Ajibaj is a village in the Zangezur uezd of the former Yelizavetpol (Ganja) governorate, later in the former Gafan district, and currently in the Syunik province. The provincial centre is situated 40 km from the town of Gapan, 2 km to the northwest of the Nor Astghaberd village, on the bank of the Ajibaj River, the left branch of the Gighi River, at a height of 1,950 m above sea level. The name of the village is also used as “Ajibaji”, “Ajibazi”. Following the establishment of the Zangezur uezd in Soviet Armenia on 31 August 1921, the settlement was annexed to Armenia’s administrative area.

There were 202 Azerbaijanis in the village in 1886 and 34 Azerbaijanis in 1897. Later on, the Azerbaijanis were deported. After the establishment of Soviet power in present-day Armenia, the Azerbaijanis managed to return to their village. The village was inhabited by 77 Azerbaijanis in 1922, 90 in 1926, 115 in 1931, 134 in 1939, 190 in 1959, 227 in 1970 and 202 Azerbaijanis in 1979. In November 1988 the Azerbaijanis were again completely deported from their native land.

The toponym was coined by combining the word “aji” used in the sense of “a high mountain passage” in Turkic and the word “baj” which is a phonetic form of the word “bazi” meaning “ a bloc, hillock, or high place on a plain” in Azerbaijani. The word “aji” is used as “azhu/azhi” in the composition of the Turkic toponyms of Mountainous Altai. This word was used in Old Turkic as “azhu” meaning “a wide valley”, “rift” or “pit”.

By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Armenian SSR dated 3 April 1991, the village was renamed “Ajabaj”. 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 Syunik province.

Geographic coordinates: latitude: 39°15′ N., longitude: 46°05′ E.