View source for Stepanakert in the Republic of Artsakh

{{Infobox settlement
| official_name                   = Stepanakert
| other_name                      = {{langx|hy|Ստեփանակերտ}}
| settlement_type                 = City
| image_skyline                   = File:StepanakertCollage.jpg
| imagesize                       = 300px
| image_caption                   = From top left: <br />[[Holy Mother of God Cathedral, Stepanakert|Holy Mother of God Cathedral]] <br />[[Renaissance Square, Stepanakert|Renaissance Square]]&nbsp;• Downtown Stepanakert <br />[[Stepanakert Airport]]&nbsp;•  Stepanakert skyline <br />Park Hotel Artsakh &nbsp;• ''[[We Are Our Mountains]]'' <br />[[Artsakh University]]
&nbsp;• [[Stepanakert Memorial]]
| image_flag                      = Flag of Stepanakert, Artsakh.svg
| shield_size                     = 75px
| map_caption                     = Location of Stepanakert in [[Republic of Artsakh|Artsakh]], under its de facto borders from 2020 to 2023.
| pushpin_map                     = Republic of Artsakh
| subdivision_type                = Country <small>{{nobold|(''de facto'')}}</small>
| subdivision_name                = [[Republic of Artsakh|Artsakh]]
| subdivision_type1               = {{*}} [[Administrative divisions of the Republic of Artsakh|Province]]
| subdivision_name1               = Stepanakert
| government_type                 = [[Mayor–council government|Mayor–Council]]
| governing_body                  = Stepanakert City Council
| leader_title                    = Mayor
| leader_name                     = David Sargsyan (2023)
| established_title               = City status
| established_date                = 1940<ref name="hewsen">{{harvnb|Hewsen|2001|p= 265}}</ref>
| area_total_km2                  = 29.12
| population_as_of                = 2021
| population_total                = 75,000
| population_footnotes            =<ref name="ReferenceA">{{cite web |url=http://stat-nkr.am/files/publications/2015/LXH_tverov_2015.pdf |title=Figures |date=2015 |website=stat-nkr.am |access-date=12 April 2016 |archive-date=12 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200912090543/http://stat-nkr.am/files/publications/2015/LXH_tverov_2015.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
| population_density_km2          = auto
| timezone                        = [[GMT+4]]
| utc_offset                      = +4
| coordinates                     = {{coord|39|48|55|N|46|45|7|E|region:NKR|display=inline,title}}
| elevation_m                     = 813
| area_code                       = +374 47
| website                         = {{url|http://stepanakert.am}}
| footnotes                       = Sources: Stepanakert city area and population<ref name="The National Statistical Service of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic">{{Cite web |url=http://stat-nkr.am/files/yearbooks/2007_2013/3_bnutagr_23-25.pdf |title=General Characteristics of the NKR |access-date=16 September 2015 |archive-date=29 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150929072204/http://stat-nkr.am/files/yearbooks/2007_2013/3_bnutagr_23-25.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>
}}
From the [[Dissolution of the Soviet Union|breakup]] of the [[Soviet Union]] in 1991 to the [[2023 Azerbaijani offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh]], the city of [[Stepanakert]] was the capital of the unrecognized breakaway [[Republic of Artsakh]], while being internationally recognized as part of [[Azerbaijan]].
During this period, the city was a regional center of education and culture, being home to [[Artsakh University]], musical schools, and a [[Palace of Culture]]. The economy was based on the service industry and had varied enterprises, [[food processing]], [[Winemaking|wine making]], and [[Silk|silk weaving]] being the most important.<ref name= RU/> As of 2021, the population of Stepanakert was 75,000.<ref name= Karen>{{cite web|last= Khachatryan|first= Karen|editor= Stepan Kocharyan|title= Drought leads to "unprecedented" water crisis in Stepanakert city|date= 13 August 2021|website= armenpress.am|location= Stepanakert|publisher= [[Armenpress]]|url= https://armenpress.am/eng/amp/1060676|access-date= 18 December 2021|url-status= live|archive-date= 2 July 2022|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220702091347/https://armenpress.am/eng/amp/1060676}}</ref>
==Politics and government==
During the period of the [[USSR]], Stepanakert served as the capital of the [[Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast]] within the [[Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic|Azerbaijani Soviet Socialist Republic]], between 1923 and 1991. With the self-declared independence of Artsakh in 1991, Stepanakert continued with its status as the political and cultural centre of the newly established republic, being home to all the national institutions: the Government House, the National Assembly, the Presidential Palace, the Constitutional Court, all ministries, judicial bodies and other government organizations.<ref name= RU/>
