The Urartu Fortress dates from 825 BC, the settlement was called Tushba, the capital of the Urartians. They are the ones who bult the fortress. Later, Seljuks built the mosque and the minaret. The Ottomans restored the old buildings, using ostrich egg white in the mortar. There are 4 mosques, two were Seljuk and have been destroyed. Two are Ottoman and still exist; one is Sinan architecture, the other is Pasa.

60,000 people were killed at Tushba when the Persians destroyed the Urartians. Tushba was restored in 1918.