Bittija

Bittija is a village in the Iravan uezd of the former Iravan governorate, later in the former Gamarli (Artashat) district, and currently in the Ararat province. The provincial centre lies 20 km to the northeast of the town of Gamarli (Artashat), at a height of 1,100 m above sea level. It was marked on the five-verst map of the Caucasus.

The village was solely inhabited by Azerbaijanis: 246 in 1897, 198 in 1914 and 195 Azerbaijanis in 1916. In 1918 the Azerbaijanis were deported having been exposed to aggression of the Armenian armed units, and the Armenians removed from abroad were settled in the village. The Azerbaijanis managed to return to their village following the establishment of Soviet power in the territory of present-day Armenia. Alongside with the Armenians, the village was inhabited by 73 Azerbaijanis in 1922, 60 Azerbaijanis in 1926, 85 Azerbaijanis in 1931. According to the decision of the USSR Council of Ministers “On the resettlement of collective farmers and other Azerbaijani population from the Armenian SSR to the Kur-Araz lowland of the Azerbaijan SSR” dated 23 December 1947, the Azerbaijanis were removed to Azerbaijan driven out from their historical-ethnic land in 1948–1950. At present, only Armenians live there.

The toponym was formed by adding the suffix “-ja” to the Turkic ethnonym “Bitli”.

The village was renamed “Bartsrashen” by the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Armenian SSR dated 20 August 1954. 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 (416, p.44).

Geographic coordinates: latitude: 40°05’ N., longitude: 44°34’ E.