The modern town of Artashat was founded by the Soviet government in 1945 as an urban community, with the merger of three villages: Upper Ghamarlu, Lower Ghamarlu and Novruzlu, with Upper Ghamarlu being the largest one [REF].
In 1995, with the new law of the territorial administration of the Republic of Armenia, Artashat became the provincial centre of the newly-formed Ararat Province.