Ashtarak is a town in the Ashtarak Municipality of the Aragatsotn Province of Armenia, located on the left bank of Kasagh River along the gorge, 20 kms northwest of the capital Yerevan. It is the administrative centre of the province and an important crossroad of routes for the Yerevan–Gyumri–Vanadzor triangle. The town plays a great role in the national economy as well as the cultural life of Armenia through several industrial enterprises and cultural institutions.