Artsakh had been a [[Presidential system|presidential republic]] since the [[Nagorno-Karabakh constitutional referendum, 2017|2017 constitutional referendum]]. The post of [[Prime Minister of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic|prime minister]] was abolished and [[Executive (government)|executive power]] from then on resided with the [[President of Artsakh|president]], who was both the [[head of state]] and [[head of government]]. The president was directly elected for a maximum of two consecutive five-year terms. The final president was [[Samvel Shahramanyan]], in 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-06-17 |title=President of the ARTSAKH REPUBLIC – Biography |url=http://president.nkr.am/en/president/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230610080055/http://president.nkr.am/en/president/ |archive-date=2023-06-10 |website=president.nkr.am}}</ref>
The [[National Assembly of Nagorno-Karabakh|National Assembly]] was a unicameral legislature. It had 33 members who are elected for five-year terms.<ref>{{cite web|title= National Assembly|url= http://www.nkrusa.org/country_profile/national_assembly.shtml |publisher=The Office of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic in USA |website=Nkrusa.org|access-date=18 December 2021}}</ref>
The city of Stepanakert was governed by the Stepanakert City Council and the mayor of Stepanakert. The last local elections took place in September 2019.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sanamyan |first=Emil |date=2019-09-09 |title=Artsakh Elects Mayors and Municipal Councils |url=https://armenian.usc.edu/artsakh-elects-mayors-and-municipal-councils/ |access-date=2023-06-17 |website=USC Institute of Armenian Studies |language=en-US |archive-date=17 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230617232339/https://armenian.usc.edu/artsakh-elects-mayors-and-municipal-councils/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The most recent mayor was Davit Sargsyan.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-06-17 |title=Ստեփանակերտի քաղաքապետարան – Քաղաքապետ |url=http://www.stepanakert.am/index.php?section=resources/index&type=1&subtype=1 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230414025459/http://www.stepanakert.am/index.php?section=resources/index&type=1&subtype=1 |archive-date=2023-04-14 |access-date= |website=www.stepanakert.am |language=hy}}</ref>
===Government buildings===
<gallery mode="packed" heights="140">
2014 Stepanakert, Plac Odrodzenia (02).jpg|The National Assembly
2014 Stepanakert, Budynek Ministerstwa Spraw Zagranicznych Republiki Górskiego Karabachu (02).jpg|The Ministry of Foreign Affairs
2014 Stepanakert, Budynek rządowy Republiki Górskiego Karabachu.jpg|Government building, 20 February Street
</gallery>
== Religion ==
The late-19th-century church of Vararakn was destroyed in the 1930s to build the Stepanakert Drama Theatre. Throughout the rest of the Soviet era, there were no traditional churches in Stepanakert, although most of the population of the city were members of the [[Armenian Apostolic Church]].<ref name= RDA>{{harvnb|Kiesling|Kojian|2005|p= Stepanakert}}</ref>
The church of Surp Hakob (or ''Saint James'') was opened in 2007; it remained the only open church in the city until 2019. The church was financed by Nerses Yepremian from Los Angeles. The church was consecrated on 9 May 2007, in honor of the 15th anniversary of the capture of Shusha by Armenian forces.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.armtown.com/news/en/aza/20070510/2029/ |title=ST JAMES CHURCH WAS OPENED IN STEPANAKERT |last=Grigorian |first=Laura |publisher=Armenian News |date=10 May 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120404134417/http://www.armtown.com/news/en/aza/20070510/2029/ |archive-date=4 April 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
The construction of the [[Holy Mother of God Cathedral, Stepanakert|Holy Mother of God Cathedral]] was launched on 19 July 2006. The cost of the project was expected to be around US$2&nbsp;million and the architect of the church is Gagik Yeranosyan.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stepanakert-church.org/index.php?lang=en|title=The church of Stepanakert|website=www.stepanakert-church.org|access-date=18 November 2015|archive-date=7 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181007145642/http://www.stepanakert-church.org/index.php?lang=en|url-status=dead}}</ref> However, the construction process was slow due to a lack of financial resources. The inauguration of the church was expected to take place in September 2016.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.1tv.am/hy/news/2015/01/06/%D5%8D%D5%BF%D5%A5%D6%83%D5%A1%D5%B6%D5%A1%D5%AF%D5%A5%D6%80%D5%BF%D5%AB-%D5%B4%D5%A1%D5%B5%D6%80-%D5%BF%D5%A1%D5%B3%D5%A1%D6%80%D5%AB-%D5%AF%D5%A1%D5%BC%D5%B8%D6%82%D6%81%D5%B8%D6%82%D5%B4%D5%A8-%D5%B0%D5%A1%D5%BD%D5%A5%D5%AC-%D5%A7-%D5%BE%D5%A5%D6%80%D5%BB%D5%B6%D5%A1%D5%AF%D5%A1%D5%B6-%D6%83%D5%B8%D6%82%D5%AC%D5%AB%D5%B6/6354|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20151119100032/http://www.1tv.am/hy/news/2015/01/06/%D5%8D%D5%BF%D5%A5%D6%83%D5%A1%D5%B6%D5%A1%D5%AF%D5%A5%D6%80%D5%BF%D5%AB-%D5%B4%D5%A1%D5%B5%D6%80-%D5%BF%D5%A1%D5%B3%D5%A1%D6%80%D5%AB-%D5%AF%D5%A1%D5%BC%D5%B8%D6%82%D6%81%D5%B8%D6%82%D5%B4%D5%A8-%D5%B0%D5%A1%D5%BD%D5%A5%D5%AC-%D5%A7-%D5%BE%D5%A5%D6%80%D5%BB%D5%B6%D5%A1%D5%AF%D5%A1%D5%B6-%D6%83%D5%B8%D6%82%D5%AC%D5%AB%D5%B6/6354|url-status=dead|title=The construction of Stepanakert Cathedral is at its final stages|archivedate=19 November 2015}}</ref> Construction finished and the church was opened in 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.am/eng/news/505747.html|title=Official ceremony of consecration and opening Cathedral of Intercession takes place in Stepanakert|website=news.am|language=en|access-date=2019-05-16|archive-date=8 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190408150422/https://news.am/eng/news/505747.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
