Amasiya or Hamasa is a village in the Kars uezd of the former Kars province, in the area of Aghbaba, and currently in the Shirak province. The indigenous people called the village “Hamasa”. The village provincial centre lies 23 km to the northwest of the town of Gumru, at a height of 1,870 m above sea level, at the upper flow of the Arpachay.

Its population had consisted of only Azerbaijanis until 1921. The Aghbaba area was integrated into the Kars uezd of the former Kars province following the 1877–1878 Russian-Turkish war. The village of Hamasa was inhabited by 274 persons in 1886, 564 persons in 1914, 645 persons in 1931, 1,527 persons in 1959, 2,773 persons in 1970, 3,175 persons in 1980. The village was within the Southwest Caucasian Republic established in Kars in 1918–1919. The village was devastated as a result of the Armenian armed attack in February 1920, its residents had to move to the villages of the former Kars province. By the Treaty of Kars signed in 1921, a big part of the Aghbaba area was integrated into Soviet Armenia. Further a part of the inhabitants of the villages in the Aghbaba area, including Hamasa returned to their native village. The Armenians settled in the centre of the Hamasa area as clerks following the establishment of Soviet power. On 9 October 1930 the district of Amasiya was established on the basis of the Aghbaba area. That area was inhabited by 9,888 persons in 1926, 14,911 in 1939, 12,794 in 1959, 19,724 persons in 1972 out of which the Azerbaijanis comprised over 85%. In early 1988 out of 27 settlements in the district, the Azerbaijanis lived in 21 settlements and the Armenians lived in 5 settlements, whereas Azerbaijanis and Armenians lived together in the district centre Amasiya. Out of 3,210 persons residing in the Amasiya district centre the Azerbaijanis comprised 1,650 persons. In general, the number of the Azerbaijanis comprised 18,256 persons in the district of Amasiya with the population of 21,476 persons. The Azerbaijanis were completely ousted from Amasiya by the state of Armenia in November-December 1988.

The word “Hamasa” was coined from the word “hamaset” or “hamasi” meaning “the original bravery, born heroism” in Turkic.

According to the law “On the administrative-territorial division of the Republic of Armenia” dated 7 November 1995, it was integrated into the administrative area of the Shirak province.

Geographic coordinates: latitude: 40°56’ N., longitude: 43°46’ E.