Khankendi — known as Stepanakert during the period of Armenian administration — is the largest city in the Karabakh region, situated in a valley at around 850 metres. It served as the capital of the self-declared Republic of Artsakh from 1991 until Azerbaijan reasserted full control in September 2023, when the Armenian population departed almost entirely within days of the Azerbaijani offensive.
The city is now under Azerbaijani administration and undergoing reconstruction. The name Khankendi (meaning "Khan's village") is the Azerbaijani form; Stepanakert was the Soviet-era name given in honour of a Bolshevik official. Both names appear in different contexts and both are historically legitimate.
For travellers, Khankendi is currently accessible but the visit requires registration with Azerbaijani authorities. The city itself is a Soviet-era planned town with wide boulevards. The famous sculpture known as "We Are Our Mountains" (Tatik-Papik, or "Grandmother and Grandfather") — a pair of stone figures that became a symbol of Armenian Karabakh — stands on a hill outside the city; its status under Azerbaijani administration is subject to ongoing political discussion. The Artsakh State Museum and the Holy Mother of God Cathedral are the other notable landmarks from the Artsakh period.