Bashkend is a village in the Sharur-Daralayaz uezd of the former Iravan governorate, later in the former Keshishkend (Yeghegnadzor) district, and currently in the Vayots Dzor province. The provincial centre lies 7 km to the northwest of the town of Keshishkend, by the right flow of the Arpachay, on the bank of the Bashkendchay, and at a height of 1,540 m above sea level. It was marked on the five-verst map of the Caucasus. Armenians were removed to the village from the Iranian provinces of Khoy and Salmas in 1829–1830.

The village was inhabited by 23 Azerbaijanis in 1897, three Azerbaijanis in 1926. In 1928- 1929 the Azerbaijanis were driven out of the village. At present, only Armenians live there.

The toponym was coined by combining the word “bash” used in the sense of “great, basic” in Azerbaijani and the geographical name “kend”.

It was renamed “Vernashen” by the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Armenian SSR dated 10 September 1946. 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°47’ N., longitude: 45°21′ E.