Aygestan, Askeran

Aygestan (Այգեստան) or Ballyja (Բալուջա; Ballıca) is a village in the Khojaly District of Azerbaijan. The village has an ethnic Armenian-majority population, and also had an Armenian majority in 1989. Prior to the 2023 Azerbaijani offensive, it was de facto controlled by the Republic of Artsakh.

History
The modern village was founded in the 17th century. During the Soviet period, the village was part of the Askeran District of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast.

Historical heritage sites
Historical heritage sites in and around the village include tombs from the 2nd–1st centuries BCE, a 12th/13th-century village, the 12th/13th-century Tamtsi Church (Թամցի եկեղեցի), the 12th/13th-century shrine of Prshni Nahatak (Փռշնի Նահատակ), a 13th-century khachkar, a cemetery from between the 17th and 19th centuries, and the church of Surb Astvatsatsin (Սուրբ Աստվածածին, lit. 'Holy Mother of God') built in 1850.

Economy and culture
The population is mainly engaged in agriculture and animal husbandry, as well as in different state institutions. As of 2015, the village has a municipal building, a house of culture, a secondary school, a kindergarten, and a medical centre. The village is home to the Artsakh Brandy Company.

Demographics
The village had 1,091 inhabitants in 2005, and 1,084 inhabitants in 2015.