Gayali was a village in the Sharur-Daralayaz uezd of the former Iravan governorate, later in the former Pashali (Azizbeyov, Vayk) district, and present-day Vayots Dzor province. It was located near the village of Pashali and on the bank of the Arpachay. The village was noted in “The Iravan Province Review Book”.

The village was solely inhabited by Azerbaijanis: 40 in 1831, 130 in 1873, 174 in 1886, 223 in 1897, 240 in 1904, 264 in 1914 and 292 Azerbaijanis in 1916. The Azerbaijanis were attacked, massacred or expelled from the village by Armenian armed units in 1918. Only after the establishment of Soviet power in present-day Armenia, the Azerbaijanis managed to return to their village. The village was inhabited by 19 Azerbaijanis in 1922. The Azerbaijanis were forced to flee their historical and ethnic lands in 1923–1924 and the village was reduced to ruins. At present, it lies in ruins.

The toponym was coined by adding “–li” to the word “gaya” meaning “a stone, a rock”.