Ordubad
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Ordubad is the second largest city of
Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...
's
Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic The Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic (, ) is a landlocked country, landlocked Enclave and exclave, exclave of the Azerbaijan, Republic of Azerbaijan. The region covers Official portal of Nakhchivan Autonomous RepublicNakhchivan Autonomous Republi ...
and the capital of an eponymous district. Ordubad is a medieval city of the
Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, comprising parts of Southern Russia, Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. The Caucasus Mountains, i ...
and in its current capacity of a town was founded in the 18th century. The town is divided into five districts: Ambaras, Kurdtatal, Mingis, Sarshahar, and Uch. Ordubad is well known for its exports of fruits and spices, and for its cuisine.


Etymology

''Ordubad'' is a name of Turko-Persian origin and means "''army town''", from Turkic ''ordu'' ("army") and Persian ''bad'' ("town"), which implies that the city was founded during the period of the Mongol or the ensuing Il-Khanid rule. The historian and geographer Hamdallah Mustawfi (1281–1349) mentions Ordubad in the mid-14th century as "a provincial town, one of the five towns making up the ''tumān'' of Nakhchivan, with fine gardens, and producing good grapes, corn and cotton". French traveller Jean Saint-Martin mentions, in his 1818 book about the geography of Armenia, that the contemporary people referred to the city as ''Ordouvar'' () or ''Ourdovar'' () in
Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...
, and ''Ardoubad'' in Turkish and Persian, and that the settlement had already existed in the 14th century.


Location

Ordubad city is located at an elevation of . It is on the northern bank of the central stretch of the Aras River. The river that rises from the north from the Mt. Qobān (also known as Qapïjïq in Turkish and Kapudzhukh or Kapydzhik in Russian) at an elevation of drains into the Araxes. The town is divided into five districts: Ambaras, Kurdtatal, the Mingis, Sarshahar, and Uch. The city has a large number of walnut and mulberry trees. The closest railway station is Ordubad and the distance to Nakhchivan city is .
Tabriz Tabriz (; ) is a city in the Central District (Tabriz County), Central District of Tabriz County, in the East Azerbaijan province, East Azerbaijan province of northwestern Iran. It serves as capital of the province, the county, and the distric ...
is away to the north-northwest. Both Azerbaijan's absolute minimum temperature () and the absolute maximum temperature () were observed in Ordubad (and also in Julfa).


Demographics


History

The city may have been established by the 14th century, or earlier. The
Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...
(1299–1923) had occupied the Ordubad territory in the past. 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. They were backed by the local people. The rebels initially took control of the city and also occupied a fortress near the city. However, the rebels had their own internal dissensions, and as a result a small battalion of the Safavid army defeated the rebels and killed them. Following this victory and occupation by the Safavids, Khaten bey Ordubadi ,the prime
vizier A vizier (; ; ) is a high-ranking political advisor or Minister (government), minister in the Near East. The Abbasids, Abbasid caliphs gave the title ''wazir'' to a minister formerly called ''katib'' (secretary), who was at first merely a help ...
, appealed to the Shah to waive off all taxes levied on the local people, which was agreed. Ordubad was once an important regional stop on the caravan route of the
Silk Road The Silk Road was a network of Asian trade routes active from the second century BCE until the mid-15th century. Spanning over , it played a central role in facilitating economic, cultural, political, and religious interactions between the ...
trade with China, Europe and India. The city was first founded as Gala city, a feudal city, on the top of the Ambras on the left bank of river in the 15th century. In view of extensive trade, the city started developing on the right bank of the Ordubadchay with many new districts. In the 17th and 18th centuries trade centres were established in the city on the right bank, which diminished the importance of Gala city. Built in the backdrop of Zangezur Caucasus mountain it is enclosed on three sides by mountains providing for a very green environment. In the 17th century the city underwent major reconstruction activity, maintaining eastern feudal architectural features. Following the Russo-Persian War (1826-1828), the town passed from
Iranian Iranian () may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Iran ** Iranian diaspora, Iranians living outside Iran ** Iranian architecture, architecture of Iran and parts of the rest of West Asia ** Iranian cuisine, cooking traditions and practic ...
rule to
Imperial Russia Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor/empress, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * ...
n rule under the Treaty of Turkmenchay of 1828. According to a census conducted in 1834, Ordubad, with its 52 villages, had a population of 11,341 consisting of
Muslims Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
and
Armenians Armenians (, ) are an ethnic group indigenous to the Armenian highlands of West Asia.Robert Hewsen, Hewsen, Robert H. "The Geography of Armenia" in ''The Armenian People From Ancient to Modern Times Volume I: The Dynastic Periods: From Antiq ...
. From 1849–1868, the city was the center of the Ordubad uezd. The Ordubad site was added to the
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
World Heritage Tentative List on 24 October 2001 in the Cultural category under Criteria (i), (iv) and (v).


Archaeological excavations

Archaeological excavations carried out by Russian archaeologists in ancient settlements of Ordubad have unearthed remnants of
Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...
dated to the fourth century. It includes a necropolis, which revealed graves of warriors also dated to the fourth century. These were initially assessed, in 1928, as skeletons of only warrior men but subsequent research carried out by the Archaeological and Ethnological Institute of Azerbaijan National Academy of Science in 2004 has concluded that at least one of the skeletons is of a woman warrior found with her armory such as quiver, arrows and helmet.


