Sham is a village in the Zangezur uezd of the former Yelizavetpol (Ganja) governorate, later in the former Garakilsa (Sisian) district, and currently in the Syunik province. The provincial centre lies 8 km to the north-east of the town of Gafan, at a height of 1,375 m above sea level. After 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 234 Azerbaijanis in 1886, 405 in 1905 and 404 Azerbaijanis in 1914. Its name was marked as “Shamkendi” on the five-verst map of the Caucasus. It is mentioned as “Shamb” in Armenian sources.

The initial form of the toponym is “Sham”. The consonant “b” at the end of the toponym was later added to the word and adapted to the form of “shamb” meaning “reed” in Armenian. The toponym orignates from the name of the Gizilbash Shamlu tribe.

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.

Geographic coordinates: latitude 39°28’ N., longitude 46°09’ E.