Albanian temple in Kasikbash village

Garanlig district, Yeni Beyazid uezd of Iravan governorate, nowadays Kasikbash village in Martuni district.

Garanlig district – Martuni, and Kasikbash village was named Lernakert from 07.12.1945.

Archaeological monument

The remains of the Albanian temple in the village of Kasikbash have survived to this day. It was appropriated by Armenians and is presented as an "Armenian monument".

There was an Albanian temple dating back to the 9th-10th centuries in the territory of this village, located in the southeast of Goycha Lake, 7-8 km from the coast, surrounded by the villages of Madina, Khartlig and Gasimbashi. The temple was located on a high ground. A part of the temple, which had received its share from the wars, was blown up and destroyed. Its remains were found in the area. The remains of the temple and the monuments belonging to the Oghuz Turks in the village cemetery are material evidence confirming the at least 1500 year history of the settlement of Kasikbash by the Oghuz Turks. In 1873, 246 Azerbaijanis lived in the village of Kasikbash. In 1898, 60 Armenian families brought from Turkey were settled in this village. According to the official statistics of 1914, the number of Azerbaijani population living in Kasikbash was only 77 people. Most of the villagers who were massacred in 1918 did not return to the village in 1922. Since then, Kasikbash has been characterized as a purely Armenian village. But despite this, the toponym of Kasikbash remained unchanged for another 23 years.

The toponym "Kasikbaş" is an ethnotoponym derived from the name of the tribe. It is a simple toponym in structure.  The ancient inhabitants of Kasikbash village were representatives of TurkicOghuz tribes.