Akhtala is a town in the Borchali uezd of the former Tiflis governorate, later in the former Allahverdi (Tumanyan) district, and currently in the Lori province. It lies 10 km to the northeast of the settlement of Allahverdi (Tumanyan), 4 km to the east of the village of Shamlig.

The ancient inhabitants of the area were Azerbaijanis. In the early 19th century, the Armenians from Iran and Türkiye were moved to the village. The settlement was inhabited by 100 Azerbaijanis and 424 Armenians in 1959, 120 Azerbaijanis and 541 Armenians in 1970. In 1988 the Azerbaijanis were deported from their historical-ethnic land by the Armenian state.

The toponym was formed on the basis of the ethnonym “akhta” comprising a branch of the Padars, who are a Turkic tribe.

According to the law “On the administrative-territorial division of the Republic of Armenia” dated 7 November 1995, it was integrated into the administrative territory of the Lori province. Geographic coordinates: latitude: 41°09’ N., longitude: 44°46’ E.