There was small community of Armenian Evangelicals with around 500 members. The only Armenian evangelical church in Artsakh is located in Stepanakert. The Evangelical community supported many schools, hospitals and other institutions through the help of the [[Armenian Diaspora]].<ref>{{cite web|last= Ghanalanyan|first= Tigran|title= Activity of the Armenian Evangelicals in Artsakh|date= 9 June 2012|url= http://www.noravank.am/eng/articles/detail.php?ELEMENT_ID=6642|website= noravank.am|publisher= Center for the Armenian Studies, "Noravank" Foundation|access-date= 18 December 2021|archive-date= 18 December 2021|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211218205310/http://www.noravank.am/eng/articles/detail.php?ELEMENT_ID=6642|url-status= live}}</ref>
==Transport==
[[File:2014 Stepanakert, Autobus na przystanku autobusowym.jpg|thumb|A routed taxicab minibus in Stepanakert]]
[[File:Stepanakert Airport Daytime.JPG|thumb|[[Stepanakert Airport]]]]
===Bus===
Stepanakert was served by a number of regular minibus lines. Old Soviet-era buses had been replaced with new modern buses. Regular trips to other provinces of Nagorno-Karabakh were also operated from the city.<ref>{{harvnb|Holding|2006|p= 208}}</ref>
===Air===
Stepanakert was served by the nearby [[Stepanakert Airport]], north of the city near the village of [[Khojaly (city)|Ivanyan]]. In 2009, facilities reconstruction and repair work began.<ref name="asbarezarticle">{{cite news|url=http://asbarez.com/blog/86176/karabakh-to-reopen-stepanakert-airport/|title=Karabakh To Reopen Stepanakert Airport|newspaper=Asbarez|date=5 October 2010|access-date=11 October 2010|archive-date=17 January 2013|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130117074003/http://asbarez.com/blog/86176/karabakh-to-reopen-stepanakert-airport/|url-status=live}}</ref> Though originally scheduled to launch the first commercial flights on 9 May 2011, Karabakh officials postponed a new reopening date throughout the whole of 2011.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.rferl.org/content/nagorno_karabakh_flights_hold_airport_reconstruction/24116168.html|title=Nagorno-Karabakh Flights On Hold Despite Airport Reconstruction|date=16 May 2011|work=[[Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty]] |access-date=16 May 2011|archive-date=18 May 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110518164852/http://www.rferl.org/content/nagorno_karabakh_flights_hold_airport_reconstruction/24116168.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In May 2012, the director of the NKR's Civil Aviation Administration, Tigran Gabrielyan, announced that the airport would begin operations in summer 2012.<ref>{{in lang|hy}} "[http://yelaket.am/am/?p=579 «Հայկական ժամանակ».Ստեփանակերտի օդանավակայանը վերջապես շահագործման կհանձնվի] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140102194608/http://yelaket.am/am/?p=579 |date=2 January 2014 }}" [''Haykakan Zhamanak'': Stepanakert Airport will Finally Become Operational]. ''Yelaket Lratvakan''. 30 May 2012.</ref> However, the airport still remains closed due to political reasons. The [[OSCE]] [[Minsk Group]], which mediates the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, stated that "operation of [Stepanakert Airport] cannot be used to support any claim of a change in the status of Nagorno-Karabakh" and "urged the sides to act in accordance with international law and consistent with current practice for flights over their territory."<ref>[http://www.osce.org/mg/92189 Statement of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130122015706/http://www.osce.org/mg/92189 |date=22 January 2013 }}.</ref>
==Economy==
[[File:Bazar in Stepanakert.jpg|thumb|Stepanakert Bazaar (Shuka)]]
The city was a regional center of education and culture, being home to Artsakh University, musical schools, and a [[Palace of Culture]]. The economy was based on the service industry and had varied enterprises, [[food processing]], [[Winemaking|wine making]], and [[Silk|silk weaving]] being the most important.<ref name= RU/> As of 2021, the population of Stepanakert was 75,000.<ref name= Karen>{{cite web|last= Khachatryan|first= Karen|editor= Stepan Kocharyan|title= Drought leads to "unprecedented" water crisis in Stepanakert city|date= 13 August 2021|website= armenpress.am|location= Stepanakert|publisher= [[Armenpress]]|url= https://armenpress.am/eng/amp/1060676|access-date= 18 December 2021|url-status= live|archive-date= 2 July 2022|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220702091347/https://armenpress.am/eng/amp/1060676}}</ref>
Stepanakert was the center of the economy of Artsakh. Prior to the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, the economy of Stepanakert was mainly based on food-processing industries, silk weaving and [[winemaking]].<ref name="SAE">{{harvnb|Mkrtchyan|1985|pp=124–125}}</ref> Inhabitants also engaged in producing furniture and footwear.<ref name= RU>{{harvnb|Baranchikov|2016|p= 225}}</ref> The economy was severely damaged due to the 1988 earthquake in Armenia and the First Nagorno Karabakh war.<ref>{{harvnb|Lagasse|2000}}</ref> In the years following, the economy was developed further, mainly due to investments from the [[Armenian diaspora]]. However, following the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, the economy once again experienced severe damage, particularly in the tourism sector.<ref>{{cite web|last= Nahapetyan|first= Haykaram|title= Artsakh's Economy: The Post-war Syndrome and Recovery Efforts|date= 10 July 2021|location= Watertown|work= [[The Armenian Mirror-Spectator]]|publisher= Baikar Association|access-date= 22 December 2021|url= https://mirrorspectator.com/2021/07/10/artsakhs-economy-the-post-war-syndrome-and-recovery-efforts/|archive-date= 22 December 2021|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211222024741/https://mirrorspectator.com/2021/07/10/artsakhs-economy-the-post-war-syndrome-and-recovery-efforts/|url-status= live}}</ref>
