Gizil Goch district was established on December 31, 1937. The administrative center of the district with an area of 547 km² was the settlement of Gizil Goch. The distance from there to Iravan is 165 km.

The territory of the district was included in the historical Agababa district of the Iravan khanate, and during the Tsarist Russia, it was included in the Alexandropol district of the Iravan governorate.

By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Armenian SSR dated January 4, 1938, the name of the district was changed to “Verin Gukasyan”, and by the decree of October 12, 1956, it was changed to “Gukasyan”. It was named “Ashotsk” in 1990.

The toponym is derived from the combination of the word “gold” which means “red” (referring to the reddish color of the soil), and “koş” (→qoç), meaning “fortress” or “headquarters.” It is a complex toponym associated with terrain features.

Since 1987, the native inhabitants of the district – Azerbaijanis were forced to leave their places of residence. In 1995, the district was abolished and included in the administrative territory of Shirak province of Armenia.