On a hill overlooking the city stands the sculpture known as "We Are Our Mountains" — in Armenian, Tatik-Papik, meaning "Grandmother and Grandfather." Two massive stone figures, carved in the style of the basalt rock formations of the Karabakh highlands, gaze outward from the hillside. The sculpture was created in 1967 by artist Sargis Baghdasaryan and became the most recognizable symbol of the self-declared Republic of Artsakh during the three decades of Armenian administration.
The status of the monument under Azerbaijani administration remains subject to political discussion. Azerbaijani authorities renamed the city Khankendi and have been reshaping its public space; what happens to Tatik-Papik is one of the more visible questions about how the city's layered history will be acknowledged — or not — going forward. For now, the figures remain in place, a striking sight on the hillside regardless of your political perspective on the region.