Govshud is a village in the Zangezur uezd of the former Yelizavetpol (Ganja) governorate, later in the former Gafan district, and currently in the Syunik province. Other names for the village were “Govshug”, “Govshutlu”. It is located adjacent to the Zeyva fortress, where the Gighi and Okhchu rivers merge, at a height of 1,525 m above sea level. Following the establishment of the Zangezur district in Soviet Armenia on 31 August 1921, the settlement was integrated into the administrative area of Armenia.

The village was inhabited by 163 Azerbaijanis in 1897 and 320 Azerbaijanis in 1914. In 1918 the villagers were attacked by Armenian armed forces and left the village. Following the establishment of Soviet power in the territory of present-day Armenia, the surviving Azerbaijanis managed to return to their native lands. The village was inhabited by 108 Azerbaijanis in 1922, 109 in 1926, 123 in 1931, 208 in 1939, and 200 Azerbaijanis in 1987. In 1988 the villagers were deported by the Armenian government. Currently, the village is inhabited only by Armenians.

The toponym was coined on the basis of the ethnonym “Govshud”.

By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Armenian SSR dated 3 April 1991, the name of the village was changed to “Kavchut”. 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 Syunik province.

Geographical coordinates: latitude: 39°12’ N., longitude: 46°14’ E.