Shamlig is a village in the Borchali uezd of the former Tiflis governorate, later in the former Allahverdi (Tumanyan) district, and currently in the Lori province. At present, it is an urban-type settlement. The provincial centre lies 96 km to the northeast of the town of Boyuk Garakilsa (Vanadzor), at a height of 1175 m above sea level. As the village is rich in ore (copper) deposits, copper mines were built there.

The village was inhabited by seven Azerbaijanis in 1886 and 49 in 1897. In 1918, the Azerbaijanis were exposed to the aggression of Armenian armed units and were deported from the village. Following the establishment of Soviet power in the territory of present-day Armenia, the surviving Azerbaijanis were able to return to their ancestral lands. The village was inhabited by 62 Azerbaijanis in 1922, 65 in 1926, 166 in 1931, 260 in 1959 and 266 in 1970. Along with the Azerbaijanis, the settlement was also inhabited by Greeks, Armenians and Russians. In November 1988 the Azerbijanis were deported by the state of Armenia. Currently, the residents of the village are Armenians and Greeks.

The toponym was coined by adding suffix “-lıq” to the name of the tree “sham” which means a pinetree.

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 41°10’ N., longitude 44°43’ E.