Along the Closed Borders

In Chambarak -- a town located on the border with Azerbaijan -- people built a cross overlooking the village. Many crosses like this appeared within the last decades, especially in rural areas. They are visible from the road and shine only at night. Some locals of Chambarak say that they always drive past this cross first before heading to their homes.

Along the Closed Borders is a project about life in the rural border regions of Armenia, whose residents have lived through two wars, and potentially the threat of a third as tensions rise again between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

I was born in Armenia during the first Nagorno-Karabakh war. When I was little, I visited my grandmothers in the village. I played with the neighbor’s children, drank spring water, picked flowers, and climbed the mountains to look at our village from above. There, beyond the mountains, was the closed border with Azerbaijan, and my father’s hometown of Artsvashen. It was occupied by Azerbaijan in 1992, on the day I was born.

On September 27, 2020, the war in Nagorno-Karabakh reignited. It lasted for 44 days, taking the lives of thousands of people and displacing even more. Shortly after, I began to hear the word “border” everywhere: in the media and in conversations with my family. I started to think about the meaning of borders and how their proximity affected people’s lives and landscapes. I traveled to Armenia, documenting everyday rural life along the closed borders with Azerbaijan and Turkey.

The village of Vahan is located near my father's hometown of Artvashen which was occupied by Azerbaijan in 1992. My father used to commute through Vahan every day to his work. He dreams he could make this commute someday again to see his hometown one more time.

Mery Danielyan lives in Chambarak. She is a social worker and elementary school teacher. Mery recently got engaged to a young man from her village. Young people like Mery's sister, leave rural areas after graduating high school. However, Mery decided to stay in the village with her family.

Many people in rural regions don’t have drinking water in their homes. Some don’t have any running water at all. This forces rural residents to rely on springs. Here, a man is helping his neighbor construct a pipe that is supposed to transport the mountain water directly to his neighbor’s home. Once neighbors have drinking tap water, they often share it with others.

After losing their loved ones during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, many families began to set up memorials, both in cemeteries and in their homes. Zhirair (Zhiro) Balyan was one of three children in his family. He died on the last day of the war. The family often visits his grave and brings fresh flowers into the living room - for him. Zhiro's mother says she never closes the door to the room for fear of leaving her child there alone. Tutujur, Armenia

In the summer, the children of Chinari, a bordering village with Azerbaijan, spend a lot of time playing outside together. Here, they are pictured at one of their favorite spots, on the top of the steep hill that overlooks the entire village. On a clear day, the homes of the Azerbaijani people can be visible from afar.

View from one of the abandoned sanatoriums on the way to Chambarak.

Aygedzor is a village in Tavush province, located on the border with Azerbaijan. A local school is building a cement wall to protect the children from potential cross-border shootings. Despite the threat and a lack of resources in border areas, teachers and school administration in Aygedzor engage children in many artistic performances. Here, a concert hall in Aygedzor school is pictured. The sign on the stage says, Farewell to the ABCs. The Last Bell.

Locals of a border region of Ttujur, Armenia. Future mother-in-law (right) is posing next to her daughter-in-law (left).

Landscapes of Chambarak. Villagers point to the mountains when talking about borders.

Most people in rural Armenia keep sheep. They use sheep's wool to make blankets. It is a sustainable practice because the materials are used over and over again. The photo shows the attic where the washed and processed wool is dried. The next day, a neighbor will come over and help make a wool blanket.

Kamo Gevorkian has been working as a shepherd for nearly 40 years in a bordering village of Chmabarak, Armenia. He leaves his house before dawn and returns right before the sunset. Despite his second-degree disability, he goes to the mountains every day during the season. In the 1990s, Kamo accidentally crossed the Armenia-Azerbaijani border because of foggy conditions in the mountains. He was taken prisoner. Kamo said that before the First Nagorno-Karabakh war, he used to graze his cows and sheep alongside Azerbaijani shepherds. They often ate lunch not far away from each other. When Kamo was captured, one of the Azerbaijani shepherds recognized him. He spent a week tied up, after which he was released.

Locals of the border village of Ttujur are celebrating their neighbor's return from the army. Military service in Armenia is mandatory for male citizens aged 18 to 27. Families and neighbors gather for a meal and send off the young men leaving for a two-year service. When they return, they gather again. The celebration after the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh was especially important to all families who had children serving in the army and fighting the war.

In the village of Bagaran, located right next to the border with Turkey, many people’s source of income comes from the fruit season. Bagaran is famous for its juicy and sweet apricots. The apricot season is short but labor-intensive. People work long hours to gather and sort the best fruits for export to Russia. The rest of the apricots are dried in the sun or used for making homemade vodka.

A view from Bagaran village, Armenia. Armenian homes and a cemetery are in the foreground. Turkey is in the background.

Children of Ttujur, Armenia are posing in front of the camera during the last day of their summer camp.

Still life with apricot pits in the village of Aygedzor, Armenia.

Levon Balyan is posing on the grave of his son who died during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war. Levon is a farmer. Taking care of poultry and livestock helps him survive his son's passing. Otherwise, Levon says, it would have been impossible for him to grieve.

On the river in Aygedzor, Armenia.

In a village school of Chambarak, Armenia.

Mane and her brother Andranik are searching for ripe berries on the side of the road near their house.

Interiors of one of the schools in Aygedzor, Tavush Province.

Along the Closed Borders Project. Lilit Danielyan photographer | filmmaker | teaching artist

Living close to the border is about anxiety and daily worry. Even the youngest residents of regions like Tavush Province feel the tension of living in close proximity of the border in one way or another. Cement fences are built around schools. Portraits of fallen soldiers — most of whom were only eighteen years old — hang in the hallways.

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union and the closure of manufacturing factories, unemployment has been high in the rural regions of Armenia. A large percentage of the population lives in poverty. In the absence of jobs, men often leave for work in neighboring countries. After serving in the army, many young men end up working at military posts because of the lack of other options. It is one of the only paid jobs in the border regions. Almost every family I met on my journey had someone they lost to war.

The proximity of closed borders, however, is also about community. I saw neighbors support and care for each other. They help build memorials for families who lost their loved ones.

This story shows the everyday consequences of living with war in areas around Armenia that are lesser known on the world stage, but still bear scars of several wars.