Stepanakert

Stepanakert Ստեփանակերտ Xankəndi
City
From top left: Panoramic view of the Renaissance Square T-72 tank memorial of Karabakh War • Artsakh University Downtown Stepanakert • Stepanakert skyline Panoramic view of Stepanakert
Coat of arms
Stepanakert Location of Stepanakert in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Coordinates: 39°48′55″N 46°45′7″E / 39.81528°N 46.75194°E / 39.81528; 46.75194Coordinates: 39°48′55″N 46°45′7″E / 39.81528°N 46.75194°E / 39.81528; 46.75194
Country	de facto part of the  Nagorno-Karabakh Republic de jure part of  Azerbaijan
Province	Stepanakert
City status	1923
Government
• Type	Mayor–Council
• Body	Stepanakert City Council
• Mayor of Stepanakert	Suren Grigoryan
Area
• Total	29.12 km2 (11.24 sq mi)
Elevation	813 m (2,670 ft)
Population (2015)
• Total	55,200
• Density	1,872/km2 (4,850/sq mi)
Time zone	GMT+4 (UTC+4)
Area code(s)	+374 47
Website	stepanakert.am
Sources: Stepanakert city area and population

Stepanakert (Armenian: Ստեփանակերտ Stepanakert Armenian pronunciation: [stɛpanakɛɾt]) or Khankendi (Azerbaijani: Xankəndi), originally called Vararakn (Armenian: Վարարակն), is the capital and the largest city of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, a de facto independent republic, recognized as de jure part of Azerbaijan. As of 2015, the population of Stepanakert is 55,200.

According to medieval Armenian sources, the settlement was first mentioned as Vararakn (Վարարակն, meaning "rapid spring" in Armenian), a name that remained in use until 1847, when it was renamed Khankendi. Azerbaijani sources generally say that the settlement was founded in the late eighteenth century as a private residence for khans of the Karabakh Khanate, and was thus called Khankendi (Turkic for "the khan's village"). The settlement was initially called Khanin Kendi (Xanın kəndi), but then was shortened to Khankendi. After the conquest of the Karabakh Khanate by the Russian Empire the name Khankendi was charted on Russian maps.

In 1923 Khankendi was renamed Stepanakert by the Soviet government to honor Stepan Shahumyan, ethnic Armenian leader of the 26 Baku Commissars, and, after the Shusha pogrom had resulted in major destruction at Shusha, the former regional capital, Stepanakert was made the capital of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO). In time, Stepanakert grew to become the region's most important city (a status it received in 1940). Its population rose from 10,459 in 1939 to 33,000 in 1978.