Hadrut

---

title: "Hadrut" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["populated-places-in-khojavend-district", "cities-and-towns-in-azerbaijan", "former-armenian-communities-in-khojavend-district"] topic_path: "geography" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hadrut" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::data[format=table title="Infobox settlement"]

Field	Value
settlement_type	Town
official_name	Hadrut
native_name	Հադրութ
image_skyline	File:Hadrut.jpg
image_caption	View of Hadrut in 2021
image_size	300px
pushpin_map	Azerbaijan
pushpin_mapsize	300
subdivision_type	Country
subdivision_name	Azerbaijan
subdivision_type1	District
subdivision_name1	Khojavend
population_footnotes	{{Cite web
access-date	2025-10-12}}
population_as_of	2025
population_total	41
population_density_km2	auto
timezone	UTC
utc_offset	+4
coordinates
elevation_m	720
::

| settlement_type = Town | official_name = Hadrut | native_name = Հադրութ | image_skyline = File:Hadrut.jpg | image_caption = View of Hadrut in 2021 | image_size = 300px | pushpin_map = Azerbaijan | pushpin_mapsize = 300 | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = Azerbaijan | subdivision_type1 = District | subdivision_name1 = Khojavend | subdivision_type2 = | subdivision_name2 = | leader_title = | leader_name = | established_title = | established_date = | area_total_km2 = | area_footnotes = | population_footnotes = {{Cite web|url=https://en.apa.az/social/azerbaijan-relocates-first-group-of-former-idps-to-hadrut-settlement-and-badara-village-477458|title=Azerbaijan relocates first group of former IDPs to Hadrut Settlement and Badara Village |access-date=2025-10-12}} | population_as_of = 2025 | population_total = 41 | population_density_km2 = auto | timezone = UTC | utc_offset = +4 | timezone_DST = | utc_offset_DST = | coordinates = | elevation_m = 720 | area_code = | website = | name = | image_shield =

Hadrut (, ) is a town in the Khojavend District of Azerbaijan, in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The town had an ethnic Armenian-majority population prior to the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war. Numerous Armenian civilians were killed in and around Hadrut by Azerbaijani forces during or after the battle. Subsequently, Azerbaijani soldiers vandalized Armenian-owned property, including the local church and cemetery, obliterating its gravestones.

Toponymy

The name Hadrut is of Persian origin and means "between two rivers". This is explained by the fact that the older part of the settlement was located between two streams, Guney-chay and Guzey-chay. Hadrut later expanded beyond the two rivers to the east and west.

The town is also infrequently called hy () by Armenians. In Azerbaijan, the town is also called az ().

History

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/00/Hadruth,Spitak_Khach(White_Cross)church-_panoramio.jpg" caption="Vank]]."] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/91/StHaroutyunChurch.jpg" caption="Surb Harut’yun Yekeghets’i}}) of Hadrut, built in 1621."] ::

The date of Hadrut's foundation is unknown. Fragments of monuments and historical artifacts dated to pre-Christian, early Christian and medieval times have been found in and around Hadrut. There are several ruins of ancient fortresses and walls in the valley surrounding Hadrut. From medieval times until the early 19th century, Hadrut was a part of the Armenian Principality of Dizak, one of the five Melikdoms of Karabakh. In the 15th and 16th century, many of the fortifications, churches and settlements around Hadrut were destroyed by Ottoman and Safavid forces as they fought for control of the South Caucasus. A small number of these structures were rebuilt under the rule of the meliks of Dizak. The Melikdom of Dizak was subordinated to the Karabakh Khanate before the Russian conquest of Karabakh.

During the Russian period, Hadrut was governed as part of different administrative divisions: first as a part of Karabakh Province (1822–1840), then in the Shusha uezd of the Caspian Oblast (1840–1846), then in the Shusha uezd of the Shemakha Governorate (1846–1859), then of the Shusha uezd of the Baku Governorate (1859–1868), and finally, of the Shusha uezd of the Elizavetpol Governorate (1868–1873) and later the Jebrail uezd of the Elizavetpol Governorate (1873–1917) successively.

