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Aleksana Ghuze cave found in Artsakh’s Hunot Gorge, southwest of Karintak village. It is found at the foot of Kapen Gerts mountain, on the left side of the river Zar. This cave is over 50 meters deep and has 7 nearly separated chamber-passages. Inhabited in Hellenic times, the cave was the site of pagan worship between the 1st century BC to the 1st century AD. 

Today the cave is home to Artsakh’s only population of white-winged bats, which should be avoided since the presence of people can cause them great harm when they are hibernating or raising young.
According to the Service of Protection of Historical Environment and Cultural Museums Reservations NGO , back in 2011, on the suggestion of the NKR Department of Tourism, Azokh expedition members carried out complex studies. The experts have concluded that Aleksana Ghuze probably served as an accommodation for thousands of years.

The archaeological site is of great interest to foreign research centres as well. Slawomir Koziel from the Polish Academy of Sciences and professor Krzysztof Szostek from Wroclaw University have recently arrived in Artsakh to give a new course to the studies. They are going to expand the works in the cave next year.

According to Slawomir Koziel, the archaeological site is new not only for the region, but also for Europe. In his turn, Krzysztof Szostek thinks the found material will give opportunity to find answers to a number of issues related to animal and human migration.

It is expected to organize extensive excavations in 2017 for further studies.