Yukhari Aghbash is a village in the Iravan uezd of the former Iravan governorate, later in the former Gamarli (Artashat) district, and currently in the Ararat province. Another name for the village is Kharaba Aghbash. The provincial centre is located 13 km to the north of the town of Gamarli and at a height of 960 m above sea level. It was marked on the five-verst map of the Caucasus.

The village was inhabited by 91 Azerbaijanis in 1893, 89 in 1886, 183 in 1897, 132 in 1904, 172 in 1914 and 200 Azerbaijanis in 1916. In 1918 the Azerbaijanis were exposed to the aggression of Armenian armed units and deported from the village, and the Armenians from abroad were removed and settled in the village. After the establishment of Soviet power on the territory of present-day Armenia, the Azerbaijanis who survived were able to return to their homes in the village. Along with the Armenians, the village was inhabited by 113 Azerbaijanis in 1922, 117 in 1926, and 89 Azerbaijanis in 1931. According to the decision of the USSR Council of Ministers “On the resettlement of collective farmers and other Azerbaijani population from the Armenian SSR to the Kur-Araz lowland of the Azerbaijan SSR” dated 23 December 1947, the Azerbaijanis were deported from their historical and ethnic territories to Azerbaijan in 1948–1949. At present, the village is inhabited only by Armenians.

The toponym was coined on the basis of the word “yukhari” denoting a distinctive feature and the Turkic ethnonym “Aghbash”.

By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Armenian SSR dated 1 December 1949, the village was renamed “Abovian”. 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 the Ararat province.

Geographic coordinates: latitude 40°02’ N., longitude 44°32’ E.