Sariyar is a village in the Borchali uezd of the former Tiflis governorate, later in the former Vorontsovka (Kalinino) district. A town in the present Lori province. It is located 12 km to the northeast of the town of Tashir (Kalinino), at a height of 1,700 m above sea level. In the works of Armenian authors, the name of the village is indicated as “Sarılar”. It was initially within the Gizildash soviet (a rural council), but until 1937 had been within the former Jalaloghlu (Stepanavan) district.

The village was inhabited by 78 Azerbaijanis in 1886, 92 in 1897, 105 in 1904 and 97 Azerbaijanis in 1914. In 1916-1918 the Azerbaijanis, the aboriginal inhabitants of the village, were deported or massacred by Armenian armed groups. After the establishment of Soviet power in the territory of present-day Armenia, the surviving Azerbaijanis were able to return to their native lands. The village was inhabited by 149 Azerbaijanis in 1922, 162 in 1926, 181 in 1931. In late 1988, the Armenian state deported the Azerbaijanis, the native residents of the village, from their historical- ethnic lands. At present, the village is inhabited by Armenians.

The toponym was coined by the combining the word “sarı” (“sarı” denotes colour and means “yellow”), with the word “yar” used in Old Turkic to mean “a ravine”. The soil of the village consists of yellow rocks. That is why, the village was named “Sariyar”.

By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Armenian SSR dated 3 April 1991, the village was renamed “Apavan”. 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 Lori province.

 Geographic coordinates: latitude 41°12’ N, longitude 44°21’ E.