Aligirkh tower

In the village of Aligirkh (Badalli) of Garanlig district of Goycha mahal

Astkhadzor since 03.01.1935, Aligirkh (Badalli) village, Garanlig district-Martuni

Architecture

The ruins of Aligirkh castle remained until the deportation of Azerbaijanis in 1987-1991. It is appropriated and presented as an "Armenian monument".

Traces of a mass burial in the mound located in the Aligirkh fortress served as a direct confirmation of the fact that serious battles were fought here 2800 years ago. Before those serious battles, the construction of the castle and the rise of the owners of the castle to the level of organized defense consciousness were undoubtedly the result of a historical process measured by millennia. Therefore, "the history of the foundation of the Astkhadzor fortress and the settlement of these places by its ancient owners should be sought even earlier, at least in the middle of the second millennium BC, that is, 35004000 years deep in history. Academician B. Piotrovsky, who got acquainted with A. Mnatsakanian's findings, confirmed that "Astkhadzor Tower has an ancient history." After all these clarifications, Academician V. Piotrovsky characterized "Astkhadzor Tower" as the oldest tower in the territory of Armenia. But this time, as in other similar cases, he did not mention the ancient name of the castle. The village of Aligirkh is located 17 kilometers southwest of the Garanlig (now Martuni) district, on the slope between the Zuldagh peak of the Goyam range and the source of the Argish river. On the 12th page of the "Irevan Governorate Review Book" compiled in 1728, it was mentioned that "the village of Badalli, also known as Aligirikh" is one of the administrative units of the Goycha region. It was not included in the lists of Goycha villages compiled by I. Chopin, but during the next 70 years, the village, which was not mentioned in academic documents, emerged as one of the largest settlements of the district, whose population was exclusively Azerbaijani, at the beginning of the 20th century. In 1914, the number of residents of the village, consisting of only Azerbaijanis, was 753. In 1918, Azerbaijanis were subjected to genocide. The village was presented as a purely Armenian village founded by Armenians. In 1935, by the decision of the Central Executive Committee of the Council of People's Commissars of Armenia dated January 3, 1935, the name of the village of Aligirikh was changed to "Astkhadzor".

In the records of 1555, Aligirikh Tower was classified as one of the most magnificent tower and one of the largest settlements in the territory of Chukhursad Baylarbey of the Safavid Azerbaijan state.