Gamarli is a town in the Iravan uezd of the former Iravan governorate, later in the former Gamarli (Artashat) district, and currently in the Ararat province. Until 1930 it had been a village, then a settlement, and since 1961 it has been a town subordinated to the republic. Gamarli was the name of the district (established on 9 September 1930) and the district centre. It lies 28 km to the southeast of Iravan, at a height of 830 m above sea level. It was marked on the five-verst map of the Caucasus.

The village was inhabited by 167 Azerbaijanis in 1831, 563 in 1873, 668 in 1886, 757 in 1897, 957 in 1914 and 903 Azerbaijanis in 1916. In 1905 and 1918 the Azerbaijanis were deported having been exposed to genocide by Armenian armed units. Following the establishment of Soviet power in the territory of present-day Armenia, the surviving Azerbaijanis managed to return to their lands. The village was inhabited by 126 Azerbaijanis in 1922, 248 in 1926 and 267 Azerbaijanis in 1931. In accordance with 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 Azerbaijani population of the village was forcibly deported to Azerbaijan. Currently, the area is inhabited only by Armenians.

The toponym is derived from the ethnonym “Gamarli” formed on the basis of the the name of the ancient Kimmer tribe, and means “a place where the Kimmers/Gamari tribe live”. It is an ethnotoponym.

By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Armenian SSR dated 4 September 1945, it was renamed “Artashat”. According to the law “On the administrative-territorial division of the Republic of Armenia” dated 7 November 1995, it is the administrative centre of the Ararat province.

Geographical coordinates: latitude: 39°57’ N., longitude: 44°33’ E.