The most developed sectors of Stepanakert and the rest of the Republic of Artsakh are tourism and services. Several hotels were opened by [[diaspora]]n Armenians from Russia, the United States and Australia.<ref name="AGBU">Hayrumyan, Naira. "[http://www.agbu.org/publications/article.asp?A_ID=603 Recovery and Concern: Regional Unrest Reminds of NKR's Years of Progress While Raising Anxiety] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100922120409/http://agbu.org/publications/article.asp?A_ID=603 |date=22 September 2010 }}." ''[[Armenian General Benevolent Union|AGBU Magazine]]''. Vol. 18, № 2, November 2008, pp. 34–37.</ref> Artsakhbank was the largest banking services provider in Artsakh, while Karabakh Telecom was the leading provider of mobile telecommunications and other communication services.{{citation needed|date= January 2024}}
Stepanakert was also home to many large industrial firms, including Stepanakert Brandy Factory, Artsakh Berry food products and Artsakh Footwear Factory.{{citation needed|date= January 2024}}
Construction was also one of the leading sectors in the city. Artsakh Hek was the leading construction firm, while Base Metals was the leader in mining and production of building materials.{{citation needed|date= January 2024}}
==Culture==
{{Update|date=October 2023}}
[[File:Ասկերանի և Վանք գյուղի նկարներ 33.jpg|thumb|''[[We Are Our Mountains]]'']]
[[File:Holy Mother of God Cathedral, Stepanakert 2019.jpg|thumb|[[Holy Mother of God Cathedral, Stepanakert|Cathedral of the Holy Mother of God]]]]
The Vahram Papazyan Drama Theater of Stepanakert was founded in 1932. In 1967, the monumental complex of Stepanakert known as ''[[We Are Our Mountains]]'' was erected to the north of Stepanakert,<ref>{{harvnb|Holding|2006|p= 210}}</ref> It is widely regarded as a symbol of the Armenian heritage of the historic [[Artsakh (historic province)|Artsakh]].<ref>{{harvnb|Chorbajian|2001|p= 140}}</ref> After the independence of Armenia, many cultural and youth centres were reopened. The cultural palace of the city is named after [[Charles Aznavour]].<ref>{{cite web|title= Artsakh president attends Aznavour commemoration event in Stepanakert|website= [[Tert.am]]|url= https://www.tert.am/en/news/2018/10/06/bako-sahakyan/2812133|date= 6 October 2018|access-date= 20 December 2021|archive-date= 20 December 2021|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211220101637/https://www.tert.am/en/news/2018/10/06/bako-sahakyan/2812133|url-status= dead}}</ref>
Stepanakert was home to the Mesrop Mashtots Republican Library opened in 1924, Artsakh History Museum opened in 1939, Hovhannes Tumanyan Children's Library opened in 1947, Stepanakert National Gallery opened in 1982, and the Memorial Museum of the Martyred Liberators opened in 2002. A new cultural complex of the Armenian heritage of Artsakh was under construction.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://azator.gr/?p=3114|title=Ստեփանակերտի մէջ նոր յուշահամալիր կը կառուցուի – Azat Or|date=17 March 2017|access-date=21 March 2017|archive-date=22 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170322111400/http://azator.gr/?p=3114|url-status=live}}</ref>
The [[Artsakh State Museum]], based in Stepanakert, had an important collection of ancient artifacts and Christian manuscripts.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://artsakh.travel/en/museums/47/|title=MUSEUMS – Karabakh Travel|publisher= Tourism department of ministry of economy of NKR|website=artsakh.travel|language=en|access-date=2018-04-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180406164238/http://artsakh.travel/en/museums/47/|archive-date=2018-04-06|url-status=dead}}</ref>
===Education===
[[File:2014 Stepanakert, Budynek Związku Bojowników o Wolność Arcachu.jpg|thumb|The Union of Artsakh Freedom Fighters]]
Stepanakert was the center of higher education in Artsakh.<ref name= RU/> Five higher educational institutions operated in the city:
* [[Artsakh University|Artsakh State University]], founded in 1969 as a branch of the Baku Pedagogical Institute. In 1973, it was renamed Stepanakert Pedagogical Institute and following the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh, in 1992, it received its current status. The university offered courses spread across seven departments and has 4,500 students.<ref>{{in lang|hy}} Anon. "[http://www.armtown.com/news/am/aza/20060829/3300/ ԱՐՑԱԽԻ ՊԵՏԱԿԱՆ ՀԱՄԱԼՍԱՐԱՆ (''Arts'akhi Petakan Hamalsaran'', Artsakh State University)] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927215801/http://www.armtown.com/news/am/aza/20060829/3300/ |date=27 September 2011 }}." ''Azat Artsakh''. 29 August 2006. Retrieved 4 September 2009.</ref>
