы 26 ½ четвертей и 4 гарнца, кои по вышеозначенной цѣнѣ составятъ всего 483 руб. 13 коп.
Примечаніе:
Деревня сия была Мехти-Кули-Ханомъ подарена женѣ его Бадриджаган-Бегюмѣ, вмѣстѣ съ нею удалившейся за границу; нынѣ же причислена въ казну. Податей они не платили никакихъ, по уваженію тому, что вновь поселенные; поэтому дѣйствующее здесь начальство обязано извѣдать ихъ состояніе и соотвѣтственно оному обложить податями поровну съ другими.
Къ сей же деревнѣ принадлежитъ еще 1 дымъ, находящійся въ Шушѣ, который, по мѣстному своему жительству, записанъ въ городскомъ спискѣ.
Translation:
Newly Settled Armenian Village of Khan-Kendy
In this village there are 3 households of old residents obliged to perform duties, 17 newly settled households, and 5 households of rechbars (peasants). Among them, those exempt from taxes include: 6 poor households, 2 households of priests, 2 of kehvas (village elders), 2 households belonging to the khan’s nuker (servant) Alpan-bek, 2 households of the children of the deceased David-kehva, and 1 household of Chikar-ogly, a block-printing craftsman.
This village, established by Mehti Quli Khan, due to the recentness of its settlement, had not yet been subjected to any taxes except for the maldzhegat (a fifth part) from the grain harvest and the tarug revenues. From the state estate located on the lands belonging to this village, the entire Khachin district was obliged to plow for two days with ten plows, on the same basis as is done along the Agdam canal. The treasury was to receive annually 26 and a half chetverts and 4 garnets of wheat, which, at the aforementioned price, amounted to a total of 483 rubles and 13 kopecks.
Note:
This village was granted by Mehti Quli Khan to his wife, Badridjagan Begum, who, together with him, left for abroad; it has now been transferred to the state treasury. They paid no taxes, as the settlers were newly established; therefore, the local administration was instructed to investigate their condition and impose taxes on them accordingly, on an equal footing with others.
One household belonging to this village is located in Shusha and, by virtue of its residence there, is recorded in the town register.

The name of Khankendi (spelled as Ханъ‑Кентъ or Ханъ Кянды) can also be found on Imperial Russian maps from before 1847, for example this one from 1842: [2] or this one from 1838: [3] In my understanding, 1847 is the year when the Russian army established its barracks in Khankendi, and it has been referred to as the "Khankendy headquarters" (штаб-квартира Ханкенды) since then. However, the village clearly existed before 1847, as attested by primary Russian sources. But since we are advised to rely on secondary sources, I will check whether any secondary source has addressed this issue. Grandmaster 10:10, 10 November 2025 (UTC)

Russian Encyclopedia: Since the end of the 18th century, the name Khankendi (Azerbaijani – Khan's settlement) was used. Since 1822, it has been part of the Russian Empire. ... In 1847–1923, the official name was – Khankendi A book (p.152) written by an Armenian author in 1989: In the late 18th century, a wintering settlement of the Shusha Khan was founded on the site of an ancient Armenian settlement, with the name Khanabakh ... Later, when the Khan managed to subdue the nearby Armenian village of Bakhin shen, he renamed it Khankendi ... In 1847, a barracks for the Russian garrison was built in the medieval Armenian village of Vararakn. On the territory of the current city, the villages of Nerkin-shen and Sogomoni-shen also existed. My personal guess is that various names were used by various ethnicities. In 1847, the settlement was not "renamed", but was officially incorporated. In the language of WP:GEOLAND, it became a legally recognized place. Kelob2678 (talk) 11:37, 11 November 2025 (UTC)
These are both modern works that contradict the contemporary Russian sources. It is impossible for a military map published in 1838 to retroactively use a name that was given to a place in 1847. Also, I found an English translation of the aforementioned 1823 tax census by George Bournoutian, which includes a footnote by the author confirming that the 1823 document mentions the present-day city of Stepanakert/Khankendi. Please see the relevant quote below:

So, I think it is obvious that the name Khankendi was in use well before 1847, as attested by both primary and secondary sources, while the name Vararakn is not found in any imperial Russian records. I have additional pre-1847 sources that mention Khankendi. How can we explain that all pre-1923 sources, from 1823 onward, consistently use the name Хан-Кенды and no other? Grandmaster 12:30, 11 November 2025 (UTC)
WP:TENDENTIOUS and WP:GAMING. Still ignoring what you’ve been told several times by now, including still adding your own interpretations to a primary source text. Nowhere does Bournoutian support your argument against Hewsen. It is no secret that Khankendi was one of the names of present-day Stepanakert, and no one is denying that the name existed before 1847. HistoryofIran (talk) 12:35, 11 November 2025 (UTC)
