Arbat

Arbat is a village in the Iravan uezd of the former Iravan governorate, later in the former Zangibasar (Masis) district, and currently in the Ararat province. The provincial centre lies 27 km northwest of the town of Gamarli, by the riverlet Shiraabad which flows from the Zangi River, at a height of 850 m above sea level. It had been within the district of Uchkilsa (Echmiadzin, Vagharshapat) until the district of Zangibasar was established in 1969. It was marked as “Arebat” in “The Iravan Province Review Book” and as “Arbat” on the five-verst map of the Caucasus. “The Iravan Province Review Book” refers to the village as “Arebat within the area of Girkhbulag”, it also states the income from the work under Ibrahim, the son of Ahmad as 20,000 akchas.

The village was solely inhabited by Azerbaijanis: 391 in 1831, 671 in 1897 and 1,160 Azerbaijanis in 1914. In 1918, being exposed to Armenian aggression, the Azerbaijanis were deported from the village which was resettled by the Armenians deported from Türkiye. Along with the Armenians, the village was also inhabited by 263 Azerbaijanis in 1922, 341 in 1926 and 263 Azerbaijanis in 1931. According to the decision of the USSR Council of Ministers “On the resettlement of collective farmers and other Azerbaijani population from the Armenian SSR to the Kur-Araz lowland of the Azerbaijan SSR” dated 23 December 1947, the Azerbaijanis were forced to move to Azerbaijan in 1948–1950.

The toponym was coined from the word “arubat” in Old Turkic used in the meaning of “tamarisk”.

 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 Ararat province.

Geographic coordinates: latitude: 40°08’ N., longitude: 44°23’ E.