* Stepanakert campus of the [[Armenian National Agrarian University]].<ref>{{cite web|title= VALERY A. ALEXANYAN|publisher= Official website of the National Assembly of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh)|url= http://www.nankr.am/en/2387|website= nankr.am|access-date= 20 December 2021|archive-date= 20 December 2021|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211220102045/http://www.nankr.am/en/2387|url-status= live}}</ref>
* Grigor Narekatsi University (private).<ref name=edu>{{harvnb|Vardanian|2009|p= 45}}</ref>
* Mesrop Mashtots University (private).<ref name= edu/>
* Gyurjyan Institute for Applied Arts (private).<ref name= edu/>
Many new schools in Stepanakert were opened from the late 1990s to 2010 with the help of the [[Armenian diaspora]].<ref>"[http://asbarez.com/85320/armenia-fund-opens-600-student-school-in-stepanakert/ Armenia Fund Opens 600-Student School in Stepanakert] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723110306/http://asbarez.com/85320/armenia-fund-opens-600-student-school-in-stepanakert/ |date=23 July 2011 }}." ''[[Asbarez]]''. 14 September 2010. Retrieved 4 December 2010.</ref> Existing schools were also renovated with donations from the diaspora.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.armeniafund.org/project/no-9-school-stepanakert/|title= No. 9 School, Stepanakert|website= armeniafund.org|publisher= [[Armenia Fund]]|access-date= 21 December 2021|archive-date= 21 December 2021|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211221062019/https://www.armeniafund.org/project/no-9-school-stepanakert/|url-status= live}}</ref>
The Stepanakert branch of [[Tumo Center for Creative Technologies]] was opened in September 2015, as a result of continued cooperation between the Tumo Centre and the [[Armenian General Benevolent Union]], with the support of mobile operator Karabakh Telecom.<ref name=asbarez>{{cite news|title=Tumo Center Opens in Stepanakert|url=http://asbarez.com/139378/tumo-center-opens-in-stepanakert/|agency=Asbarez|date=1 September 2015|access-date=8 October 2017|archive-date=6 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171006210905/http://asbarez.com/139378/tumo-center-opens-in-stepanakert/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://armenpress.am/eng/news/815236/stepanakert-tumo-center-is-planned-to-be-launched-in-september.html|title=Stepanakert "Tumo" Center is planned to be launched in September|date=13 August 2015|publisher=Armenpress|access-date=8 October 2017|archive-date=18 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151118161402/http://armenpress.am/eng/news/815236/stepanakert-tumo-center-is-planned-to-be-launched-in-september.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
===Sport===
[[File:Stepenakert view no.2, cropped.jpg|thumb|[[Stepanakert Republican Stadium]]]]
[[Association football|Football]] is a popular sport in Nagorno-Karabakh and the city has a renovated football stadium. Since the mid-1990s, football teams from Karabakh started taking part in some domestic competitions in [[Armenia]]. [[Lernayin Artsakh FC|Lernayin Artsakh]] is the football club that represents the city of Stepanakert. The Artsakh national football league was launched in 2009.<ref name= Connor>{{cite web|last= O'Connor|first= Robert|title= Football and hope in the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic – a forgotten region fighting Fifa's sanctions|url= https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/international/football-and-hope-in-the-nagornokarabakh-republic-a7692936.html?amp|location= Stepanakert|publisher= Independent Digital News & Media Ltd|work= [[The Independent]]|date= 20 April 2017|issn= 0951-9467|access-date= 20 December 2021|archive-date= 20 December 2021|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211220233929/https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/international/football-and-hope-in-the-nagornokarabakh-republic-a7692936.html?amp|url-status= live}}</ref>
The non-[[FIFA]] affiliated [[Artsakh national football team]] was formed in 2012 and played their first competitive match against the unrecognized [[Abkhazia national football team]] in [[Sukhumi]] on 17 September 2012. The match ended with a 1–1 draw.<ref>{{in lang|hy}} "[http://www.tert.am/am/news/2012/09/25/arcaxabxazia/ Աբխազիայի ու Արցախի հավաքականները բաժանվեցին խաղաղությամբ՝ 1:1] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141108010119/http://www.tert.am/am/news/2012/09/25/arcaxabxazia/ |date=8 November 2014 }} [Abkhazia's and Artsakh's Teams Peacefully Part Ways, 1-1]," ''Tert.am'' 25 September 2012. Retrieved 7 November 2012.</ref><ref>"[http://sport.news.am/eng/news/11346/armenia%E2%80%99s-newly-formed-second-national-football-team-to-face-abkhazia.html Armenia's newly formed second national football team to face Abkhazia] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171017195007/https://sport.news.am/eng/news/11346/armenia%E2%80%99s-newly-formed-second-national-football-team-to-face-abkhazia.html |date=17 October 2017 }}." ''News.am'' 14 September 2012.</ref> The following month, on 21 October 2012, Artsakh played the return match at the [[Stepanakert Republican Stadium]] against Abkhazia, winning it with a result of 3–0.<ref>"[http://asbarez.com/106010/artsakh-soccer-team-beats-abkhazia-3-0/ Asbarez.com Artsakh Soccer Team Beats Abkhazia 3-0] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121225070942/http://asbarez.com/106010/artsakh-soccer-team-beats-abkhazia-3-0/ |date=25 December 2012 }}." ''Asbarez''. 22 October 2012.</ref>
There was also interest in other sports, including basketball and volleyball.
