Visit Nagorno Karabakh

Geography

The Nagorno Karabakh Republic is situated in the southeastern part of the Caucasus Minor. The landscape of the republic is typically mountainous. It includes the eastern part of the Karabakh plateau, inclining from west to the east and merging with the Artsakh valley, which constitutes the major part of the Kur-Araks lowland.

The Karabakh Mountain Range spans from the north to the east along the entire border of  Nagorno Karabakh. The Mrav Mountain Range extends along the northern part and embraces the highest peaks - Gomshasar (3.724m) and Mrav (3.343m). The Karabakh Mountain Range also includes the peaks of "Forty Girls" (2.828m), Mets Kirs (2.725m) and Dizapait (2.480m).

Almost all the rivers of Nagorno Karabakh flow from the western and southwestern mountains to the east and southeast into the Artsakh valley. Over centuries, these fast-flowing mountainous rivers formed deep canyons and picturesque valleys. The territory of the republic has an extremely rugged mountainous landscape. The average altitude of the territory of Nagorno Karabakh is 1.100 meters above see level.
 
Forests cover most of the mountains. They constitute more than 36% of the territory of the republic (160 thousand hectares). Bare rocks appear only in the highland regions. Land is very fertile.

The Artsakh Highland, like the entire Armenian Highland, is seismically active. Volcanic formations such as limestone and other sedimentary rocks are common here.

Climate

The climate is mild. Dry subtropical climate dominates on the significant part of the territory. Annual average temperature is +10.5 0C. The hottest months are July and August, when the average temperatures are +21.7 and +21.4 0C respectively. During the winter, in the months of January and February, the temperature fluctuates between -0.2 to -0.9 0C. The coldest temperature in the lowlands drops down to -16, -19 on the foothills and -20-23 0C in the highlands. The highest temperature rises up to +40 in the lowlands and on the foothills and +32-37 0C on the highlands. Average annual rainfall fluctuates between 480 and 700 mm depending on the zone. Highlands get a great deal of precipitation - 560-830 mm, with most of it in May and June. Torrential rains and hail are common in this period. It is foggy 100-125 days a year.

Natural resources

Karabakh is rich in natural resources, including zinc, lead, copper, gold, coal and various construction - related resources such as deposits of marble and marbleized limestone, granite, basalt, tuff, limestone and high-quality clay. It is home to several mineral water springs with high iron composition used for medicinal purposes.

Visa Guidelines for the Nagorno Karabakh Republic

To visit Nagorno Karabakh, foreign nationals require an entry visa. Nagorno Karabakh visas are issued by the Consular Section of the NKR Permanent Representation in Armenia, located at:

17-A Zarian Street
Yerevan, Armenia

The consular section is open daily from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm except Sundays. In special circumstances, a visa may be issued at the NKR Foreign Ministry in Stepanakert.

Visitors may get either a 7-day or a 21-day visa to enter Nagorno Karabakh. The 7-day visa costs $25 and the 21-day visa costs $35-$45 depending on the type of service (regular, expedited or same-day). There is also a $2 processing fee on all visas. At the consular section you will be asked to fill out a visa application form and submit one photo (3x4cm), along with your valid foreign passport.

The following individuals are exempt from visa fees:

• Citizens of Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan;
• Individuals younger than 16 years of age;
• Representatives of international organizations accredited in the NKR;
• Foreign nationals and their family members, who visit NKR at the invitation of the NKR President, National Assembly Speaker, Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister.

The ancestors of the present-day Karabakh Armenians left a remarkably vast cultural heritage despite continuous wars in the past. There are more than 1700 historic architectural monuments on the territory of the former Nagorno Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO) alone: fortresses, monasteries, churches and chapels, bridges, palaces, khachkars (literally translated as "cross-stone" because of its composition being centered around a Christian cross carved in the tradition of Armenian church art) and more than 1,000 wall and tombstone signs, written in ancient Armenian. The bulk of the historic monuments, found on the territory of Artsakh (the Armenian name for NKAO), are Christian worship edifices: approximately 60 monastery complexes and more than 500 churches that chronologically reveal all stages of medieval history, starting from the 4th century AD, when Christianity was introduced here as a state religion as in other parts of Armenia.

The vast material on the medieval history of Artsakh, which can be found in the writings of Armenian, Persian, Byzantine and Arab historians, geographers and travelers as well as the ancient maps of Armenia (4-6 century AD), undoubtedly prove the Armenian ethno-cultural nature of the region. Thus, Artsakh is mentioned as the tenth region of Armenia. Ancient epic songs and fairy tales, which are still very much alive and part and parcel of the Artsakh cultural and historical psyche, as well as the genre, plot, artistic and expressive means of Artsakh folklore also affirm their local origin.

Through different periods and under different rulers, the construction of churches and monasteries has never ceased in Artsakh. Today such monuments as Amaras, Tsitsernavan, Gtich, Gandzasar, monasteries of Dadi and Had, etc. still inspire with their beauty. Heavy construction was carried out in erecting unassailable fortresses. Shikakar, Khachenaberd, Tigranaberd, Tsiranakar, Aknaberd, Levonaberd, Jraberd, Gyulistan, Farisos, Dizapayt are among the most notable fortresses of Artsakh. Despite their local peculiarities, more than one hundred fortresses of Artsakh-Karabakh very much resemble the fortifications found in other provinces of historic Armenia. These constructions were massive defensive edifices, built according to classic patterns of Armenian military fortification architectural art.

In Artsakh, as well as throughout Armenia, the monastery complexes were not only religious but rather influential political, cultural and educational centers as well. Despite the fact that Armenia was divided between Christian Byzantine (Western Armenia) and Zoroastrian Persia (Eastern Armenia), the sphere of influence of the Armenian Church included the entire administrative and political territory of the northeastern province of the country

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Left:                                                                           On top of a hill near the village Vank,  Gandzasar (literally - mountain of treasures),  a 13th century AD monastery, is one of the most beautiful Christian monuments in Artsakh. Below:                                                                        As a reminder of the bitter times an outer wall         of the complex still has an unexploded Azeri    missile imbedded in it .

Right: The Ghazanchetsots Cathedral was used by Azeries as amilitary warehouse  where the stored ammunition used to bomb capital Stepanakert. The church was restored after Shusi was liberated.