In the Soviet period, Hadrut became the centre of the Hadrut District of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast within Azerbaijan SSR and was given the urban settlement status in 1963. Some of the earliest activities of the Karabakh movement occurred in Hadrut, beginning with the collection of petitions in 1986 for the transfer of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast to the Armenian SSR and culminating in a demonstration of one thousand people in Hadrut in February 1988, which then spread to the capital of the NKAO, Stepanakert. Following the Armenian victory in the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, Hadrut became the administrative center of the Hadrut Province of the Republic of Artsakh.

In the midst of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, heavy fighting took place in Hadrut, marked by the usage of cluster munitions by the Azerbaijani Army. Azerbaijan captured Hadrut on or around 9 October 2020. Although most of the civilian population was evacuated, Armenian authorities reported that a number of civilians were killed by Azerbaijani forces in Hadrut and the surrounding area during or after the battle. Following the battle, a video of an execution of two unarmed and bound Armenian men in the town by Azerbaijani soldiers spread online, prompting investigations.

The town was vandalized and looted by Azerbaijani soldiers after its capture, with people's belongings strewn throughout the streets and the contents of homes upturned. The Armenian cemetery of the town's church was vandalized as well, with its gravestones having been kicked down and smashed. In January 2021, as part of the reconstruction work in Hadrut, new Azerbaijani-language street signs were erected in Hadrut with new street names based on the names of fallen Azerbaijani soldiers and historical Azerbaijani personalities. In June 2021, Azerbaijani authorities installed an "Iron Fist" monument in the town to celebrate the outcome of the 2020 war. Construction of a mosque started in October 2021, and the finished mosque was officially inaugurated on 14 September 2025.

In November 2022 Azerbaijani Government has completed the development of general plans for Hadrut. The master plan for Hadrut was drawn up by SP Architects. Construction of a new residential quarter in the southern part of the town was started in May 2023. In August 2025 Azerbaijani Reconstruction, Construction, and Management Service, strategically positioned within the Aghdam, Fuzuli, and Khojavend districts, has commenced preliminary operations for the enhancement and refurbishment of multi-unit residential structures will be executed within the Hadrut locality. The aggregate expenditure for the initiatives is anticipated to be 4.6 million manat ($2.7 million). Post-war resettlement of the town was started in September 2025, when 10 Azerbaijani families (41 people) settled there.

Historical heritage sites

Historical heritage sites in and around the town include the 14th-century church of hy ('White Cross') located on a hill to the south of Hadrut, on the road towards the neighboring village of Vank, the 13th-century bridge of hy, the Holy Resurrection Church (hy) built in 1621, a cemetery from between the 17th and 19th centuries, as well as a 19th-century bridge, watermill and oil mill.

Notable people

Sar Sargsyan, Armenian baritone singer

Economy

The town was home to the Mika-Hadrut Winery, which produced brandy, vodka, and wine.

Demographics

According to the 1910 publication of Kavkazskiy kalendar, Hadrut—then known as ru in Russian—had a mostly Armenian population of 2,700 in 1908.

The earliest recorded census of the town of Hadrut showed a population of around 2,400 registered inhabitants in 1939, of which more than 90% was Armenian. Hadrut kept an Armenian-majority population throughout the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, up until the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, during which the town was captured by Azerbaijani forces and the Armenian population was expelled. ::data[format=table]

Year	Armenians	Azerbaijanis	Russians	Ukrainians	Total	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
1939	2,200	91.4	51	2.1	129	5.4	22	0.9	2,408
1970	1,845	88.6	137	6.6	68	3.3	18	0.9	2,082
1979	1,955	90.0	188	8.7	19	0.9	2	0.1	2,173
2005	2,936	100.0	0	0.0	0	0.0	0	0.0	2,936
title=Table 1.6 NKR urban and rural settlements grouping according to de jure population number	url=http://stat-nkr.am/files/publications/2016/Mardahamar_2015_eng/CHAPTER%20%202/1_6.pdf	archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200307091745/http://stat-nkr.am/files/publications/2016/Mardahamar_2015/MAS_2/1_6LXH.pdf	archive-date=7 March 2020	website=stat-nkr.am	publisher=Population Census 2015}}	3,102	100.0	0	0.0	0	0.0	0	0.0
October 2020: Seizure by Azerbaijani forces. Exodus of Armenian population
::

As of December 2025, 33 Azerbaijani families, totaling 130 individuals, have been resettled in Hadrut by Azerbaijan.

