Karabag
Karabag (Karabagh, Karabakh) is a region in southeastern Azerbaijan, between the Caucasus and Karabakh mountain ranges. The chief towns are Xankandi and Shusha. Karabag contains many mineral springs as well as substantial deposits of limestone and marble. Farming, sheep herding, and light industries are the primary economic activities. The population is approximately 76 percent Armenian with a substantial Azeri minority and smaller Russian and Kurdish communities.
The region was part of the ancient kingdom of Caucasian Albania before being taken over by Armenia in the first century CE. It was ruled by the Armenian princes of Artsakh (as vassals to various Arab regimes from the seventh century) until conquest by the Seljuks under Alp Arslan (c. 1030–1072/73). It was first called Karabag (Turkish for "Black Garden") during the rule of the Ilkhanid Mongols in the 1300s. It was fought over by Turkey and Persia (Iran) before gaining independence under the Djevanshir family in the mid-1700s. The khanate of Karabag became a vassal to Russia in 1805 and was fully incorporated in 1822. Following the establishment of the Soviet Union it was attached to Azerbaijan as the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (1923).
In the late 1980s, Armenia and Azerbaijan went to war over Karabag. By the end of 1993, Armenian forces had conquered much of the region, displacing over 1 million refugees. A cease-fire was reached with Russian aid in 1994. In 1996, the parliament of Nagorno-Karabakh declared independence, largely unrecognized by the international community. The ultimate disposition of the territory and refugees has yet to be resolved.
Further Reading
Croissant, Michael P. (1998) The Armenia-Azerbaijan Conflict. Westport, CT: Praeger.
"Kara Bagh." (1978) The Encyclopedia of Islam. Leiden, Germany: E. J. Brill.
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