 The first settlers of Shamlugh were Greek miners from Gyumushkhane, who migrated to the area to build a copper factory in 1770.The population of Shamlugh reached its peak in 1979, with about 4,500 inhabitants, with a majority of Greeks and Armenians, and a minority of Azerbaijanis.However, following the breakup of the Nagorno-Karabakh War, in 1988-1989 most of the Azerbaijanis migrated to Azerbaijan.