Gallery

File:Hadrut003.jpg|The center of Hadrut File:Հադրութ.JPG|Scenery File:Hadrut006.jpg|View of Hadrut streets File:Hadrut005.jpg|A hotel in Hadrut File:Աղբյուր, քաղաք Հադրութ.jpg|Spring in Hadrut File:Hadruthos.jpg|Hadrut regional hospital File:Hadrut mosque.jpg|Hadrut mosque (2025)

Climate

Hadrut has a Temperate climate with hot summers(Cfa) according to the Köppen climate classification. |width = auto |location = Hadrut |single line = Y |metric first = Y |Jan record high C = |Feb record high C = |Mar record high C = |Apr record high C = |May record high C = |Jun record high C = |Jul record high C = |Aug record high C = |Sep record high C = |Oct record high C = |Nov record high C = |Dec record high C = |year record high C= |Jan high C = 4.5 |Feb high C = 5.4 |Mar high C = 9.2 |Apr high C = 16.4 |May high C = 20.2 |Jun high C = 25.2 |Jul high C = 28.3 |Aug high C = 29.2 |Sep high C = 23.7 |Oct high C = 18.3 |Nov high C = 11.6 |Dec high C = 7.1 |year high C= |Jan low C = -2.9 |Feb low C = -2.3 |Mar low C = 0.8 |Apr low C = 6.5 |May low C = 10.8 |Jun low C = 14.9 |Jul low C = 18.0 |Aug low C = 16.9 |Sep low C = 13.9 |Oct low C = 8.8 |Nov low C = 3.7 |Dec low C = -0.4 |year low C= |Jan record low C = |Feb record low C = |Mar record low C = |Apr record low C = |May record low C = |Jun record low C = |Jul record low C = |Aug record low C = |Sep record low C = |Oct record low C = |Nov record low C = |Dec record low C = |year record low C= |precipitation colour = green |Jan precipitation mm = 22 |Feb precipitation mm = 28 |Mar precipitation mm = 42 |Apr precipitation mm = 54 |May precipitation mm = 79 |Jun precipitation mm = 59 |Jul precipitation mm = 25 |Aug precipitation mm = 24 |Sep precipitation mm = 31 |Oct precipitation mm = 44 |Nov precipitation mm = 34 |Dec precipitation mm = 23 |year precipitation mm = |source 1 = http://en.climate-data.org/location/52897/ |date=October, 2016

International relations

When the town was under Armenian control, Hadrut was twinned with the following cities:

• ARM Vagarshapat, Armenia (2010–2020)
• USA Burbank, United States (2014–2020)

