Ajili

Ajili or Ajilu was a village in the territory of the Zangezur uezd of the former Yelizavetpol (Ganja) governorate, later in the former Gafan district, and present-day Syunik province. It was located 14 km to the northwest of the town of Gafan and on the right bank of the Afsarli River, the right tributary of the Okhchu River. The name of the village was noted as “Ajilu”, “Ajrlu”, “Ajrli”, “Tunis Ajilu” in Armenian sources.

The village was populated by 79 Azerbaijanis in 1831, 134 in 1873, 153 in 1886, 126 in 1897, 335 in 1908 and 100 Azerbaijanis in 1914. The Azerbaijanis were attacked, massacred or expelled from the village by Armenian armed units in 1918. The Azerbaijanis could return to their homes after the establishment of Soviet power in present-day Armenia. There lived 124 Azerbaijanis in 1922, 94 in 1926, 78 in 1931 and 69 Azerbaijanis in 1959 in the village. The inhabitants were removed to the neighbouring village of Musallam and the village was abolished in 1960. At present, it lies in ruins.

The toponym was coined from the Turkic ethnonym “Ajurlu/Ajilu”.