Spitak (Armenian: Սպիտակ), is a town and urban municipal community in the northern Lori Province of Armenia.

[2][3] The word spitak itself derives from Middle Persian spēdag (compare Parthian ispēd).

[4] The area of modern-day Spitak was probably inhabited since the 4th millennium BC, based on ancient settlements found on the surrounding hills.

However, with the establishment of the Zakarid Principality of Armenia in 1201 under the Georgian protectorate, the Eastern Armenian territories including Gugark had significantly grown.

After the fall of the Ilkhanate in the mid-14th century, the Zakarid princes ruled over Tashir until 1360 when they fell to the invading Turkic tribes.

In mid 17th century, the small village Hamamlu was founded in the historic region of Tashir, within the newly formed administrative territory of Erivan Khanate under the Afsharid dynasty of Iran.

The region became officially part of the Russian Empire at the Treaty of Turkmenchay signed on 10 February 1828 between Imperial Russia and Qajar Persia.

The dairy products factory of 1937 was the 1st industrial firm opened in Hamamlu under the Soviet rule, followed by the sugar plant in 1947.

During the 1988 earthquake, Spitak was entirely destroyed and 1/3 of the town's 15,000 population were killed, while the rest became homeless.

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Spitak was gradually rebuilt through the efforts of the state government as well as the Armenian diaspora, with the assistance of many countries, including Uzbekistan, Switzerland, Russia, Austria, Finland, Norway, Italy, Germany, Czech Republic, Estonia and the United Kingdom.

Spitak covers an area of 57.6 km2 (22 sq mi) on the shores of Pambak River, at a height of 1650 meters above sea level.

[citation needed] Spitak has a cultural house, 3 public libraries, many cinema theatres, a municipal theater, and an ethnographic museum.

The cultural heritage of the town includes an archaeological site from the 2nd millennium BC, the ruins of an ancient settlement on the nearby Sardar hill from the 1st millennium BC, as well as a bridge on the Pambak river dating back to the 19th century.