Over the past week, about 100 Armenian historical and cultural monuments have been endangered by fires that broke out in the eastern border zone of Azerbaijani-occupied Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), the Artsakh Ministry of Culture has warned.

The Tigranakert historical and cultural reserve, the Amaras Monastery, as well as significant monuments located in the vicinity of Talish village and a number of other settlements have ended up in the fire zone.

According to information circulating on social media, the fire has already damaged the historical mulberry orchards of Nor Shen village.

The fire has also reached Nakhichevan and Seydishen villages where Armenian churches and other Armenian structures of cultural value are facing immediate danger.

In accordance with international law and conventions on the protection of cultural heritage, Azerbaijan, having de facto control over Artsakh which it has occupied, is obligated to ensure the preservation of Armenian cultural and natural heritage in the territories under its control, and to take urgent measures to extinguish the fires and restore the damage caused.

Also, international structures and specialized organizations, within the framework of their mandate, should properly assess the current situation, and take effective steps to preserve the Armenian cultural heritage of Artsakh.

The photo below shows a map—according to data from the NASA LANCE/FIRMS system—of these fires.