Arafsa is a village in the Zangezur uezd of the former Yelizavetpol (Ganja) governorate, in the area of Garakilsa, later in the former Garakilsa (Sisian) district, and currently in the Syunik province. The provincial centre lies 120 km to the northwest of the town of Gafan, on the right bank of the River Bazarchai, at the foot of a mountain at a height of 1,900 m above sea level. The settlement was integrated into the administrative area of Armenia following the establishment of the Zangezur uezd in Soviet Armenia on 31 August 1921. It was mentioned as “Arafsajik” in “The Iravan Province Comprehensive Data Book” dated 1590, as Aravsa” on the five-verst map of the Caucasus.

The village was inhabited by 19 Azerbaijanis in 1831, 169 in 1873, 148 in 1886, 123 in 1897, 168 in 1908 and 300 Azerbaijanis in 1914. In late 1918 the Azerbaijanis were massacred or deported by Armenian armed units. The Azerbaijanis managed to return to their village following the establishment of Soviet power in the present-day Armenian territory. The village was inhabited by 151 Azerbaijanis in 1922, 60 in 1926, 225 in 1931, 478 in 1959, 551 in 1970 and 476 Azerbaijanis in 1979. Although the general number of the inhabitants of the village was indicated in “The Dictionary of Armenia’s Settlements” published in 2008, the ethnic composition was not indicated. In November 1988 the Azerbaijanis were completely deported by the state of Armenia. At present, only Armenians live there.

The toponym was coined of the “Arafsali” ethnonym of the Turkic Kangarli tribe. The village was renamed “Arevis” by the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Armenian SSR dated 3 July 1968.

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°24’longitude: 45°54′ E.