(self-name - azer-baijanlilar, azeriler), people. There are 335.9 thousand people in the Russian Federation. The main population of Azerbaijan. They also live in Iran and other countries. The Azerbaijani language is the Oghuz group of Turkic languages. Believers are mostly Shiite Muslims.
Story
Azerbaijanis as a nation began to take shape after the collapse of the vast Persian Empire.
The basis of the new nation was the Turks and the Oguzes and Kipchaks who lived with them. Subsequently, the Talysh, Lezgins, part of the Kurds and other nationalities joined it. A significant part of Azerbaijanis live in Iran. Religion - Shiite Islam. The main dish of Azerbaijani cuisine is pilaf. The main musical instrument is the saz.
Literally, the word “Azerbaijan” is translated as the soul of fire or country of fire. There are mountains in the republic, from the depths of which flammable gas rises, spontaneously igniting on the surface. This part of the Earth has amazingly rich soil where everything grows. Therefore, representatives of the nation joke, the ancestors did not have to strain their brains much. The population has been engaged in carpet weaving since ancient times. Azerbaijanis are very hardworking and conscientious people with a high sense of honor. They proudly list their contributions to Russian history.
First: at the beginning of the 20th century, after the industrial production of Baku oil, the Russian Empire became the world's leading oil exporter. Second: the rector of the Baku Petrochemical Institute, Yusif Mamedaliyev, invented fuel for manned rockets, thanks to which the USSR became the first space power. Third: geologist Farman Salmanov found Tyumen oil, this allowed Russia to become a powerful energy power.
The first Azerbaijani to enter the history of the region was Chingiz Ildrym. In 1929-34 he worked as Deputy General Director of MMK for construction. “Our man built Magnitka,” Azerbaijanis say proudly. In 1937, Ildrym was repressed...
In the 70s of the last century, Azerbaijanis were brought to the Southern Urals in several streams. The first was through the Ministry of Internal Affairs, young men were sent to serve in the police. Most of them remained in the region. The second wave is commercial. Southerners brought flowers to Ural women on March 8th. The third stream is Siberian. After Farkhan Salmanov found oil in the north of the Tyumen region, active development of fields began, and trains with his fellow countrymen went from Azerbaijan to Siberia (600 thousand people arrived!). Many of them came on a business trip to the Chelyabinsk region and stayed to live.
After the collapse of the USSR, global migration of Azerbaijanis began. She had two motives - economic and political. Life in the republic became very difficult, it was difficult to find work. The children of the “land of fire” also fled from political uncertainty, there was no prospect, the wound of Nagorno-Karabakh was bleeding and is still bleeding in their souls. As a result, about three million people immigrated to our country.
Ethnogenesis
In the ethnogenesis of A., the ancient local tribes of Atropatena and Caucasian Albania were of decisive importance: the Mannaeans, Cadusians, Caspians, part of the Medes, Albanians, etc. Subsequently, those invading the territory mixed with the aborigines. Azerbaijan has been divided into different tribes and ethnicities for centuries. groups: Cimmerians, Scythians, Huns, Khazars, Oguzes, Mongols and other Iranian-speaking and Turkic-speaking components. Formation of Azerbaijan. nationality proceeded for several centuries and basically. ended in the 11th-13th centuries. Annexation of the North. Azerbaijan's approach to Russia saved it from the invasions of the tour. and Iran. invaders and contributed to the involvement of A. in the mainstream of capitalism. development. In the 2nd half. 19th century The process of consolidation of Azerbaijanis began. nation. After the establishment of the Sov. authorities in Azerbaijan (April 1920), during the socialist. construction of A. in the USSR were consolidated into socialist. a nation with a highly developed economy and culture.
Culture
The Azerbaijani people have created a unique culture: folklore, literature, fine arts, music, etc. Since ancient times, the products of folk craftsmen have been famous, developing such traditional crafts as carpet weaving, goldsmithing, wood and stone processing, etc.
Azerbaijani culture, organically connected with language, arose in the 14th-15th centuries, while the material one remained traditional even after the Turkization of the local population. Independent Azerbaijani culture has retained close ties with Iranian and Arab ones. They were held together by a common religion and cultural and historical traditions. According to Javier de Planol, "Azerbaijani material culture is the result of a multi-secular symbiosis, thus a subtle combination of local elements and nomadic contributions." In the 15th century, two centers of Azerbaijani culture were formed - South Azerbaijan and lowland Karabakh, which finally took shape in the 16th-18th centuries.
Language
Language - Azerbaijani belongs to the southwestern (Oguz) branch of the Turkic languages and shows a strong influence of Persian and Arabic. About 95% of the population of Azerbaijan speaks Azerbaijani. In the spoken Azerbaijani language there is a significant number of dialects, which are combined into the following groups: eastern, western, northern, southern. Russian (in Azerbaijan, Russia, Georgia) and Persian (in Iran) are also common among Azerbaijanis.