Artsakh athletes also took part with the representing teams and athletes in the [[Pan-Armenian Games]], organized in Armenia.<ref>{{cite news|last= Harutyunyan|first= Aneta|title= Artsakh ready for the opening of 7th Pan-Armenian Games|url= https://armenpress.am/eng/amp/983652|location= Yerevan|publisher= [[Armenpress]]|date= 2 August 2019|access-date= 21 December 2021|archive-date= 2 July 2022|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220702084438/https://armenpress.am/eng/amp/983652|url-status= live}}</ref>
As an unrecognized entity, the athletes of Artsakh competed in international sports competitions under the flag of Armenia.<ref name= Connor/>
===Twin towns – sister cities===
{{main|List of twin towns and sister cities in the Republic of Artsakh}}
Stepanakert was [[Sister city|twinned]] with:
* [[Montebello, California|Montebello]], United States: On 25 September 2005, Montebello, California and Stepanakert became sister cities. This prompted a complaint by the ambassador of Azerbaijan to the United States, Hafiz Pashayev, who sent a letter to California leaders, stating that the decision jeopardized peace talks between his country and Armenia.<ref name="PamWright">Wright, Pam. "Montebello's newest Sister City program has come under fire from an ambassador for the Republic of Azerbaijan." ''[[Whittier Daily News]]''. 19 November 2005. Retrieved 2 August 2007.</ref> The letter was sent to then-California governor [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]], who deferred the letter to Montebello mayor Bill Molinari since it concerned a local, not a state, issue. Molinari responded to Pashayev that the city would go ahead with its plans to inaugurate Stepanakert under the sister city program.<ref name="PamWright"/> Stepanakert's relationship with Montebello is aimed at revitalizing the capital's economic infrastructure and building cultural and educational ties, as well as developing trade and health care between the two cities. Azerbaijan has described this as a contradictory foreign policy of the United States that supports the NKR government and Armenian aggression against Azerbaijan.<ref>"Azeri pressure group appeals to US envoy over twinning reports." ''[[BBC News]]'' in ''BBC Monitoring Central Asia''. 24 November 2005. Retrieved 2 August 2007.</ref>
* [[Mairiporã]], Brazil: Since June 18, 2018, Law 3767/18 has made Eternal Armenia the name that declares Sister Cities the Municipalities of Mairiporã, State of São Paulo, and Stepanakert, capital of the self-declared Nagorno-Karabakh Republic which triggered an alert from Itamaraty, Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on the attitude of the Municipality as Brazil does not recognize the independence of Nagorno-Karabakh.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://g1.globo.com/mundo/noticia/2019/02/01/leis-aprovadas-no-interior-de-sp-levam-itamaraty-a-alertar-cidades-sobre-mal-estar-com-o-azerbaijao.ghtml|title=Leis aprovadas em SP levam Itamaraty a alertar cidades sobre mal-estar com o Azerbaijão|first=Helix Consulting|last=LLC|website=www.g1.com.br|date=February 2019 |access-date=1 January 2020|archive-date=1 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200101205858/https://g1.globo.com/mundo/noticia/2019/02/01/leis-aprovadas-no-interior-de-sp-levam-itamaraty-a-alertar-cidades-sobre-mal-estar-com-o-azerbaijao.ghtml|url-status=live}}</ref>
===Friendship declarations===
* On 22 May 1998, Stepanakert and the commune of [[Villeurbanne]] in France signed a Friendship Declaration.<ref name="nkr.am">{{Cite web |url=http://www.nkr.am/en/international-cooperation |title=International Cooperation &#124; NKR |access-date=9 October 2019 |archive-date=1 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210301004114/http://www.nkr.am/en/international-cooperation |url-status=live }}</ref>
* On 28 September 2012, Stepanakert and [[Yerevan]], Armenia, the capitals of the two Armenian republics, became friends after signing a partnership agreement.<ref>{{cite web|title=Partner cities|url=https://www.yerevan.am/en/partner/partner-cities/|publisher=Yerevan|access-date=2020-06-25|archive-date=19 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140819225714/https://www.yerevan.am/en/partner/partner-cities/|url-status=live}}</ref>
* On 15 September 2014, [[San Sebastián]], Spain, and Stepanakert signed a cooperation agreement.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.panorama.am/en/society/2014/09/15/stepanakert-donostia/?sw|title=Stepanakert, Donostia sign cooperation agreement|first=Helix Consulting|last=LLC|website=www.panorama.am|access-date=6 November 2014|archive-date=24 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924070458/http://www.panorama.am/en/society/2014/09/15/stepanakert-donostia/?sw|url-status=live}}</ref>
