Shorja is a village in the Novo-Bayazid uezd of the former Iravan governorate, later in the former Chambarak (Krasnoselsk) district, and currently in the Gegharkunik province. The provincial centre lies 66 km to the northeast of the town of Kavar (Gavar), on the shores of Lake Goycha, at a height of 1,930 m above sea level. Its name was marked on the five-verst map of the Caucasus. Following the settlement of Russians (Molokans) in the village in the 1840s, it was also called “Nadezhdino”. The village was mentioned in the works of Armenian authors as “Shor Ali” or “Shorjali”, in Russian sources as “Shordjalu”.

The village was inhabited by 140 Azerbaijanis in 1831, 311 in 1873, 226 Azerbaijanis and Molokans in 1886, 21 Azerbaijanis, seven Armenians, 280 Russians (Molokans) in 1897, six Azerbaijanis, 494 Russians (Molokans) in 1922, 31 Azerbaijanis, 432 Russians (Molokans) in 1926 and 42 Azerbaijanis, 396 Russians in 1931. The village was inhabited by 799 people in 1939, 762 in 1959, 894 in 1970 and 956 people in 1979 (416, p.160), that more than 80% of them were Azerbaijanis.

The toponym was coined on the basis of the Shorjali tribal name. The suffix “-lı” at the end of the toponym was later abbreviated and formalized as “Shorja” in documents. In November-December 1988 the Azerbaijanis were deported from their historical-ethnic territories by the state of Armenia. 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 Gegharkunik province.

Geographic coordinates: latitude 40°30’ N., longitude 45°16’ E.