Heritage Forensics: Culture on the Front Lines of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Conflict

by Lori Khatchadourian, Adam T. Smith, Ian Lindsay

Heritage Forensics introduces a new framework for investigating cultural heritage caught up in war, ethnic cleansing, and secrecy. The book combines satellite-based spatial analysis with humanistic research and humanitarian concern to document the impact of the protracted conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan on the medieval and modern heritagescape of the South Caucasus. Drawing on the findings of Caucasus Heritage Watch, the authors demonstrate how cultural erasure, looting, and violence have inflicted harm on historical sites and the descendant communities for whom they hold enduring significance.

Out of the forensic materials provided by the Nagorno-Karabakh wars, Lori Khatchadourian, Adam T. Smith, Ian Lindsay, and Husik Ghulyan offer a reflexive approach for bearing witness to abuses of cultural heritage that emphasizes historical and political context and the careful use of powerful technologies in an era of post-truths. Heritage Forensics establishes a model for investigating cultural heritage threatened by political violence and is an invaluable resource for scholars, journalists, activists, and policymakers alike.

Kindle Edition

Expected publication July 15, 2026