Shirazli

Shirazli is a village in the Vedibasar area of 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 7 km to the southwest of the town of Gamarli (Artashat), near the ditch flowing from the Vedi River, at a height of 840 m above sea level. Its name was marked in “The Iravan Province Review Book” and on the five-verst map of the Caucasus.

The village was inhabited by 150 Azerbaijanis in 1873, 235 in 1886, 451 in 1897, 229 in 1904, 251 in 1914 and by 480 Azerbaijanis in 1916. In 1919 the Azerbaijanis were massacred or deported by Armenian armed units, and the expelled Azerbaijanis took refuge in the territory of Iran for a while. The Armenians removed from Iran and Türkiye were settled in the village. Following the establishment of the Soviet power in the territory of present-day Armenia, the surviving Azerbaijanis were able to return to their native village. The village was inhabited by 216 Azerbaijanis, 114 Armenians in 1922, 243 Azerbaijanis, 140 Armenians, 15 Kurds in 1926, 250 Azerbaijanis, 182 Armenians, two Kurds in 1931, 2,616 Azerbaijanis, 873 Armenians in 1972 and by 3,000 Azerbaijanis in 1987. 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 Oghuz ethnonym “Shirazli”.

By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Armenian SSR dated 3 April 1991, it was renamed “Vosketap”. 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°39’ E.