Nerkin Sznek, Nagorno-Karabakh

Nerkin Sznek (Ներքին Սզնեք) or Ashagy Yemishjan (Aşağı Yemişcan) is a village in the Khojaly District of Azerbaijan. Prior to the 2023 Azerbaijani offensive, it was de facto controlled by the Republic of Artsakh.

History
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 an 18th/19th-century cemetery, the church of Surb Astvatsatsin (Սուրբ Աստվածածին, lit. 'Holy Mother of God') built in 1849, a 19th-century watermill, and a 19th-century spring monument.

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, a medical centre, and a secondary school that is shared with the neighboring village of Verin Sznek.

Demographics
The village has an ethnic Armenian-majority population, had 129 inhabitants in 2005, and 131 inhabitants in 2015.