Whose Heritage Is It? Caucasian Albania and Armenian Cultural Heritage in Artsakh

About the Event:

Little known in the West, Caucasian Albania has been the subject of renewed discussion among scholars and the general public in the wake of the Nagorno-Karabakh war in 2020 and Azerbaijani revisionism regarding the region’s history, culture, and cultural monuments. 

Dr. Jasmine Dum-Tragut and Dr. Jost Gippert, together with internationally renowned experts, have edited a handbook on Caucasian Albania, which provides a factual and scientifically sound overview of the current state of research on the Caucasian “Albanians.” Dum-Tragut will first introduce us to this work and then proceed to discuss the issue of both the historical Caucasian Albanian Church and the newly established Caucasian Albanian Church of the Udi minority. 

The latter was founded with the help of the government of Azerbaijan, which is also strongly promoting the Church. Claims to Christian Armenian cultural heritage, churches, and monasteries will be at the center of the discussion. 

How great is the real danger of the conversion of Armenian churches and monasteries to Caucasian ones by the government of Azerbaijan, and how can the Armenian cultural heritage of Artsakh be protected? What can be done from the point of view of scholars and experts of the region, as well as international conventions and charters, on protecting cultural property and the international community?

About the Speaker:

Jasmine Dum-Tragut (Austria), Dr., Dr.h.c., is Associate Professor of Armenian Studies and Linguistics, as well as a hippologist. She is the director of the University of Salzburg’s Centre for the Study of the Christian East and Armenian Studies Division.

Language: English