Qobān (also known as Qapïjïq in Turkish and Kapudzhukh or Kapydzhik in Russian) at an elevation of 3,904 metres (12,808 ft) drains into the Araxes.

Before this occupation, a local rebellion had been organized against invasion of the Ottomans by Hadji, known as “Kasab” (butcher) and Bayandar when they learned that the Saffavids intended to attack.

Following this victory and occupation by the Ottomans,Khaten bey Ordubadi ,the prime vizier, appealed to the Shah to waive off all taxes levied on the local people, which was agreed.

[13] Ordubad was once an important regional stop on the caravan route of the Silk Road trade with China, Europe and India.

In the 17th century the city underwent major reconstruction activity, maintaining eastern feudal architectural features.

The Ordubad site was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List on 24 October 2001 in the Cultural category under Criteria (i), (iv) and (v).

[4] Archaeological excavations carried out by Russian archaeologists in ancient settlements of Ordubad have unearthed remnants of Bronze Age dated to the fourth century.

In the new city of Ordubad, planned in the 17th century, there were five divisions or districts with trade squares of larger size than the earlier blocks, which also had a plethora of mosques, springs, and bath-houses.

[5] The city has a number qanats or underground canals called "kahriz", which are the source of water for houses and orchards.

Juma Mosque, in the heart of the city, was initially built as the office of Hatambek Ordubadi vizier of Shah Abbas, in the 17th century.

The history museum, located on the opposite side, is a domed structure that is dated to the 18th century which in the past was used as a silk shop, restaurant and zurkhaneh ("house of strength").

[15] Gemigaya Mountain is an important backdrop to the city which is known for its petroglyphs, necropolises, and ancient settlements of Ordubad, Sabirkend, Plovdagh and Kharaba Gilan, which attests to its occupancy between 7th to 1st century BC.

[18] In the Astronomical Observatory at Ordubad, Nakhchivan ASSR and also at the Tarija, Bolivia, with the help of expedition astrograph, 6,000 plates were recorded from 1983–1988 which cataloged 200,000 stars south of the equator up to the 11th magnitude.