Editing Stepanakert (section)

==Etymology==
Medieval Armenian sources attest to a settlement in the locale called ''Vararakn'' ({{Langx|hy|Վարարակն|lit=rapid spring}}).<ref name="SAE">{{harvnb|Mkrtchyan|1985|pp=124–125}}</ref><ref name="hewsen"/> In 1847, the village was officially renamed from Vararakn to Khankendi by the Russian authorities;<ref name=1847namechange/> however, Vararakn remained the local Armenian name for the town until 1923.<ref name=DP>{{harvnb|Davies|2017}}; {{harvnb|Payaslian|2008|p= 174}}; {{harvnb|Saparov|2017|p= 539}}</ref>

Most Azerbaijani sources claim that the settlement was built in late 18th century, as a place of rest for the heads of the [[Karabakh Khanate]]. In the first years, it was known as "Khan's village" ({{langx|az|Xanın kəndi}}) because only the khan's family and his relatives lived there. By the 19th century, the settlement was renamed ''Khankendi'' ("village of the khan" in [[Azerbaijani language|Azerbaijani]]).<ref name=AZ/>

The town was renamed ''Stepanakert'' ({{Lit|City of Stepan}}) on 20 September 1923,<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Abrahamyan |first=H. B. |date=1971 |title=Սովետական շինարարությունը Լեռնային Ղարաբաղում (1920-1925 թթ.) |trans-title=Soviet construction in Nagorno-Karabakh (1920–1921) |url=https://arar.sci.am/dlibra/publication/38243/edition/34332 |journal=Լրաբեր հասարակական գիտությունների |issue=5 |pages=81}}</ref> after Armenian [[Bolshevik]] revolutionary [[Stepan Shahumian]]. The name is formed from the words ''Stepan'' ({{langx|hy|Ստեփան}}) and ''kert'' ({{langx|hy|կերտ|lit=created}}).<ref name=hewsen/>