Sarvanlar

Sarvanlar is a village in the Iravan uezd of the former Iravan governorate, later in the former Zangibasar (Masis) district, and currently in the Ararat province. The provincial centre lies 20 km to the northwest of the town of Gamarli , near the Araz River, at a height of 828 m above sea level. Before the formation of Zangibasar district, the village had been part of the former Uchkilsa (Echmiadzin, Vagharshapat) district. The first name of the village was “Ulya Sarvanlar” (in Arabic it means “Upper Sarvanlar”) The name of the village was marked as “Sarvanlar Ulya” on the five-verst map of the Caucasus.

The village was solely inhabited by Azerbaijanis: 153 in 1831, 970 in 1873, 1,024 in 1886, 953 in 1897, 1,465 in 1904, 1,910 in 1914 and 801 Azerbaijanis in 1916. In 1919 the Azerbaijanis were exposed to the agression of Armenian armed units and deported from the village. Only after the establishment of Soviet power in the territory of present-day Armenia, the surviving Azerbaijani population of the village were able to return to their native lands. The village was solely inhabited by Azerbaijanis: 372 in 1922, 418 in 1926, 404 in 1931, 580 in 1939, 816 in 1959, 1,253 in 1970 and 1,552 Azerbaijanis in 1979. According to 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 in 1948. In the 1950s some of them were able to return to their villages. In November-December 1988 the Azerbaijanis were deported from the village, having been exposed to massacre by the state of Armenia. At present, the village is inhabited by Armenians.

The toponym was formed on the basis of the ethnonym “Sarvanlar” belonging to the ancient Turkic Kangarli tribe.

By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Armenian SSR dated 3 April 1991, the village was renamed “Sis”. 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 Ararat province.

Geographic coordinates: latitude 40°03’ N., longitude 44°23’ E.