Oraban is a village located in the Baş Kəldək administrative-territorial unit of Shaki district, Azerbaijan. Situated at an altitude of 800–900 meters above sea level, the village lies about 30 km from the district center. Oraban is bordered to the east by Muxas village of the Oguz district, to the north by Baş Kəldək village, to the northwest by Baş Küngüt village, and to the south by a forest massif. By the decision of the National Assembly of the Republic of Azerbaijan dated October 5, 1999, No. 708-IQ, Oravan village within the Baş Küngüt administrative-territorial unit of Shaki district was renamed Oraban village. The village name appears as "Araban" in the 1824 cadastral description and as "Oraban" in the statistical collection published in 1888 for the Yelizavetpol province. Compared to other villages of Shaki, Oraban preserved more of its Alban history until the First Karabakh War. However, incorrect propaganda among the population led to the complete destruction of Christian monuments in the village. Today, there are no Christian monuments remaining in Oraban. Since the late 19th century, the village population gradually became Muslim, and today the inhabitants are entirely Muslim.
Today, the ancient Alban temple in Oraban has disappeared into history, and the Alban cemetery in the village area is in a neglected state. Located on the hillside, the cemetery's tombstones resemble those of Calut, Orta Zəyzid, and Baş Küngüt villages in shape, and they may even belong to the same historical period.
The toponym "Oraban" is derived from the Persian-origin components "oura" (fort) and "van" (place), meaning "a place with a fortification or a fort site." Considering that the "van" suffix is also found in place names in Nakhchivan, Yerevan, and Ijevan in Azerbaijan, the name Oraban likely underwent a simple v-to-b substitution and was known historically as Oravan. The meaning of "oura" as fort or fortress wall can be confirmed in the famous Persian dictionary Dehkhoda. Oraban village once had two Alban churches, but they were destroyed over time.
Today, various nicknames and surnames are used in Oraban, such as: "Cığıtlar, Mollalar, Ballılar, Damanlar, Bahbahlar, Dəlləklər, Dönbələr, Cınqıdımlar, Süt Əhməd, Dərvişin Cabbarı, Cığıt Məhəmməd, Dom-dom İsa, Dood Cəlil, Kirəş Dadaş, Balavan Səfər, Fındıq Süleyman, Ləvərək Novruz, Mürüd Məhəmməd, Xan Əsli, Şəddə Şövkət, Kətənə Şövkət, Bəğ Abbas." It is almost impossible to obtain detailed historical information about the village. If archaeological research is conducted in the future, the discovered material culture can shed light on the ancient history of Oraban.
