Gizilkharaba was a village in the territory of the Echmiadzin uezd of the former Iravan governorate, later in the former Ashtarak district, and present-day Aragatsotn province. The name of the village was noted as “Gizilabad”, “Tulunabi” in Armenian sources. The village was noted as “Gizilviran” in “The Iravan Province Review Book” and marked as “Gizilkharaba” on the five-verst map of the Caucasus.

The village was inhabited by 102 Azerbaijanis in 1897, 56 in 1908, 60 in 1914 and 38 Azerbaijanis in 1916. The Azerbaijanis were attacked, massacred or ousted from the village by Armenian armed formations in 1918. Later, the village was abolished. At present, it lies in ruins. The toponym was coined by combining the word “gizil” meaning “red” (for the colour of the soil)” in Azerbaijani and the word “kharaba” meaning “destroyed, demolished, ruined”.

The toponym means “a village built near the ruins of the building on the “red” soil.