Economy

Ordubad's economy is dependent on trade, particularly of fruits, wheat, and silk; grapes are of 40 varieties. The silk exports have been mostly to
Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...
,
Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...
,
Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...
and many other places in Europe, from the middle of the 16th century. During the early years of the 20th century, Ordubad silk received 13 gold medals in international exhibitions and fairs. Arak is also an export commodity of the city. Economic activity in Ordubad and nearby regions includes copper mining, Paragachayskoe
molybdenum Molybdenum is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Mo (from Neo-Latin ''molybdaenum'') and atomic number 42. The name derived from Ancient Greek ', meaning lead, since its ores were confused with lead ores. Molybdenum minerals hav ...
deposit from the Meghri-Ordubad gratoidnym batholiths,
bauxite Bauxite () is a sedimentary rock with a relatively high aluminium content. It is the world's main source of aluminium and gallium. Bauxite consists mostly of the aluminium minerals gibbsite (), boehmite (γ-AlO(OH)), and diaspore (α-AlO(OH) ...
,
tungsten Tungsten (also called wolfram) is a chemical element; it has symbol W and atomic number 74. It is a metal found naturally on Earth almost exclusively in compounds with other elements. It was identified as a distinct element in 1781 and first ...
and tin ore.


Industry

21 industrial plants operated in the region in 2015. The average number of people working for industry is 634. The cost of industrial products was 8469,7 thousand manat in 2015. Its rate is 4.8 times more than the level in 2005. There are 9 milk processing plants in Ordubad. The daily production rate is 24 ton. Besides, the wine plant ''Oren-Gala" produces pomegranate juice.


Features of the city

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. The medieval market square in the heart of the city is prominent and the glass mosque, the Juma Mosque, is a landmark. Caravan sheds and the market here traded in silk and dry fruits with East European countries. The lay out of the streets is radial and appears in the shape of a fan close to the center of the city. Each of the streets have squares which are a typical feature of the city. A well known suburb of the city is Akulis through which a small stream flows. The city has many private and public schools. The city has a number qanats or underground canals called "kahriz", which are the source of water for houses and orchards. The city reflects tradition and culture of northern and southern Azerbaijan.


Museums

There are three museums in Ordubad. * Memorial Museum of Mammad Said Ordubadi - established in 1972, holds more than 700 exhibits. * The House-Museum of Academician Yusif Mammadaliyev - established in 1975, holds more than 1800 exhibits. * Ordubad History Museum - established in December 1980, holds nearly 3500 exhibits and fragments.


Juma Mosque

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. Even now it looks more like a palace. 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"). Soviet era photos are exhibited here. The porch here was once decorated with statues of Russian communists and the roof was also designed in Russian architecture, and these have since been removed.


Qeyyseriye

Geysariyye Monument is a historic edifice dated to the 17th century, located in the main market centre. It is now a historical and ethnography museum.


Gemigaya Mountain

Gemigaya Mountain is an important backdrop to the city which is known for its
petroglyph A petroglyph is an image created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, or abrading, as a form of rock art. Outside North America, scholars often use terms such as "carving", "engraving", or other descriptions ...
s, necropolises, and ancient settlements of Ordubad, Sabirkend, Plovdagh and Kharaba Gilan, which attests to its occupancy between 7th to 1st century BC. It is situated within the Ordubad National Park.


Observatory

In the Astronomical Observatory at Ordubad, Nakhchivan ASSR and also at the Tarija, Bolivia, with the help of expedition
astrograph An astrograph (or astrographic camera) is a telescope designed for the sole purpose of astrophotography. Astrographs are mostly used in wide-field astronomical surveys of the sky and for detection of objects such as asteroids, meteors, an ...
, 6,000 plates were recorded from 1983–1988 which cataloged 200,000 stars south of the
equator The equator is the circle of latitude that divides Earth into the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Southern Hemisphere, Southern Hemispheres of Earth, hemispheres. It is an imaginary line located at 0 degrees latitude, about in circumferen ...
up to the 11th magnitude.


Notable natives

* Hatem Beg Ordubadi - Safavid
vizier A vizier (; ; ) is a high-ranking political advisor or Minister (government), minister in the Near East. The Abbasids, Abbasid caliphs gave the title ''wazir'' to a minister formerly called ''katib'' (secretary), who was at first merely a help ...
from 1591 to 1610/1. * Mirza Taleb Khan Ordubadi - Safavid vizier from 1632 to 1633. * İsmayıl İbrahimov — Scientist, Hero of Socialist Labor. * Mammed Said Ordubadi — Writer. * Najafgulu Rafiyev
Hero of the Soviet Union The title Hero of the Soviet Union () was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded together with the Order of Lenin personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society. The title was awarded both ...
. * Novruz Rizayev — People's Commissar of Internal Affairs of Azerbaijan SSR (1927–1929). * Victor Cherokov — Soviet military commander, Vice Admiral. * Yusif Mammadaliyev — chemist, founder of petrochemical science in Azerbaijan. * Aliyar Safarli — Former ambassador of Azerbaijan in Iran and professor


References

*


Bibliography

* * * * * * *


External links


Encyclopedia Iranica. Ordubad.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ordubad (City) Populated places in Ordubad District Erivan Governorate World Heritage Tentative List