Ruins of ancient Armenian city of Tigranakert shelled by Azerbaijan – Artsakh Ombudsman

The Azerbaijani troops have shelled the ruins of the ancient Armenian city of Tigranakert in the conflict-torn region of Nagorno-Karabakh, the office of the ombudsman of the self-proclaimed Republic of Artsakh said.

Tigranakert was founded by Armenian ruler Tigranes II the Great, who created a huge kingdom from the Mediterranean Sea to the Caspian Sea. Like Alexander the Great, Tigranes founded several cities named for himself.

“#Azerbaijan shelled the archaeological camp near the #Tigranakert historical-cultural reserve. Azerbaijan deliberately targets monuments of cultural heritage. Before AZE twice struck the Holy Savior Ghazanchetsots Cathedral in #Shushi,” the office wrote on its Twitter page on Friday.

The fighting on the line of contact in Azerbaijan's breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh started on September 27. Armenia and Azerbaijan have accused each other of starting the firing. The international community strongly condemned the escalation and called on parties to settle the differences via dialogue, while Turkey has pledged its full support for Azerbaijan.

Yerevan and Baku have signed three ceasefire agreements, but all of them collapsed soon after entering into force. The Azerbaijani troops managed to make significant achievements on the southern flank, but within the past week, the front line has stabilized, with the Azerbaijani troops trying to reach Berdzor (Lachin), Karmir Shuka (Qirmizi Bazar), Martuni (Khojavend) and Shusha. Earlier this week, the Azerbaijani units cut off the main roadway linking Armenia with the Artsakh capital of Stepanakert, which may result in significant supply shortages for the Armenian forces operating in Nagorno-Karabakh.