Yukhari Garagoymaz is a village in the Echmiadzin uezd of the former Iravan governorate, later in the former Talin district, and currently in the Aragatsotn province. The provincial centre is located 41 km to the northwest of the town of Ashtarak, at the southwest foot of Alagoz Mountain and at a height of 1,850 m above sea level. It was marked on the five-verst map of the Caucasus (348, p.117) and noted as “Garakovmaz” in “The Collection of Data on the Caucasus”.

The village was solely inhabited by Azerbaijanis: 142 in 1897, 224 in 1916 and 394 Azerbaijanis in January 1918. In March 1918 the village inhabitants, who were exposed to the aggression by Armenian armed units, were deported, and the Armenians removed from the Turkish provinces of Sasun and Mush were settled in the village. At present, the village is inhabited only by Armenians.

The name of the village was coined by combining the words “yukhari” denoting a distinctive feature, “gara” meaning “high, lofty, towering; a mountain, a summit, a peak”, “koy” meaning “a village” and “mas/maz” meaning “the southern slope of a mountain; the woodless side of a mountain” in Turkic.

By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Armenian SSR dated 12 November 1946, the village was renamed “Verin Sasunashen”. 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 Aragatsotn province.

Geographic coordinates: latitude 40°22’ N., longitude 43°59’E.