We Are Our Mountains

We Are Our Mountains (Մենք ենք մեր լեռները, Menk' enk' mer leṙnerə) is a monument north of Stepanakert (Khankendi) in Azerbaijan. The sculpture, completed in 1967 by Sargis Baghdasaryan, is widely regarded as a symbol of the Armenian heritage of Nagorno-Karabakh, with some considering it to be a symbol of Armenian identity as a whole.

The monument is made from volcanic tuff and depicts an old man and woman hewn from rock, representing the mountain people of Karabakh. It is known colloquially as "tatik-papik" (տատիկ-պապիկ) in Armenian and "Dedo-Babo" (Դեդո-Բաբո) in the Karabakh dialect, which translates as "Grandmother and Grandfather". The sculpture is prominent in Artsakh's coat of arms.

On 29 September 2023, Azerbaijani officials placed the flag of Azerbaijan on the monument, on the same day of the Azerbaijani takeover of Stepanakert, after the Azerbaijani military offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh undertaken ten days earlier and the subsequent flight of the Armenian population. Concerns were raised that Azerbaijan could demolish the monument.

Eurovision 2009 image controversy
During the Eurovision Song Contest 2009, We Are Our Mountains was included, among other local symbols, in the introductory "postcard" preceding the Armenian performance. Representatives from Azerbaijan complained to the European Broadcasting Union about the use of the monument in the Armenian intro, since the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh is de jure part of Azerbaijan. In response to the complaint, the image was edited out of the video in the finals. In response, Armenia displayed images of the monument on a video screen in the background, and on the back of the clipboard held by its spokesperson Sirusho.

In popular culture
This monument is featured in the artwork of the songs "Protect the Land" and "Genocidal Humanoidz" by the American band System of a Down to draw attention to the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War.