Imirzik

Imirzik was a village in the territory of the Iravan uezd of the former Iravan governorate, later in the former Gamarli (Artashat) district, and present-day Ararat province. It was located near the Davagozu River and on the left reach of the Garnichay River. The village was noted as “Amirzik” in “The Iravan Province Comprehensive Data Book” dated 1590 and marked on the five-verst map of the Caucasus. In the 1930s, the village was within the administrative- territorial division of the former Vedi (Ararat) district.

The village was inhabited by 188 Azerbaijanis in 1873, 232 in 1886, 348 in 1897, 254 in 1904, 328 in 1914 and 456 Azerbaijanis in 1916. The Azerbaijanis were attacked, massacred or ousted from the village by Armenian armed units in 1918. After the establishment of Soviet power in present-day Armenia, a part of the inhabitants returned to the village. The village was inhabited by 65 Azerbaijanis in 1922, 96 in 1926, 151 in 1931 and 269 in 1939. 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. Later, the village was abolished. At present, it lies in ruins.

The toponym was coined by adding the suffix “-zik” to the ethnonym “Eymur/Imir”, one of the 24 Oghuz tribes.