* On 17 May 2015, Stepanakert and the commune of [[Valence (city)|Valence]] in France signed a Friendship Declaration.<ref name="nkr.am"/>
* On 3 February 2016, Stepanakert signed a Friendship Declaration with the municipality of [[Franco da Rocha]], Brazil.<ref name="nkr.am"/>
* On 23 July 2019, Stepanakert signed a Friendship Declaration with the [[City of Ryde]], Australia.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://asbarez.com/183009/australias-ryde-forms-friendship-city-with-stepanakert/|title=Australia's Ryde Forms Friendship City with Stepanakert|first=Asbarez|last=LLC|website=www.asbarez.com|access-date=24 July 2019|archive-date=24 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190724121345/http://asbarez.com/183009/australias-ryde-forms-friendship-city-with-stepanakert/|url-status=live}}</ref>
==Notes==
{{notelist}}
==References==
{{reflist}}
=== Bibliography ===
{{refbegin|indent=yes|35em}}
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* {{cite book|last= Davies|first= Norman|author-link= Norman Davies|title= Beneath Another Sky: A Global Journey Into History|year= 2017|location= United Kingdom|publisher= [[Penguin Books Limited]]|isbn= 9781846148323}}
* {{cite book|last1=de Waal|first1=Thomas|author-link1=Thomas de Waal|title=Black Garden: Armenia and Azerbaijan Through Peace and War|date=2013|publisher=NYU Press|isbn=9780814785782}}
* {{cite book|last =Everett-Heath|first = John|author-link= John Everett-Heath|title = The Concise Dictionary of World Place Names|year = 2019|location= United Kingdom|url= https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780191882913.001.0001/acref-9780191882913-e-8066|url-access= subscription|edition= 5|publisher = Oxford University Press|isbn=  9780192556462}}
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* {{cite book|last = Hewsen|first = Robert H. |author-link = Robert Hewsen |title = Armenia: A Historical Atlas |year = 2001|location = Chicago |publisher = University of Chicago Press|isbn= 0-226-33228-4|page = 265}}
*{{cite book|last1= Holding|first1= Deidre|last2= Allen|first2= Tom|title= Armenia: With Nagorno Karabagh|year= 2019|location= United Kingdom|publisher= [[Bradt Travel Guides|Bradt]]|edition= 5|isbn= 9781784770792}}
* {{cite book|last= Holding|first= Nicholas|title= Armenia with Nagorno Karabagh|edition= 2|location= London|publisher= Bradt|year= 2006|isbn= 1-84162-163-3}}
* {{cite journal|last= Ismail-Zadeh|first= D.|title= Русские поселения в Закавказье в 30-х — 80-х годах XIX века|url= https://libmonster.ru/m/articles/view/%D0%A0%D0%A3%D0%A1%D0%A1%D0%9A%D0%98%D0%95-%D0%9F%D0%9E%D0%A1%D0%95%D0%9B%D0%95%D0%9D%D0%98%D0%AF-%D0%92-%D0%97%D0%90%D0%9A%D0%90%D0%92%D0%9A%D0%90%D0%97%D0%AC%D0%95-%D0%92-30-%D1%85-80-%D1%85-%D0%93%D0%9E%D0%94%D0%90%D0%A5-XIX-%D0%92%D0%95%D0%9A%D0%90|trans-title= Russian settlements in Transcaucasia in the 30s–80s of the 19th century|location= Moscow|journal= [[Voprosy Istorii]]|publisher= [[Russian Academy of Sciences]]|year= 1976|page= 20|issn= 0042-8779|language=ru}}
* {{cite book|last = Kaufman|first = Stuart|author-link= Stuart Kaufman|title = Modern Hatreds: The Symbolic Politics of Ethnic War|publisher = [[Cornell University|Cornell]] Studies in Security Affairs|year = 2001|location = New York|page= 61|isbn = 0-8014-8736-6}}
* {{cite book|last1= Kiesling|first1= Brady|last2= Kojian|first2= Raffi|author-link1= Brady Kiesling|chapter= Stepanakert|title=  Rediscovering Armenia : an archaeological/touristic gazetteer and map set for the historical monuments of Armenia|edition= 2|location= Yerevan|publisher= Matit|year= 2005|isbn=9789994101214}}
* {{cite book|last2= Nevins|first2= Debbie|last1= King|first1= David C.|title= Azerbaijan|author-link1= David C. King|location= New York|year= 2020|publisher= Cavendish Square|page= 7|isbn= 9781502658715}}
* {{cite book|last= Kocharyan|first= G. A.|title= Nagorno-Karabakh|location= Baku|publisher= Society for Survey and Study of Azerbaijan|year= 1925|page= 46|url= https://www.twirpx.com/file/3516807/|url-access= subscription}}
* {{cite book|last= Kuciukian|first= Pietro|author-link= Pietro Kuciukian|title= Giardino di tenebra : viaggio in Nagorno Karabagh|chapter= Capitolo ottavo : La città di Stefano|trans-title= Garden of Darkness: Journey to Nagorno Karabakh|year= 2003|location= Milan|publisher= Guerini e Associati|url= http://digital.casalini.it/8883354133|doi= 10.1400/41657|pages= 1000–1005|isbn= 9788881952854}}
