Khachkars belong to Udis as well, but they imbibed Armenian culture, expert Says
16/12/2010
As soon as UNESCO declared Armenian khachkars (cross-stones) part of its Intangible Cultural Heritage, Azerbaijan kicked up an awful fuss, claiming that khachkars belong not to Armenians but Udis, one of the most ancient native peoples of Caucasus.
“Khachkars belong to Udis as well, they are nation which imbibed Armenian culture,” Samvel Karapetyan, expert on monuments, told a press conference in Yerevan. According to him, Udis are the only nation, except for Armenians, that created khachkars. They are the followers of the Armenian Apostolic Church, recognized themselves Armenians, went to Armenian schools and spoke Armenian language.
Khachkars created by Udis are decorated as Armenian ones, the only difference is they have inscriptions of personal names – Bachan, Gaparnug, etc.
Azerbaijan’s assertions are false, as these khachkars represent the Armenian culture, he added.
