Basarkechar is a village in the former Basarkechar (Vardenis) district in the Novo-Bayazid uezd of the former Iravan governorate, and currently in the Gegharkunik province. The provincial centre lies 74 km to the south-east of the town of Kavar (Gavar), by Lake Goycha, and at a height of 1,940 m above sea level. It was mentioned in “The Iravan Province Review Book”. Since 1969 it has been an urban settlement and the center of the district by the same name.

Historically, the village was inhabited by Azerbaijanis. The census of 1831 indicates that only 178 Azerbaijanis lived there. After 1831, 1,296 Armenians, who had been deported from Türkiye, were settled there and the pressure against the Azerbaijanis started. The village was inhabited by 85 Azerbaijanis and 2108 Armenians in 1897. In 1918 the Azerbaijanis were massacred or driven out. After Soviet power had been established in the present-day Armenian territory, the Azerbaijanis managed to return there. Armenian authors state in their works that the village was inhabited by 1 Azerbaijani (2511 Armenians) in 1922, seven Azerbaijanis (3456 Armenians) in 1926, 19 Azerbaijanis (3,914 Armenians) in 1931, 150 Azerbaijanis, 9,150 Armenians in 1967, nine Azerbaijanis, 8,077 Armenians in 1970. In 1988 the Azerbaijanis were completely ousted. At present, only Armenians live there.

The toponym was coined by adding the word “kechar” used in the indefinite future tense form to the ethnonym “bazar/basar” of Gypchag origin, which denotes “a place passed by the Bazar/Basar tribe”. “…when the word “bazar” is used as a name of a tribe within the complex toponyms, it takes the initial position in the toponymic name”.

It was renamed “Vardenis” by the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Armenian Republic dated 2 May 1969. 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 Gegharkunik province.

Geographic coordinates: latitude: 40°10′ N., longitude: 45°43′ E.