Boyuk Arikhvali is a village in the Alexandropol uezd of the former Iravan governorate, later in the former Artik district, and currently in the Shirak province. The provincial centre lies 29 km to the southeast of the town of Gumru, and at a height of 1,960 m above sea level. It was mentioned in “The Iravan Province Review Book”, and on the five-verst map of the Caucasus.

The village was initially inhabited by Azerbaijanis who gradually left there following the removal of Armenians from Türkiye and their settlement in the territory of the Iravan Khanate.

The toponym was coined by combining the name of the tribe “Arikh” and the personal name Vali, means “a settlement belonging to Vali of the Arikh tribe”. The word “boyuk” in the initial position of the toponym denotes a distinguishing feature which is pertinent to the Azerbaijani toponymy. The ethnonym “Arikh” is reflected in the sources as “Arikhli”.

The village was renamed “Mets Mantash” by the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Armenian SSR dated 3 November 1935. 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 Shirak province.

Geographic coordinates: latitude: 40°38′ N., longitude: 44°03′ E.