References

References

1. Андрей Зубов. "Андрей Зубов. Карабах: Мир и Война".
2. (30 October 2020). "'This Is A Different War': Nagorno-Karabakh Refugee Shudders At Video Showing Neighbors' Execution".
3. Davidbekov, I.. (1888). "Сборник материалов для описания местностей и племён Кавказа. Вып. 6". Tipografīia Kantseliarīi Glavnonachalʹstvuiushchago grazhdanskoiu chastīiu na Kavkazie.
4. Mkrtchyan. Shahen. link. "". (1980). Hayastan publishing house
5. Dashtents, Anush. (November 17, 2020). "Հադրութ․ ինչպես եղավ, եւ ինչ հարցեր ունեն հադրութցիները Հարությունյանին".
6. Jalalyan, Lusane. (October 8, 2020). "Հադրութի մասին…".
7. (May 24, 2021). "Ինչպես են ադրբեջանցիները ներկայացնում Հադրութի անկումը "Ռիա Նովոստի"-ին".
8. (12 September 2020). "Надо вселить азербайджанцев в Агоглан (бывш. Гадрут) и провести там референдум". [[Caucasian Knot]].
9. (25 December 2020). "Гадрут: город без жителей". [[Caucasian Knot]].
10. (12 October 2020). "Polemika: Hadrut, yoxsa Ağoğlan? - Tarixçinin şərhi". Teleqraf.az.
11. (15 October 2020). "Hadrutun Ağoğlan adlandırılması ən doğru qərar olar". Aqreqator.az.
12. {{Azerbaijani Soviet Encyclopedia. 10. 127. Һадрут
13. Hakobyan, Tatul. (2010). "Karabakh Diary: Green and Black: Neither War Nor Peace".
14. (2020-10-23). "Azerbaijan: Cluster Munitions Used in Nagorno-Karabakh".
15. (9 October 2020). "President of Azerbaijan: 'Hadrut settlement and several villages liberated from occupation'".
16. (2020-10-19). "Azerbaijani MoD shows soldiers who liberated Hadrut from Armenian occupation (PHOTO)".
17. (8 October 2020). "Artsakh Ombudsman: The Azerbaijani actions aiming at deepening humanitarian disaster in Artsakh, causing 20 casualties, 93 wounded and over 5800 material losses".
18. (8 October 2020). "The Azerbaijani Side Has Killed At Least Five Civilians since the Ceasefire Came into Force".
19. (11 October 2020). "At least 5 civilians killed by Azerbaijan in Artsakh following ceasefire".
20. (15 October 2020). "An Execution in Hadrut".
21. (24 October 2020). "Nagorno-Karabakh conflict: 'Execution' video prompts war crime probe". BBC News.
22. (2020-11-30). "Uneasy peace takes hold in contested region of Azerbaijan". [[PBS NewsHour]].
23. Ali, Samir. (2021-01-08). "Signs and plates with street names being put up in Azerbaijan's Hadrut (PHOTOS)". MENAFN - Trend News Agency.
24. (2021-06-26). "Azerbaijan erects "Iron Fist" monument in liberated Hadrut (PHOTO)".
25. (2021-07-12). "And In Other News". [[CivilNet]].
26. (2025-10-12). "President Aliyev inaugurates newly built mosque in Hadrut - PHOTO".
27. "Azerbaijan completes general plans for some Karabakh settlements".
28. "Hadrut city planning".
29. "28 private houses to be built in the first residential quarter in Hadrut".
30. "Azerbaijan advances reconstruction in its liberated territories with Hadrut renovation plan".
31. Давидбеков И.. (1888). "Сборник материалов для описания местностей и племён Кавказа. Вып. 6".
32. "Spitak Khach (White Cross) Monastery".
33. Hakob Ghahramanyan. "Directory of socio-economic characteristics of NKR administrative-territorial units (2015)".
34. "Mika-Hadrut at Spyur IS".
35. {{Cite Kavkazskiy Kalendar 1910
36. "/Census Hadrut (in Russian)".
37. "Гадрутский район 1970".
38. "Result of the Soviet census of 1979 of the Hadrut district".
39. [http://census.stat-nkr.am/nkr/1-1.pdf De facto and De Jure Population by Administrative Territorial Distribution and Sex] {{Webarchive. link. (2011-03-02 Census in NKR, 2005. THE NATIONAL STATISTICAL SERVICE OF NAGORNO-KARABAKH REPUBLIC)
40. "Table 1.6 NKR urban and rural settlements grouping according to de jure population number". Population Census 2015.
41. "Laçına, Xocavəndin Hadrut və Qırmızı Bazar qəsəbələrinə və Ağdamın Xıdırlı kəndinə köç karvanları yola salınıb".
42. "HADRUT".
43. "Նորություններ - yerkir.am".

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