Monument Watch rebuts Azerbaijani claims questioning authenticity of Dadivank’s Armenian khachkars

YEREVAN— Monument Watch, an academic initiative monitoring Armenian cultural heritage in Artsakh, has published a detailed rebuttal of Azerbaijani claims questioning the authenticity of medieval Armenian khachkars at Dadivank monastery.

The controversy follows a September 11–12 visit to Artsakh organized by Azerbaijani authorities for approximately 150 representatives of foreign diplomatic missions and international organizations.

During the visit, Azerbaijani representatives presented the medieval Armenian monasteries of Dadivank and Gandzasar as examples of Caucasian Albanian heritage.

At Dadivank, a representative claimed that khachkars incorporated into the walls of the monastery’s small domed church had been manufactured during Artsakh’s independence and artificially aged using vinegar.

Monument Watch rejected the allegations, citing historical inscriptions, archaeological documentation and published academic research.

Seven of the khachkars bear inscriptions dating from 1172 to 1190. Researchers documented some of these inscriptions as early as 1911, with subsequent publications appearing in 1938 and 1982—decades before Artsakh’s independence.

The organization also explained that the durable basalt used for the khachkars helps account for their remarkable preservation.

Monument Watch warned that presenting Armenian churches, inscriptions and religious monuments as Caucasian Albanian heritage forms part of a systematic effort to erase or appropriate Artsakh’s Armenian cultural identity.

The findings renew concerns about the preservation of Armenian religious and historical monuments under Azerbaijani control following the forced displacement of Artsakh’s Armenian population in 2023.