IN-PERSON: Prague – Section B

Abstract

The school in Tzar/Zar is a palimpsest of histories, built out of violence in the unrecognized republic of Nagorno Karabakh. In this building, fragments of sacred stones represent the forgotten history that is at risk. Although it may be similar to the historical technique of spolia, in reality, it is a form of cultural erasure. Since the 2020 war in Nagorno Karabakh, this building has faced a new risk. Now listed as an endangered heritage site, the repetition of history seems inevitable. Stones that have gone from whole to fragments may now go from fragment to disappearance. What is the fate of heritage in a conflict zone? An entanglement of national identity, war, and ruin. In one of its lives, this building used to be an amalgamation of Khachkars that paraded the town of Tzar/Zar in the mountainous areas of Karabakh. In the 1950s, cultural hatred allowed these stones to be minimized to mere construction material. The sacred rocks represented how the Azerbaijani authorities dealt with Armenian histories. They were cut and used to construct numerous buildings, one of which is this school. A school that reflects the curriculum of hatred embedded within the architecture. A school that is now a monument of cultural genocide. A school that is the only reason these stones exist. Khachkars are Armenian hand-carved cross-stones. Nagorno Karabakh is a stateless nation in the Caucasus caught in a territorial dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan.