Time zone AZT (UTC+4) Rayon Goranboy District | Local time Sunday 11:21 PM | |
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Country Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh_Republic Weather 0°C, Wind W at 8 km/h, 82% Humidity | ||
Menashli (Azerbaijani: Mənəşli) or Menashen (Armenian: Մենաշեն) (also, Manasashen, Manashen, Manashid) is a village and municipality in South Caucasus. It lies south of Todan in the Goranboy Rayon of Azerbaijan, though the unrecognised Republic of Mountainous Karabakh (NKR, Artsakh) claims that Menashen and the Shahumyan region should fall within the NKR.
Contents
Map of Manashli, Azerbaijan
Today Mənəşli has a population of 298, and the municipality consists of two villages: Mənəşli and Erkeç.
History
The village was founded as Manashid (or Monashid) by Swiss-German settlers and was once renowned for its cheese. Later, as part of Shahumyan district of Soviet Azerbaijan, it became populated by Armenians. During the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, the area around Manashid was at the heart of the fighting during Operation Ring in spring 1991. In September 1991 the Chicago Tribune reported that the residents had lived "without electricity, gas and supplies for months" and that school had been cancelled as "residents fear putting all the children in one place that could be shelled" At that time the reports still doubted that the Azerbaijani forces would prevail as, according to one ethnic-Armenian who had come as a volunteer to 'defend' the village "they have only bombs and they are not such great fighters". Eventually, however, Manashid was emptied of its ethnic-Armenian population, and the village was essentially destroyed including the Armenian church of Surb Hovhannes. Some years later it was renamed Mənəşli (Menashli) and settled by Azeris.