Cemetery monuments in Afandi village

In village Afandi (Afandikand) in Yeni Bayazid uezd of Iravan Governorate (9 km southeast of the current Sevan district center, on the northeastern shore of Goycha Lake).

Name of the district: Yelenovka since 1842, Sevan since 1935. Afandi village, Norashen (Yenikand) since 04.01.1938

Architecture

Until mass deportation of Azerbaijanis from the area by Armenians in 1987-1991, grave monuments remained untouched in the old cemetery area. Later, some of them were appropriated by the Armenians, and the rest were destroyed.

300-400 meters south-west of the current geographical position of Efendi village, there was a burial ground, undoubtedly belonging to VI-VII centuries. In the ancient cemetery, there are a lot of graves and tombstone monuments belonging to different tribes of Turkic origin, which are the roots of the Azerbaijani people. The 2-3 meter high Oghuz graves with inscriptions, tombstones and chests belonging to various AlbanianTurkish tribes constitute a historical source reflecting the ancient past. There are historical monuments belonging to Azerbaijanis from the 12th century in the village.

Another name of the village is given in Armenian sources as Rahmankand, Norashen. However, the ancient and originnal name of the village was Afandikand. Such facts aim to destroy the territories rich in material and cultural heritage of Azerbaijan.