Shahabli is a village in the Iravan uezd of the former Iravan governorate, later in the former Vedi (Ararat) district, and currently in the Ararat province. The provincial centre lies 35 km to the southeast of the town of Gamarli (Artashat), near the Girkh-Bulagh River, at a height of 1,300 m above sea level. Its name was marked in “The Iravan Province Review Book”, on the five-verst map of the Caucasus.

The village was inhabited by 437 Azerbaijanis in 1873, 606 in 1886, 853 in 1897, 827 in 1904, 910 in 1914 and 966 Azerbaijanis in 1916. In 1919 the Azerbaijanis were expelled from the village by Armenian armed units. The Armenians from the Turkish provinces of Van and Shatakh were moved and settled there. Following the establishment of the Soviet power in the present- day Armenian territory, the surviving Azerbaijanis were able to return to the village. The village was inhabited by 64 Azerbaijanis in 1922, 41 in 1926 and 79 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 Azerbaijani population of the village was forcibly deported to Azerbaijan. At present, only Armenians live in the village.

The toponym was coined on the basis of “Shahabli” multi-generational family name.

By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Armenian SSR dated 3 July 1968, it was renamed “Shaghap”. 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 39°52’ N., longitude 44°54’ E.