Life
The traditional occupations of the urban population are carpet weaving (for more details, see also the article about Azerbaijani carpet, among which are Baku, Ganja, Kazakh, Shirvan, Shamakhi, Karabakh, Cuban and Tabriz carpets), goldsmithing and jewelry production, wood and stone processing, starting from the 19th century - industry; rural - farming, cotton growing, gardening, viticulture, sericulture, cultivation of industrial crops, transhumance sheep breeding, cattle breeding. The most important grain crops are wheat, barley, rice, as well as millet, rye, corn, and oats. Until the beginning of the 20th century, rural Tatars of Karabakh (Azerbaijanis) mainly led a nomadic and semi-nomadic lifestyle (in 1845, more than 80%), depending on the time of year and the state of feed for livestock (in the spring - to mountain pastures, and in the fall - to winter quarters, in lower places). The Azerbaijani intelligentsia appeared in the 19th century.
Most Azerbaijanis currently live in cities. Traditional rural settlements of Azerbaijanis have a predominantly scattered layout, terrace-shaped in the mountains, densely built up with stone houses with flat roofs.
National clothes of Azerbaijanis
The national costumes of Azerbaijanis are very beautiful and original. Women's dresses have an elegant silhouette and cut, emphasizing the flexible bodies of Azerbaijani beauties. They are decorated with intricate embroidery and trimmed with beautiful “golden” braid.
Men's clothing is also very distinctive. It emphasizes their masculinity and does not hinder their rapid movements.
Women's clothing was made mainly of silk and velvet, and men's clothing was made of cloth and homemade cashmere fabric.
A notable element of the Azerbaijani costume is the underwear. It (both women's and men's) was sewn from canvas and cotton fabric. Rich beauties have silk.
It simply forces us to curtsy towards Azerbaijan, so as not to offend the eternal rival countries in the region!
In addition, the origin of Azerbaijanis is not as simple as one might think!
Artificial people
Like Mordovians, Azerbaijanis is a modern term that was used to generically refer to the peoples of the Caucasus who lived in the province of Iran of the same name, "Iranian Azerbaijan" and around Lake Urmia.
It became widely used when the USSR included half of “greater Azerbaijan” into its composition, calling this entity the Azerbaijan SSR.
Such a primitive approach made it possible to classify this complex ethnic group into one unit, but completely ignored the numerous differences.
After all, even the population of Azerbaijan and its Iranian part is quite different.
Initially, the region of Atropatene (Northern Media) was called Azerbaijan, which translates as “land of Aturpata,” which occupied the south of present-day Azerbaijan and part of Iranian Azerbaijan.
Aturpat - "keeper of fire", an Iranian name of Zoroastrian origin, who was the legendary king of these places. Actually, with the arrival of the Indo-Europeans here, the history of Azerbaijan begins.
Components of the Azerbaijani people
Fire-worshipping Zoroastrians became the main population of these lands, assimilating the autochthonous tribes of the Caucasus, close to the ancient Europeans. Until now, Azerbaijan is called the “country of fire,” although it has long been professing Islam, and not the cult of Ahura Mazda.
The fertile lands attracted those who wanted easy money; soon the Scythians, Massagetae and related Parthians would appear here, and then the Turks: Oguzes, Huns, Khazars.
The latter changed the ethnic history of the region, making the Turkic element dominant, and not the Iranian element, as it was before.
The Arab conquest and forced Islamization of the country further strengthened Azerbaijan's connection with the world of Islam.
Both the Turks, the Arabs, and later the Mongols will profess Islam, which means the Azerbaijani peoples will constantly fight under the flags of different caliphates, carrying the faith or simply fighting for other people’s interests.
The Iranian population and its cultural paradigm increasingly dissolved and disappeared in the Turkic world, this was finally consolidated during the heyday of the Ottoman Empire, where one of the Turkish clans, the Seljuks, directly descends from the descendants of a mixed population of Turks, remnants of the Massagetae and the population of modern Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijanis, as a people, emerged as a result of long historical development, the gradual consolidation of local ancient tribes (Albanians, Udis, Caspians, Talyshs, etc.) with Turkic-speaking tribes that arrived in different periods - Huns, Oguzes, Kipchaks, etc. - and According to scientific opinion, the replacement of the indigenous languages of the population with the Turkic spoken language here dates back to the 11th-13th centuries.
In turn, the Turkic-speaking tribes were quite diverse in their ethnic components, uniting many other, partly more ancient tribes, which subsequently participated in the ethnogenesis of not only Azerbaijanis, but also a number of other Turkic-speaking peoples.
S. Gadzhieva (famous Dagestan ethnographer)
For a long time, the border zone between Iran and the Ottoman port was also the border zone between the Turkic and Iranian parts of the Azerbaijani people.
But in the 19th century, it became completely blurred.
Geneticists' opinion
Hadji Murat, although not Azerbaijani
Geneticists like to confuse things.
This is what happened with the Azerbaijanis. According to their data, the genetic trace of the Turks is quite weak and belonged to a narrow group of men, probably the elite of the Turks, who recruited harems among local women.
But the majority of Azerbaijanis have haplotypes of the autochthonous peoples of the Caucasus, which emphasizes their significant role in the formation of the people.
The distribution of the R1B group and G, typical of the Middle East, is also significant.