But both works agree that the Khanhendi was used prior to 1847? The first claims, Since the end of the 18th century, the name Khankendi ... was used. The second, Later, when the Khan managed to subdue the nearby Armenian village of Bakhin shen, he renamed it Khankendi Obviously, the Khan did this prior to 1847. Vararakn may not be found in Russian sources, but it is said to be found in Armenian sources, which is not surprising because it is an Armenian name.Regarding the quote, it says that the village was Armenian. It is unreasonable to say that Armenians themselves decided to name it in the Khan's honor, so there was probably another name. Documents of the Russian military are only useful to verify that they indeed used Khankendi (we already know that the name was used prior to 1847), but are not reliable for the history of the place. Kelob2678 (talk) 12:38, 11 November 2025 (UTC)
Indeed, the claim in the first source that the name Khankendi was used since the end of the 18th century does not contradict Russian records from 1823 onward or Bournoutian. However, the claim that the name became official in 1847 does somewhat contradict these records, because it may imply that there was some other official name in use, for which there is no evidence. Why would official records use an unofficial name, if there was an official one? The second source does not appear to be an academic publication and uses a completely different name for the allegedly pre-existing settlement, Bakhin shen, while Hewsen refers to it as Vararakn. At the same time, Bournoutian describes Khankendi as "a newly settled Armenian village". According to the 1823 document, Mekhti Qulu Khan established the village for his Armenian subjects on his own lands, which is why it was called Khan’s village. I think we can agree, based on the available sources, that the place was called Khankendi at least since its incorporation into the Russian Empire, and this should be reflected in the article. Grandmaster 13:37, 11 November 2025 (UTC)
In my view, the sources provided don’t offer mutually exclusive explanations. Based on the excerpts above, my understanding is that Stepanakert now stands on the site of an earlier Armenian village called Vararakn, whose ruins (church and cemetery) were still visible in the late 19th century (Barkhudaryants, p. 239). Vararakn was likely depopulated or absorbed by the late 18th or early 19th century. Around that time, Mehti Quli Khan established a new estate village there, referred to as Khankendi, which appears in Russian sources from 1823 as a "newly settled Armenian village" (Bournoutian, pp. 381–82). The name Khankendi is used consistently in Russian maps and records from the 1830s onward. In 1847, Russian authorities established a formal military garrison at the site of Vararakn/Khankendi (Barkhudaryants, p. 239). This is likely what Hewsen refers to when he writes that the town was "renamed" in 1847 (Hewsen, p. 265). Is anyone opposed to incorporating this into the article? – Olympian loquere 13:41, 11 November 2025 (UTC)
Yes, this seems like a workable solution. I would be very interested in seeing historical records mentioning Vararakn at the site of the modern-day city at any point in history, but since we mostly rely on secondary sources, something along the lines of what you propose may indeed be workable. I also think that 1847 is the year when Khankendi was made the headquarters of the Russian military garrison in Karabakh, which is why that year is mentioned in some sources. Grandmaster 14:17, 11 November 2025 (UTC)
It might be helpful to locate a map showing the proximity between the ruins of Vararakn and the early development of Khankendi to better understand their spatial relationship. As Barkhudaryants notes, Vararakn was abandoned after its inhabitants relocated to Shushi, but its ruins (specifically a stone church and cemetery) remained visible into the late 19th century (Barkhudaryants, p. 239). Kelob’s source adds that the church of Vararakn, located in what is now the central quarter of Stepanakert, was dismantled in the 1930s and the foyer of the Stepanakert Armenian Drama Theatre was later built on its foundations (Mkrtchyan, p. 152). Since that theatre is located in the city centre, this suggests that Vararakn once occupied part of the same area. Given this physical continuity, I think it’s reasonable to acknowledge Vararakn as a historically attested predecessor (and previous toponym) of Stepanakert, with an explanatory note reflecting its absorption into later developments. – Olympian loquere 01:47, 12 November 2025 (UTC)
