Karabakh Plateau

The Karabakh Plateau is an upland plateau region within the Lesser Caucasus that stretches across parts of southwestern Azerbaijan, including the Lachin District, and the broader Nagorno-Karabakh area. It is a highland landscape of steppe, pastures and river valleys.

The plateau is characterized by open highland terrain, seasonal pastures and river-cut valleys rather than a single built landmark; it is notable for its rural landscapes and for routes that traverse the highlands. Travelers come for landscape views, pastoral scenery and to study local rural settlement patterns.

The plateau has been settled and used for grazing for centuries and has been part of shifting political boundaries in the South Caucasus; its villages, routes and passes have long had local economic and strategic importance. In recent decades the area has also been affected by regional conflicts.

The Karabakh Plateau sits in the Lesser Caucasus highlands in southwestern Azerbaijan, including parts of the Lachin District, and forms a transition between lowland river basins and higher mountain ranges to the north and west.

• Landscape: The plateau forms part of the Lesser Caucasus uplands and includes a mix of highland pastures, volcanic remnants and river valleys used for grazing and agriculture.
• Strategic role: The region has strategic importance and has long been a zone of settlement, transit and contest between neighbouring highland and lowland areas.