Bashkend is a village in the Novo-Bayazid uezd of the former Iravan governorate, later in the former Kavar (Yeni Bayazid, Kamo) district, and currently in the Gegharkunik province. The provincial centre lies 8 km to the south of the town of Kavar, by the Kavar River and at a height of 2,075 m above sea level. It was marked on the five-verst map of the Caucasus. Armenians were removed there from the Turkish provinces of Alashkirt and Mush in 1828–1829, 1914–1919.

The village was inhabited by 191 Azerbaijanis, 272 Armenians in 1873, 243 Azerbaijanis, 385 Armenians in 1886, 357 Azerbaijanis, 440 Armenians in 1897, 410 Azerbaijanis, 704 Armenians in 1914. In 1918 the Azerbaijanis were violently driven out by the Armenian armed forces. The surviving Azerbaijanis returned to their native land after Soviet power had been established in the present-day Armenian territory in 1920. The village was inhabited by 96 Azerbaijanis, 763 Armenians in 1922, 112 Azerbaijanis, 928 Armenians in 1926, 194 Azerbaijanis,1,156 Armenians in 1931. In the late 1930s the Azerbaijanis were deported to the Karabaghlar district of Armenia and further to Azerbaijan having been driven out from their historical-ethnic land in 1948–1950 by decision of the USSR Cabinet of Ministers after the district of Karabaghlar had been abolished. At present, only Armenians live there. The initial name of the village was Goycha Bashkendi, the Bashkend was located in the area of Goycha. Later, the word “Goycha” was omitted, the village was named “Bashkend”.

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

The village was renamed “Gegharkunik” by the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Armenian SSR dated 4 April 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 Gegharkunik province.

Geographic coordinates: latitude: 40°15′ N., longitude: 45°08′ E.