As I understand it, Barkhudaryants is the original and only source of information about the ruins of Vararakn. All secondary sources appear to rely on him. It is highly unlikely that any maps of his report exist. Barkhudaryants states that Khankendi was founded by Russians in 1847, which is not entirely accurate, as we know that it existed long before that. This apparently refers to the establishment of a permanent Russian military garrison. He also wrote: “The plain belongs to the inhabitants of the village of Vararakn, who were relocated to Shushi, but the ruins—the stone-built church and the cemetery—remain on the left slope of the northern gorge of Khankendi, near the Vararakn spring.” I think we should use this source. I propose the following edit:
According to the Great Russian Encyclopedia, medieval Armenian sources reported the existence of a settlement called Vararakn in the area of the present-day city, while the name Khankendi has been in use since the late 18th century (Great Russian Encyclopedia). Bishop Makar Barkhudaryants, writing in the late 19th century, mentioned that the ruins of the old village of Vararakn, along with a church and a cemetery, remained on the northern edge of Khankendi village (Barkhudaryants). The Russian tax survey of 1823 recorded that the newly settled Armenian village of Khankendi was founded by Mekhti Qulu Khan, who later gifted it to his wife Badri-Jahan Begum. After she fled with Mekhti Qulu Khan to Persia, the village was transferred to the Russian treasury.. (Bournoutian and tax survey)
Regarding other sources: Mkrtchyan is not an academic publication, and according to his obituary, he was known as a political activist in Nagorno-Karabakh [4] Such sources should be treated with caution, and it is preferable to rely on materials without political motivation. He also mentions another village in place of Khankendi, Bakhin shen, not mentioned by any other source.
I checked *The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Place Names* (5th ed.), which states that "Khankendi replaced Vararakn in 1847". This information is not accurate, as discussed above.
Regarding this line: “According to the 19th-century author Raffi, in 1826, the local Armenian meliks met with the Persian crown prince Abbas Mirza, who had invaded Karabakh with his army, in the village to reconcile with the Persians and ensure the safety of the Karabakh Armenian population.” Raffi mentions the village of Khankendi in 1826: “The Persian crown prince received him in the village of Khankendi, located a few versts from the fortress of Shushi.” Another proof that the place was called Khankendi before 1847. There is also a source proposed by Alaexis that we can use as a reference.
Statistical information about the population of the village in 1823 should be moved to the Demographics section. Grandmaster 16:35, 13 November 2025 (UTC)
Since there has been no response to my last comment for about a week, am I correct in assuming there are no objections to my proposed edit? Grandmaster 05:32, 19 November 2025 (UTC)
If your suggestion had been implemented, it would be WP:OR interpretation of sources and WP:SYNTH, while ignoring clear secondary RS without providing comparable or stronger secondary RS that dispute their claims in favor of your suggested claims. It looks like you've been explained this already in the discussion, so please stop the WP:BLUDGEONING. KhndzorUtogh (talk) 08:10, 19 November 2025 (UTC)
The source you cited called Mkrtchyan a "historian". The book was reviewed by two members of the Soviet Armenian Academy of Sciences, and its editors were two scholars, a historian and an architect. The fact that the authors have personal political views is not a reason to discard their work. Kelob2678 (talk) 08:45, 19 November 2025 (UTC)
Since there has been no response to my last comment for about a week, am I correct in assuming there are no objections to my proposed edit?
There has been nothing but objections against you. But you ignore them, just like you have been ignoring any policy and source that goes against you. At this point you need to be reported. HistoryofIran (talk) 14:28, 19 November 2025 (UTC)
Russian tax survey by Bournoutian is a secondary source. Together with multiple primary sources it clearly shows that the place was called Khankendi long before 1847. If you have any other ideas on how to best reflect what the sources report on foundation of the city, please propose your own versions. Grandmaster 05:47, 20 November 2025 (UTC)
Bournoutian does not dispute the other sources like Hewsen, please understand what dispute means. “Together with multiple primary sources...” literally WP:SYNTH. KhndzorUtogh (talk) 08:18, 20 November 2025 (UTC)
You've already been told that does not Bournoutian support your argument against Hewsen. You've already been told that Hewsen's source doesn't dispute that the name Khankendi existed before 1847, but simply says it became official in 1847. You've already been told to stop engaging in WP:OR/WP:SYNTH. Again, showing that you ignore user comments, sources and policies, continuing your WP:TENDENTIOUS pattern. HistoryofIran (talk) 10:27, 20 November 2025 (UTC)