Mamik and Babik
We are Our Mountains
On entering Stepanakert, in the right side of the highway, on top of a hill, surrounded with green bushes rises a unique monument. Though it doesn’t have an ancient history, in a short period it became the symbol of the region. "We are our Mountains" is the creation of the talented sculptor, popular artist of Armenia Sargis Baghdasaryan.
Carved from Armavir (Hoktemberyan) red tuff the monument presents two aged Karbakhtsis in national clothes. Husband and wife Gharabaghtsis- as if grew from the mountain (the statues have no pedestal), they were born mountains and are akin to each other as mountain. They look at the world from 1000-year distance passed way and in their eyes is unshakable will an calmness.
Pravda Magazine, highly estimating the merits of this monument at the same time mentioned that it "is the first monument of the world built in the honor of the long-lived". It is said that Karabakh has the highest per capita incidence of people over 100 years old. Gharabagh was a record-holder of Soviet Union in longevity. Here to each 1000 come 152 people in the age of 100 or more. In some places this number is larger. For example in village Ashan with 697 inhabitants 8 people passed 100, 18- over 90, 54- over 80 years old.