Chartar

Chartar (Ճարտար; Çartar) is a town in the Khojavend District of Azerbaijan, in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The town had an ethnic Armenian-majority population, and also had an Armenian majority in 1989.

Etymology
The name Chartar is of Armenian origin, meaning "dexterous, crafty".

History
The area of Chartar is one of ancient Armenian settlement, being home to various monasteries, churches, and khachkars from the 12th-19th centuries. Traditionally, it was part of the diocese of the Amaras Monastery. The modern town was populated by Armenians mostly from Agulis, Maghavuz, and Khachen. The town of Chartar was created out of a merger of the four villages of Ghuze Chartar, Ghuze Kaler, Gyune Chartar and Gyune Kaler.

During the Soviet period, the town was a part of the Martuni District of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast.

Historical and cultural heritage
Historical heritage sites in and around Chartar include Chartar Fortress (from between the 3rd and 1st centuries BCE), the Kohak Church (from between the 10th and 13th centuries), the St. Yeghishe Church from 1655, the church of Surb Amenaprkich (Սուրբ Ամենափրկիչ, lit. 'Holy Savior') founded in 1787, and the 19th-century St. George's Church (Սուրբ Գևորգ եկեղեցի). The St. Vardanank Church (Սուրբ Վարդանանք եկեղեցի) was consecrated in 2018 in Chartar.

Economy and culture
The population is mainly engaged in agriculture and animal husbandry. As of 2015, the village has a municipal building, a house of culture, five schools, an art school, two kindergartens, nine shops, a hospital, and a medical centre.

Demographics
According to the Caucasian calendar for 1910, the population of the village by 1908 was 2,757 people, mostly Armenians. By the beginning of 1914, 2,350 inhabitants were recorded, also predominantly Armenians.

Chartar had 3,951 inhabitants in 2005 (with the census divided between "Chartar" with 2,213 inhabitants and "Ghuze Chartar" with 1,738 inhabitants), and 4,100 inhabitants in 2015.

Notable people

 * Nelson Davidyan, Olympic silver medalist and two-time world champion in Greco-Roman wrestling