Lori Khatchadourian

archaeologist @Cornell researching the ruins of genocide, Soviet modernity, and heritage forensics. Armenia & Caucasus

[Lori Khatchadourian @lkhatcha]

Our book is out! Written with amazing co-authors @HusikGhulyan, @IanC_Lindsay, Adam Smith, HERITAGE FORENSICS offers a new approach to investigating cultural heritage caught up in war, ethnic cleansing and secrecy. Free ebook or order-discount code 09BCARD https://t.co/19z6lSfIIP

[CaucasusHeritageWatch @CaucasusHW]

THREAT ALERT: The Holy Mother of God church in the village of Boyuk Galadarasi/Mets Shen (Shusha region) is under heightened threat. Using @Planet imagery, CHW has documented earthmoving activity immediately to the east and north of the historic structure between Oct. 31, 2025, and May 14, 2026. (1/4)

[Lori Khatchadourian @lkhatcha]

Coming soon from @CornellPress!

https://t.co/19z6lSfIIP

[CaucasusHeritageWatch @CaucasusHW]

CHW has determined that the Armenian Genocide memorial in Stepanakert/Khankendi has been destroyed. Erected on the 100th anniversary of the 1915 atrocities, the white marble bell tower once housed a reliquary containing human remains from Der Zor—the Syrian desert town where hundreds of thousands of Armenians perished. Satellite imagery from Airbus and @Planet shows that the monument, as well as an associated memorial complex, were destroyed between July 14, 2025, and April 25, 2026. 1/5

[Lori Khatchadourian @lkhatcha]

A new approach in satellite monitoring -- harnessing the complementary capabilities of high spatial resolution imagery with high temporal resolution imagery to refine the dating of impacts to cultural heritage.

[CaucasusHeritageWatch @CaucasusHW]

CHW's new method in heritage forensics helps pinpoint when sites are damaged or destroyed. Using two tiers of @Planet satellite imagery, we narrowed the timing of an Armenian church's destruction in Azerbaijan from months to weeks. See how it works: https://t.co/tv5EBL3XvJ

[CaucasusHeritageWatch @CaucasusHW]

DAMAGE ALERT: Possible illicit excavations in Khojavend, Azerbaijan may have damaged an 11th century Armenian church.

CHW used multiple satellite constellations to analyze the situation.

Read our latest StoryMap. https://t.co/mHIpMyaJHW

[CaucasusHeritageWatch @CaucasusHW]

A $5 TRUE STORY
Each month for 2+ years, a $5 bill arrives in CHW's mail—folded neatly in an envelope from one mysterious donor. It’s a small, steady reminder that every gift matters. Will you give $5 today so we can continue reporting on heritage at risk?
https://t.co/NLMSmMVUBD

[CaucasusHeritageWatch @CaucasusHW]

Meet the CHW leads: archaeologists Smith, Lindsay & Khatchadourian and political geographer Ghulyan. Since 2020 we've drawn on decades of regional expertise to respond to war’s impact on cultural heritage. Help us reach 25% of our crowdfunding goal today.

https://t.co/NLMSmMVUBD

[Lori Khatchadourian @lkhatcha]

We’re grateful for every share — and even more grateful if you can make a gift first! In crowdfunding, even small donations make a difference.
https://t.co/SwD2wO6jrI

[CaucasusHeritageWatch @CaucasusHW]

Report #8 on 500+ cultural heritage sites in former Nagorno-Karabakh out today. See findings from satellite monitoring missions in fall 2024 & spring 2025. Takeaways: no new destruction; damage to 2 cemeteries & 1 church; spike in # of threatened sites.1/4 https://t.co/xoIlGIKSDy

[Lori Khatchadourian @lkhatcha]

What are the best peer-reviewed articles and books on the South Caucasus you've read in recent years? Refreshing the syllabus for my Caucasus seminar (undergrad and grad). Disciplinary focus is anthropology and history (and a bit of political science). 19th century to present.

