What is "shamlugh"

Shamlugh , is a town located in the Lori Province of Armenia. It is situated on the left bank of Debed River, 196 km north of the capital Yerevan and 63 km north of the provincial centre Vanadzor. It covers an area of 3.6 km² just 7 km west of the Vanadzor-Tbilisi highway, with only 700 inhabitants as of the 2011 census.

Shamlugh used to be a village until 1938 when it was turned into an urban community. In 1995 the government of independent Armenia reaffirmed the status of Shamlugh as a city. During the 1995 reform, the small communities of Bendik, Bughakar and Verin Akhtala were merged within the town of Shamlugh.