Taytan 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 16 km to the southwest of the town of Gamarli (Artashat), on the banks of the Vedibasar River, at a height of 870 m above sea level. It was marked on the five-verst map of the Caucasus.

The village was inhabited by 166 Azerbaijanis in 1873, 177 in 1886, 316 in 1897, 262 in 1904, 288 in 1914 and 366 Azerbaijanis in 1916. In 1919 Armenian armed units expelled the Azerbaijanis from their homes. Armenians were moved from Iran and Türkiye and settled in the village. After the establishment of Soviet power in the territory of present-day Armenia, the surviving Azerbaijanis were able to return to the village. The village was inhabited by 183 Azerbaijanis, 81 Armenians in 1922, 175 Azerbaijanis, 114 Armenians in 1926 and 217 Azerbaijanis, 224 Armenians 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. Some of the deportees were later able to return to their native villages. In 1946–1948 some of the Armenians moved from abroad were settled in Taytan. In 1988 there remained 24 Azerbaijani families in the village. In December of that year the Armenian state expelled the Azerbaijanis from their historical lands. At present, only Armenians live there.

The toponym was coined by combining the word “tay” (tey) used to mean “a small mountain”, “a hill” in Turkic and the word “tan (q)/ton (q)” used to mean “a ravine, narrow deep ravine” in Turkic. As a geographical term, “tay” is also used to mean “a side, coast”.

By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Armenian SSR dated 25 January 1978, it was renamed “Vanashen”. 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°54’ N., longitude 44°41’ E.