Shinatagh 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 112 km to the northwest of the town of Gafan, at a height of 1,750 m above sea level. After the establishment of the Zangezur uezd in Soviet Armenia on 31 August 1921, the settlement was integrated into the administrative area of Armenia.

The village was originally inhabited by Azerbaijanis, but following the settlement of Armenians there, its population gradually left the village. The toponym was coined on the basis of the words “shin” which is the archaic form of the word “shen” used in Old Turkic in the sense of “a construction, building, settlement, village, country” and the word “tagh” which is an old phonetic form of the word “dagh” used in Azerbaijani to mean “a high area with a steep slope, rounded peaks, mountain”. The word “shen” used in the meaning of “a village, country, settlement” has its trace in the Azerbaijani language in the word “shenlik” used to mean “a prosperous place, settlement”.

By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Armenian SSR dated 2 February 1940, it was renamed “Lernashen”. 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°22’ N., longitude 46°07’ E.