Baytar is a village in the area (nahiya) of Gizilgoch in the Alexandropol uezd of the former Iravan governorate, later in the former Amasiya (Aghbaba) district, and currently in the Shirak province. The provincial centre lies 26 km to the northwest of the town of Gumru, on the left bank of the Arpachay, and at a height of 2,000 m above sea level.

The village was inhabited by 27 Azerbaijanis in 1831, 231 in 1873, 167 in 1886, 188 in 1897 and 363 Azerbaijanis in 1914. In 1918 the Azerbaijanis were massacred or driven out by the Armenian armed groups. Armenians were removed from the Guleyban village of the Turkish province of Kars and settled in the village in 1918–1920.

The toponym was formed on the basis of the name of the Turkic Baytar (baydar) tribe.

The village was renamed “Hovtun” by the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of Armenian SSR dated 3 April 1991. According to the law “On the administrative-territorial division of the Republic of Armenia” dated 7 November 1995, it was integrated into the administrative territory of the Shirak province.

Geographic coordinates: latitude: 40°58’ N., longitude: 43°49’ E.