The village of Shishkert is mentioned for the first time in the book "History of Syunik" by Stepanos Orbelyan, a historian of the 13th century. It is referred to as Shashigen, Shashiket, Shashoyget. The village was one of the taxpayer villages of Tatev Monastery and paid 10 tax units. Later the village was called Shishkert or Shket and the latter name is often used by locals. Shishkert is mentioned in the story of "David Bek" by Ghukas Sebastatsi, which mentions the village as one of David Beck's military units. The locals fought triumphant battles against the Khanate forces, protecting both the village and the province of Chavndur.
Here, in the old cemetery of the village, Arakel, the brave commander of David Bek, is burried. According to legend, he was a son-in-law of a resident of Shishkert. In the lower part of the old cemetery, at the mouth of the valley, his gravestone with a gourd sculpture stands out.
The history of this village has many unknown pages. Legend says there was a time when the population left and settled in remote places. It is also said that shepherds who came here from the village of Lichk in Meghri resettled in the village. They noticed a church and ruins of buildings buried in wild parsley (chaerophyllum) and small brush. They moved their families here and invited others who wanted to live in Shishkert and give new birth to the ruins. This happened before the Russian-Persian war of 1826-1828 and that’s why the village had 82 inhabitants in the parish census of 1832 held by Tsarist Russia. Later, the population grew. The famous Melik-Ohanjanians settled in Shishkert, before moving to the Meghri Kaler village. This is confirmed In the perish description of 1840 where the Melik-Ohanjanians were recorded as residents of Shishkert village.
This mountainous village was particularly prominent during the Zangezur war. Residents fought many victorious battles against the Musavatist forces and the Red Army. Military leader, Garegin Nzhdeh, greatly appreciated the devotion of the Shishkert villagers during Zangezur war.
Shishkert had the richest collective economy in the region during Soviet times. The village provided bread and potatoes to the region's hungry people, as well as to the Turkish population. After the 1968 Zangezur earthquake, at the request of the residents, the village was relocated to Khachtap area near the present Tsav village. The locals, however, continued to work in the natural resource-rich area of Shishkert and began to restore the village. The government of Soviet Armenia began the restoration work and residential homes were built, but construction was left incomplete due to the Artsakh war.
The people of Shishkert are hardworking, hospitable, and humanitarian but are sometimes given the stereotype of being simple and naive.
Offer
