Darband is a village in the Alexandropol uezd of the former Iravan governorate, later in the former Duzkend (Akhuryan) district, and currently in the Shirak province. The provincial centre lies 32 km to the north of the Gumru town, at a height of 1,990 m above sea level. The village was initially inhabited by Azerbaijanis who left it after Armenians had been settled there. The village had been governed by the former Gumru (Leninakan) district until 1937. It was mentioned in “The Iravan Province Review Book”.

The toponym was coined by combining the words “dar” and “band” used in Persian in the sense of “a passage, gulf, boundary; frontline regions, a hard passage between mountains”.

By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Armenia SSR dated 26 April 1946, the village was renamed “Karmrakar”. 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 Shirak province.

Geographic coordinates: latitude: 40°52’ N., longitude: 43°53’ E.