Shikhlar is a village in the Iravan uezd of the former Iravan governorate, later in the former Vedi (Ararat) district, and currently in the Ararat province. The provincial centre lies 10 km to the southeast of the town of Gamarli (Artashat), near the ditch flowing from the Vedi River, at a height of 815 m above sea level. It was marked on the five-verst map of the Caucasus.

The village was inhabited by 141 Azerbaijanis in 1831, 649 in 1873, 714 in 1886, 790 in 1897, 802 in 1904, 882 in 1914 and 723 Azerbaijanis in 1916. In 1919 the inhabitants were exposed to the aggression of Armenian armed units and left the village. The Armenians, who were moved from Iran and Türkiye, were settled in the village. Following the establishment of the Soviet power in the present-day Armenian territory, the surviving Azerbaijanis were able to return to the village. The village was inhabited by 102 Azerbaijanis and 110 Armenians in 1922, 115 Azerbaijanis and 48 Armenians in 1926, and 167 Azerbaijanis, 94 Armenians in 1931, 1,500 Azerbaijanis and 220 Armenians in 1972. In November-December 1988 the Azerbaijanis were forcibly expelled from the village by the state of Armenia. At present, only Armenians live in the village.

The toponym was coined on the basis of the ethnonym “Shikhlar”, which constitutes a branch of the Turkic Gazakhlar tribe.

By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Armenian SSR dated 26 December 1968, it was renamed “Lusarat”. 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 39°52’ N., longitude 44°35’ E.