Saral is a village in the Alexandropol uezd of the former Iravan governorate, later in the former Hamamli (Spitak) district, and currently in the Lori province. The provincial centre lies 16 km to the west of the town of Boyuk Garakilsa (Vanadzor), on the right bank of the Pambak River, at a height of 1,460 m above sea level. It was marked on the five-verst map of the Caucasus. The initial name of the village was “Saralli”. Before the formation of the Hamamli (Spitak) district (1937) it was a part of the Gugark (Garakilsa) district. Sources indicate that the village was built in the 10th-12th centuries.

The village was inhabited by 54 Azerbaijanis in 1831, 539 in 1873, 654 in 1886, 754 in 1897, 951 in 1908, 1,111 in 1914 and 982 Azerbaijanis in 1916. In 1918 the residents were obliged to leave the village, having been exposed to the attack of Armenian armed forces. After the establishment of Soviet power in the territory of present-day Armenia, the Azerbaijanis were able to return to their historical-ethnic lands. The village was inhabited by 808 Azerbaijanis in 1922, 851 in 1926, 975 in 1931 and 1,856 Azerbaijanis in 1987. On 28 November 1988 the Azerbaijanis were deported by the Armenian state or massacred. At present the village is inhabited by Armenians.

The toponym was coined on the basis of the Turkic tribal name “Saralli”.

By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Armenian SSR dated 8 August 1991, it was renamed “Nor Khachakap”. 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 Lori province.

Geographic coordinates: latitude 40°50’ N., longitude 44°21’ E.