Goytur

Goytur or Goytul is a village in the Sharur-Daralayaz uezd of the former Iravan governorate, later in the former Keshishkend (Yeghegnadzor) district, and currently in the Vayots Dzor province. The provincial centre lies 4 km to the west of the town of Keshishkend, by the Goytul River, the right tributary of the Arpachay, at a height of 1,170 m above sea level. It is marked in “The Iravan Province Review Book” and on the five-verst map of the Caucasus. In the works of Armenian authors the name for the village is also indicated as “Goytul”, “Kotur”.

The Armenians deported from Iran in 1828–1830 were settled in the village. Along with the Armenians, the village was inhabited by 36 Azerbaijanis in 1897 and eight Azerbaijanis in 1926. In 1928–1930, the Azerbaijanis were expelled from the village. Currently, the village is inhabited only by Armenians.

The toponym was coined by combining the word “koy” (qoy) used in Old Turkic to mean “the bottom of the valley” and the word “tur”, which implies “a fortified residence, fortress”, “a fenced hill”. In historical and geographical literature, the word “tur/tura” is used as “dur” to mean “a valley”, “a passage”, “a mountain pass”.

By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Armenian SSR dated 3 January 1935, the village was renamed “Getap”. According to the law “On the administrative-territorial division of the Republic of Armenia” dated 7 November 1995, it was integrated into the administrative territory of the Vayots Dzor province.

Geographical coordinates: latitude: 39°45’ N., longitude: 45°18’ E.