Azadek

Azadek or Azadyer is a village in the Sharur-Daralayaz uezd of the former Iravan governorate, later in the former Pashali (Azizbeyov, Vayk) district, and currently in the Vayots Dzor province. The provincial centre lies 24 km to the northwest of the town of Keshishkend (Yeghegnadzor), on the right bank of the Arpachay, at a height of 1,625 m above sea level. The name of the village is mentioned in the works of the Armenian authors as Azatak, Azader, Azad, Azadak. The initial name of the village was Azatak.

The village was inhabited by the Azerbaijanis until 1828. The Armenians were removed to the village from the provinces of Khoy and Salmas of Iran in 1828–1829. The village was inhabited by 33 Armenians removed from Iran in 1831, 37 Armenians removed from the Salmas province in 1842 (the camera vision of the Daralayaz area). Along with the Armenians, the village was inhabited by 20 Azerbaijanis in 1897, three Azerbaijanis in 1926. In 1930 only Armenians lived there. In regards to the formation of the name of the village, the works of Armenian authors state that the Armenians who came to a village called the place “Azadegh” saying “azader” (“azad idi”) which is contradicting the scientific truth.

The name of the settlement was coined on the basis of the word “aza” used in the sense of “small, minimized” in Old Turkic and the word “tak/dak” used as a phonetic variant of the word “dagh” used in Old Turkic and means “a village founded by the small mountain”.

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 Vayots Dzor province.

Geographic coordinates: latitude: 39°39’ N., longitude: 45°26’ E.