Shiregala

Shiregala is a village in the Echmiadzin uezd of the former Iravan governorate, later in the former Abaran district, and currently in the Aragatsotn province. The provincial centre lies 16 km to the north of the town of Ashtarak, on the right tributary of the Abaran River, on the banks of the Duluchay, at a height of 1900 m above sea level. In “The Iravan Province Review Book” it was noted as the village of Shiregala in the Abaran area.

In their works, Armenian authors point out that 1172 Azerbaijanis resided in the village in 1914. In 1918 the Azerbaijanis were massacred or deported from their historical-ethnic territories, and the Armenians removed from Iran and Türkiye were settled in the village. At present, Armenians live there.

The toponym was coined by adding the word “gala” which means “a fortification”, “a dungeon” to the word “shira” used to mean “a type of clay, blue clay”.

By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Armenian SSR dated 15 July 1946, The village was renamed “Vardenut”. 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 Aragatsotn province.

Geographic coordinates: latitude 40°28’ N., longitude 44°21’ E.