We_Are_Our_Mountains
We Are Our Mountains
Monument in Stepanakert, Azerbaijan
We Are Our Mountains (Armenian: 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.[1]
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.[2]
On 29 September 2023, Azerbaijani officials placed the flag of Azerbaijan on the monument, on the same day of the Azerbaijani takeover of Stepanakert,[3] after the Azerbaijani military offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh undertaken ten days earlier and the subsequent flight of the Armenian population.[4] Concerns were raised that Azerbaijan could demolish the monument.[5][6][7]