* {{cite encyclopedia|last= Kuliev|first= Jemil|author-link= :az:Cəmil Quliyev (tarixçi)|title= Khankendi|encyclopedia= [[Azerbaijani Soviet Encyclopedia]]|location= Baku|publisher= Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences|year= 1987|volume= 10|url= https://archive.org/details/ace-x-cild/page/49/mode/2up|lang= az}}
* {{cite encyclopedia|last= Lagasse|first= Paul|title= Khankendi|url= https://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Khankendi|volume= 1|encyclopedia= [[Columbia Encyclopedia|The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia]]|year= 2000|edition= 6|location= New York|publisher= [[Columbia University Press]]|oclc= 746941797}}
* {{cite book|last1 = Lobell|first1 = Steven E.|last2= Mauceri|first2= Phillip|title = Ethnic Conflict and International Politics: Explaining Diffusion and Escalation|url = https://archive.org/details/ethnicconflictin00lobe|url-access = limited|publisher = Palgrave MacMillan|year = 2004|location = New York|isbn = 1-4039-6356-8|page =[https://archive.org/details/ethnicconflictin00lobe/page/n64 58]}}
* {{cite encyclopedia|last= Mkrtchyan|first= Shahen|author-link= :hy:Շահեն Մկրտչյան|title= Stepanakert |encyclopedia= [[Armenian Soviet Encyclopedia]]|lang= hy|location= Yerevan|publisher= Academy of Sciences of the Armenian SSR|year= 1985|volume= 11|pages= 124–125|editor= [[Viktor Ambartsumian]]|oclc= 22420067}}
* {{cite book|last1= Mutafian|first1= Claude|author-link1= Claude Mutafian|chapter= Karabagh in the Twentieth Century|title= The Caucasian Knot: The History & Geopolitics of Nagorno-Karabagh|first2= Levon|last2= Chorbajian|first3= Patrick|last3=Donabédian|location= London and New Jersey|publisher= [[Zed Books]]|year= 1994|page= 139|isbn= 9781856492881}}
* {{cite book|last= New York|first= American Geographical Society of|author-link= American Geographical Society|title= Soviet Geography|volume= 29|year= 1988|issue= 1–6|location= United States|publisher= Scripta Publishing Company|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=Dy4YAAAAIAAJ|page= 80}}
* {{cite book|last=Payaslian|first= Simon|author-link= Simon Payaslian|title= The History of Armenia: From the Origins to the Present|year= 2008|location= New York|publisher= [[Palgrave Macmillan]]|page= 174|isbn= 978-0-230-60858-0}}
* {{cite encyclopedia|last= Prokhorov|first= Alexander|title= Stepanakert|url= https://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Xankendi|encyclopedia= [[Great Soviet Encyclopedia]]|location= Moscow|year= 1977|publisher= Sovetskaya Entsiklopediya|edition= 3|author-link= Alexander Prokhorov|oclc= 14476314}}
* {{cite journal|last= Saparov|first= Arséne|title= Why Autonomy? The Making of Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region 1918–1925|journal= [[Europe-Asia Studies]]|volume= 64|number= 2|year= 2012|publisher= [[Routledge]]|url= https://newcoldwar.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Why-AutonomyThe-Making-of-Nagorno-Karabakh-Arsene-Saparov.pdf|pages=281–323|doi= 10.1080/09668136.2011.642583|s2cid= 154783461}}
* {{cite journal|last=Uhlig|first= Mark A.|title= The Karabakh war|journal= [[World Policy Journal]]|volume= 10|number= 4|year= 1993|pages= 47–52|location= New York|publisher= [[Duke University Press]]|issn= 0740-2775|jstor= 40209334}}
* {{cite book|last= Vardanian|first= Manuk|title= Атлас Нагорно-Карабахской Республики|trans-title= Atlas Nagorno-Karabakh Republic|location= Yerevan|publisher= GNO "Center for Geodesy and Cartography"|year= 2009|isbn= 9789994103362|page= 45|language= ru}}
* {{cite journal|last= Zubkova|first= Elena Yurievna|title= Власть и развитие этноконфликтной ситуации в СССР. 1953-1985 гг.|trans-title= Power and Development of the Ethno-Conflict Situation in the USSR|url= https://xn----7sbxcach3agmieaceq1th.xn--p1ai/archive/2004-4|journal= [[Russian History (RAS journal)|Russian History]]|location= Moscow|publisher= [[Nauka (publisher)|Nauka]]|year= 2004|number= 4|page= 22|issn= 0869-5687|language= ru}}
{{refend}}
==External links==
{{Commons category|Stepanakert}}
{{Wiktionary|Stepanakert}}
{{Wikivoyage|Stepanakert}}
* [http://stepanakert.am Stepanakert Municipality (hy)]
* [http://360yerevan.com/en/viewer/#/!/stepanakert/ 360 Panoramic view of the City Center (en)]
* [http://artsakh.travel/en/regions/stepanakert Artsakh tourism Office (en)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201024070346/http://artsakh.travel/en/regions/stepanakert |date=24 October 2020 }}
* [http://www.lonelyplanet.com/azerbaijan/nagorno-karabakh/stepanakert Stepanakert on Lonely Planet (en)]
* {{GEOnet2|32FA8814F5233774E0440003BA962ED3}}
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