Raffi was one of the most influential Armenian writers and political commentators of the 19th century. His works included social and political commentaries, as well as epic novels. "The Five Melikdoms of Karabagh" (Khamsayi Melikoutiunneru) is one of Raffi's scholarly works, where he drew on a range of manuscripts, books and oral sources to write a remarkably detailed history of Karabagh. The focus of his study were the first five Armenian melikdoms (noble houses) that ruled this region, as Karabagh passed from Persian to Russian rule. Full of great detail and astute observations, The Five Melikdoms of Karabagh allows us to better understand this region today.

The book is presented in 46 short chapters, that cover a complicated history of clashing empires, khanates and meliks, in beautifully written prose.

This is the first English translation of The Five Melikdoms of Karabagh and it joins four other translations of Raffi's works published by the Gomidas Institute, The Fool, Jalaleddin, The Golden Rooster and Tajkahayk.