Yukhari Alchali is a village in the Novo-Bayazid uezd of the former Iravan governorate, later in the former Garanlig (Martuni), and currently in the Gegharkunik province. The provincial centre is located 53 km to the southeast of the town of Kavar (Yeni Bayazid, Kamo), on the shore of Lake Goycha, next to the Alchali River and at a height of 1,950 m above sea level. It was marked on the five-verst map of the Caucasus.
The village was solely inhabited by Azerbaijanis: 99 in 1831, 371 in 1873, 505 in 1886, 701 in 1897, 838 in 1908, 921 in 1914 and 815 Azerbaijanis in 1916. İn 1918 the Azerbaijani inhabitants of the village were massacred or expelled by Armenian militants, and the Armenians removed from Iran and Türkiye were 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 own village. The village was inhabited by 134 Azerbaijanis and 88 Armenians in 1922; 142 Azerbaijanis and 252 Armenians in 1926; 205 Azerbaijanis and 511 Armenians in 1931. According to the decision of the USSR Council of Ministers “On Resettlement of Collective Farmers and Other Azerbaijani Population from the Armenian SSR to the Kur-Araz Lowlands of the Azerbaijan SSR” dated 23 December 1947, the Azerbaijani inhabitants of the village were forcibly deported to Azerbaijan. At present, the village is inhabited only by Armenians.
The toponym was coined by adding suffix “-li” to the fruit name “alcha”. The word “yukhari” denotes a distinctive feature. It is a phytotoponym. In 1950 the villages of Ashaghi Alchali and Yukhari Alchali were merged and named “Alchali”.
By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Armenian SSR dated 27 September 1968, the village was renamed “Ardzvanist”. According to the law “On the Administrative-Territorial Division of Armenia” dated 7 November 1995, It was integrated into the administrative territory of the Gegharkunik province.
Geographic coordinates: latitude 40°09’ N., longitude 45°30’ E.
