Qaraba

Qaraba, or Qarabağ in Azerbaijani, is a region in the South Caucasus that lies largely within the internationally recognized borders of Azerbaijan. The name is closely associated with Karabakh in English, and the area is also known as Artsakh in Armenian. The term Qarabağ is of Turkic origin and is commonly linked to the historic and cultural landscape of the region.

Geography and population in historical and contemporary terms refer to a mountainous zone on the Karabakh plateau within the Lesser Caucasus. The region has included a mixture of Armenian and Azerbaijani settlements, with Armenians forming a significant portion of the population in the de facto authorities that controlled parts of Nagorno-Karabakh for several decades, while surrounding districts have been predominantly Azerbaijani.

Historically, Qaraba has been a focal point of long-standing Armenian–Azerbaijani tensions. It experienced intense conflict during the late 1980s and early 1990s, leading to a 1994 ceasefire that left Nagorno-Karabakh and adjacent territories under Armenian control despite international recognition of Azerbaijan’s sovereignty. In 2020, a war resulted in Azerbaijan regaining control over portions of the area and nearby districts, followed by a ceasefire and the deployment of international peacekeepers to certain corridors. Since then, the status and governance of the region have been subjects of negotiation and military and political maneuvering, with ongoing international diplomatic efforts toward stabilization and potential reintegration.

See also: Artsakh, Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Karabakh.