Ayasli

Ayasli is a village in the Ararat uezd of the former Iravan governorate, later in the former Gamarli (Artashat) district, in the present Ararat province. The provincial centre lies 7 km to the northeast of the town of Gamarli, on the bank of the Garni River, and at a height of 865 m above sea level. It was marked as “Boyuk Ayasli” in “The Iravan Province Review Book”, and as “Ayasli” on the five-verst map of the Caucasus”.

Historically, the village was solely inhabited by Azerbaijanis. In 1828–1829 Armenians were removed from the Khoy and Salmas regions of Iran and settled in the village. The Armenian literature states 1831 as the foundation year of the village. The Armenian researchers have distorted the historical truth. “The Iravan Province Review Book” compiled in 1728 presents a village by the name “Boyuk Ayasli” on the list of the villages annexed to the area of Karni. Its annual income comprised 28,300 akchas. Alongside with the Armenians, the village was inhabited also by 129 Azerbaijanis in 1831, 55 in 1873, 55 in 1886 and 37 Azerbaijanis in 1897. In 1918 the Azerbaijanis were deported from the village having been exposed to genocide. A remnant of the Azerbaijanis returned to their historical land following the establishment of Soviet power in the present-day Armenian territory. In 1926, five Azerbaijanis lived there who were ousted in 1929–1930. At present, only Armenians live there.

The toponym was coined on the basis of the ethnonym “Ayasli”.

In 1918, the village was renamed “Aygestan”. 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 Ararat province.

Geographic coordinates: latitude: 40°01’ N., longitude: 44°33’ E.