An event dedicated to the culture and history of Hamshen took place in the Francophonie Center of the Paul Eluard House in Stepanakert. During the cultural event, organized by the NGO “Front Artsakh” and the youth club “Bekor”, songs in Hamshen Armenian dialect, ethnographic dances of Hamshen, their traditions and cuisine were presented.

Anastasia Andrian, a volunteer of the youth club “Front Artsakh” and “Bekor”, expressed her belief that Hamshen is one of the mysterious and interesting places of Western Armenia.

“Recently, the interest in Hamshen has increased. We also tried to organize an event and discover the cultural characteristics of Hamshen. Hamshen is the most densely populated area of Armenians in Western Armenia. Although they accepted the Islamic religion as a result of forced conversion, the Armenians of Hamshen continue to live in their homeland and preserve their ethnic culture and dialect. The deep Armenian roots of Hamshen are also documented by the churches and monasteries there,” explained Anastasia Andryan.

Western Armenia positively evaluates this event organized in Artsakh, as it is important that such cultural events take place in different regions of Western Armenia, which aim at revealing the customs and culture of everyone.

It is equally important for the Armenians of Artsakh to remember that the Hamshen region is in Western Armenia and that Western Armenia is a Turkish occupied Armenian state.