Akarak is a village in the Echmiadzin uezd of the former Iravan governorate, later in the former Ashtarak district, and currently in the Aragatsotn province. The provincial centre lies 6 km to the northwest of the town of Ashtarak, at a height of 1,100 m above sea level. It was mentioned “Ayrak” in “The Iravan Province Comprehensive Data Book”, as “Ayarak” in “The Iravan Province Review Book” and as “Akarak” (Aqarak) on the five-verst map of the Caucasus. It has been referred to since the early 16th century.

The village was solely inhabited by Azerbaijanis: 318 in 1831, 388 in 1873, 536 in 1886, 603 in 1897, 629 in 1908, 720 in 1914, 653 in 1916 and 425 Azerbaijanis in 1919. “The Dictionary of the Toponyms of Armenia and Surrounding Provinces” does not indicate which nation had lived there until the 1920s. It only indicated that 603 people lived there in 1897, yet it is not pointed out whether they were Azerbaijanis or Armenians. In early 1919 the inhabitants of the village were deported having been exposed to aggression of the Armenians. Armenians were removed there in 1918–1919 from the Turkish regions of Van, Kars and Bitlis. The Azerbaijanis managed to return to their village after the establishment of Soviet power in the present-day Armenian territory. Along with the Armenians, the village was inhabited also by 72 Azerbaijanis in 1922, 74 in 1926 and 32 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 from their historical-ethnic territories to Azerbaijan. At present, only Armenians live there.

Given that the historical sources dating back to the 16th and 18th centuries referred to the village as “Ayrak” and “Ayarak”, we come to the conclusion that the toponym was coined on the basis of a personal name “Agrak” mentioned in the chapters of “The Book of Dede Korkut” (the 10th chapter).

At present, the official documents in Armenian indicate the name of the settlement as “Agarak”. 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 Aragatsotn province.

Geographic coordinates: latitude: 40°18′ N., longitude: 44°16′ E.