[Lori Khatchadourian @lkhatcha]

Looking forward to joining @bellingcat for this conversation on Thursday at 10am with @CaucasusHW's @AdamTSmith8.

[Bellingcat @bellingcat]

Join us Thursday at 10am EST/4pm CET as we speak to the @CornellUniversi team behind @CaucasusHW. With @JakeGodin we'll be unpacking how you might use open source tools to monitor and assess damage to cultural heritage during times of conflict.
https://t.co/V6bD0hglVU

[Lori Khatchadourian @lkhatcha]

'Wreckage upon wreckage' in Kalbajar. Our latest StoryMap on spolia (Soviet style), ruination, and the continuous cycles of erasure in the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. https://t.co/kWRhgAnNNE

[CaucasusHeritageWatch @CaucasusHW]

Azerbaijan has destroyed the remains of two schools and with them traces of a medieval Armenian past. Their ruination encapsulates the cycles of erasure that have wrecked cultural landscapes in the NK conflict. Our latest StoryMap 'Wreckage upon Wreckage'. https://t.co/ZhhLWhPuwT

[Lori Khatchadourian @lkhatcha]

Spread the word! We're accepting abstracts for the conference, "Unearthing, Unseeing: Archaeology, Heritage, and Forensics in the Shadows of State Violence", to be held at Cornell University on November 1-2, 2024. Submission portal open until August 15. https://t.co/KQUpdHAETF

[Lori Khatchadourian @lkhatcha]

This, on the occasion of World Heritage Day.

[CaucasusHeritageWatch @CaucasusHW]

DESTRUCTION ALERT: Between December 28, 2023 and April 4, 2024, St. John the Baptist church (S. Hovhannes Mkrtich), a 177 year old landmark in Shusha was destroyed, Azerbaijan’s most egregious violation yet of a December 2021 @ICJ order (https://t.co/0TdboIfVy6). 1/3

[Lori Khatchadourian @lkhatcha]

If you work on archaeology or heritage in contexts haunted by repression, authoritarianism or genocide, submit an abstract for Unearthing, Unseeing: Archaeology, Heritage & Forensics in the Shadow of State Violence. Cornell Nov 1-2. #archaeology #heritage https://t.co/KTRx4ljFJO

[Lori Khatchadourian @lkhatcha]

Registration now open for a conference @Cornell: "Unearthing, Unseeing: Archaeology, Heritage, and Forensics in the Shadows of State Violence." Nov. 1-2, 2024: https://t.co/XCfeoQHSs5. Portal for submitting paper abstracts will open on April 1. #Archaeology #CulturalHeritage

[Lori Khatchadourian @lkhatcha]

Scholars of SWANA, MENA, NES (you know who you are), it’s not too late to apply for this Mellon postdoc in Near Eastern Studies at Cornell. Temporal and regional focus open! Deadline 1/5/24.

[Cornell Society for the Humanities @sochum]

Applications due at the end of this week (1/5/24) for our Mellon Postdoc search in Near Eastern Studies.

[Lori Khatchadourian @lkhatcha]

Crowdfunding is about lots of people giving a little bit. As co-founder of @CaucasusHW, I hope we see many new donors give a little bit today. And then spread the word. So grateful for all the donations so far.

[CaucasusHeritageWatch @CaucasusHW]

We break the stories on violence against heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh. Our satellite investigations counter post-truths and support informed debate. To continue speaking truth to power, we need your help. 18 days left, $12000 raised, $3000 to go. Plz give https://t.co/8dpvxlW71O

[CaucasusHeritageWatch @CaucasusHW]

DAMAGE ALERT: Between Oct. 5 and Nov. 3, another Armenian cemetery in Shusha/i was damaged. It appears that bulldozers dumped heaps of debris atop the old Ghazanchetsots cemetery (southeast of the cathedral), endangering the already fragmented tombstones. 1/7