The residents of Skhtorashen village of Martuni region have abandoned their houses years ago and mainly started to reside in the neighboring Karmir Shuka (Red Market) village or in the capital city Stepanakert. In 2003 the village had 23 families. Now there is only one left. The children of the Nersisyans, together with their families, live in different areas of the republic. The son, named Ararat, who has sacrificed his life for the independence of his homeland, is buried in Skhtorashen.
The Nersisyans are mainly occupied with cattle-breeding and bee-keeping in the village. The income they receive is used for the needs of the family and to support the children and grandchildren. Some of the residents of the neighboring Karmir Shuka village said that in summer the grandchildren of the Nersisyans visit Skhtorashen to rest.
The family of Babayans, who are also from that village, currently live in the area that is in between Skhtorashen and Karmir Shuka villages. The 28-year old son of the family, Alik Babayan, also lives in that house with his wife and children. According to Alik the family used to reside in Skhtorashen during the years of his army service. Later his mother and father have moved to live in a house foreseen for the workers of the collective economy. During the years of privatization the Babayan family had to stay in that house because there was no other family left in the village except for one. Besides, the roads of the village were in bad shape and no car could get there. That’s the reason why they moved to live in a more convenient area – in Skhtorashen, abandoning the newly built house.
“At present we are mainly occupied with cattle-breeding and vegetable growing. We have 15 pieces of cattle, we make cheese and sell, sometimes we slay cattle. The harvest of nearly 5000-meter area is quite enough for us. We are even able to help the family of my brother and relatives, who live in Karmir Shuka. In general, we live OK, but we are thinking of moving to Stepanakert or Karmir Shuka”, – says Alik Babayan. In his opinion it is not very profitable to be occupied with wheat production because there are low rates of harvesting. Moreover, the wheat price has significantly gone down in the recent years. Alik’s wife, Tatevik, who has lived with the Babayan family for over three years, says that it is very difficult to live in that house far from the village, especially since there are no neighbors around. Most probably, in a few years, the young family of Babayans’ will leave this house since Alik’s two-year old daughter will have to go to school in several years. And there are no schools in Skhtorashen.
In the near future Skhtorashen will probably have the same destiny as Mavas village, which is situated not far from Skhtorashen. However, nothing is left from the previously huge village. Unfortunately, it’s worth confessing that in Karabagh, in parallel of building new villages, there is a necessity to pay attention to old villages, which are in a stage of destruction. The residents are gradually leaving the village, by moving to town centers or neighboring bigger villages, where there are better living conditions.