But the share of Iranian R1A is quite modest...
This refutes the opinion about the high share of Persians in the genesis of Azerbaijanis.
Anthropology about Azerbaijanis
Some of the anthropological types of Azerbaijan
Azerbaijanis are Caucasians of the Mediterranean and Pontic types, with an almost total predominance of dark eyes and hair.
- head shape is long,
- average and above average height,
- Asthenic build and accelerated metabolism predominate.
The elongated head of Azerbaijanis is perhaps the main distinguishing feature, since other Caucasian peoples have broad heads. This is associated with the opinion that the Indo-Europeans of Iran were long-headed, but geneticists deny their significant contribution.
The Brockhaus and Efron dictionary calls Azerbaijanis Turks by language and Iranians by race
Linguists' opinion
Here the role of language specialists is not very significant: Azerbaijanis speak a Turkic language, Oghuz group, with a strong influence of languages of the Kipchak group (Iranian).
Most likely, this is a second language that the Azerbaijanis adopted from the Turkic conquerors, but no data has been preserved about their original language.
So who did the Azerbaijanis come from?
Summarizing all the data: Azerbaijanis are a repeatedly mixed people.
Initial substrate from aborigines of the Caucasus received first Indo-Aryan influence from Media to Parthia, and then Turkic influence. The latter had a decisive impact on the language and religion of the people, but had a rather weak effect on the anthropology of the population!
Since the closest morphological analogies of the Caspian population group are noted among the population of Afghanistan and Northern India, the ancestors of the Azerbaijanis should be sought among those ancient peoples who simultaneously gave rise to the Nuristanis and many peoples of Northern India...
But even in the absence of paleoanthropological data, somatological materials indicate that the immediate ancestors of the Azerbaijani people must be sought among the ancient peoples of Western Asia and that in the ethnogenesis of the Azerbaijanis, connections in the southeastern direction are decisive.
Contact with peoples who spoke Turkic languages and the associated transition to Turkic speech did not have any noticeable impact on the formation of the anthropological characteristics of the Azerbaijani people
V. Alekseev (Russian anthropologist)
Today's Azerbaijanis are culturally and linguistically close to the Turks, but in origin they are no less close to the most ancient peoples of the Caucasus and the Middle East.
Azerbaijanis have conquered the world with their singing, the art of carpet weaving and tambour embroidery. The people, who combine Persian and Turkic characteristics, considered themselves united for many years, although they did not have their own name. Today Azerbaijan, more than 90% of whose population consists of ancient “Muslims,” is a vibrant, distinctive and modern state in which the narrow cobbled streets of the old city of Icheri Sheher coexist with the skyscrapers of the center of Baku.
Name
The toponym “Azerbaijan”, a derivative of which is the name of the “Azerbaijani” people, has ancient roots and comes from the name of the state of Media Atropatena. It existed from the 3rd century BC and was located on the territory of modern Iran and southeast Azerbaijan. In a distorted form, it represented the Middle Persian word “Aderbadgan”, from which the modern name of the state and people was derived.
A number of researchers have discovered a connection with the personal name Adarbador, meaning “keeper of fire” or “temple of fire” in Media. This version is confirmed by the fact that Zoroastrianism was developed in the region, the cult of which presupposed the presence of temples with undying lights.
It is noteworthy that the Azerbaijanis themselves never called themselves that. Moreover, they united not along national lines, but along religious lines, calling themselves the general word “Muslims.” Due to the heterogeneous, multinational composition of the nationality living on the same territory, its representatives could call themselves Turks, Tatars, Caucasians or Turks.
For a more accurate self-name, the people used clan or tribal affiliation, for example, Avshars or Ayrums: this was common among nomads. Sedentary city residents used territorial affiliation for these purposes, calling themselves, for example, Karabakh or Baku residents.
Even more surprising is that the nation never had a single name on the world map. Other peoples also called them differently:
- Kyzylbash - in the 16th-17th centuries, all nomadic tribes were called this way.
- Busurman is a common name in the Russian Empire for all Muslims, including Azerbaijanis.
- Adzhemi - this is how the people are designated in the manifesto of Peter I before the Persian campaign.
- Ajam - this is how the Ottoman Turks called the Persians and Azerbaijanis. In Iran, this word is still considered a disparaging name for the people.
- Tatars are the name of all Turkic tribes that assimilated indigenous Azerbaijanis from the 11th-13th centuries. Later in Russia the name Azerbaijani Tatars or Transcaucasian Tatars took root.
- Persians are one of the names of the people in Turkey and pre-revolutionary Russia.
- Kajarly, kajar, padar, gamshari, mugals, azerbezhano - a variety of names for Azerbaijanis among the peoples of the North Caucasus.
Where live
Most of the nation lives in Azerbaijan, making up 91.6% of the country's population. A significant part of the ethnic group occupies the territory of northwestern Iran: according to some sources, the number of Azerbaijanis is one third of the state's population.
In Russia, Azerbaijanis live mainly in Southern Dagestan, but representatives of the nation who have migrated or come to work can be found in any region of the country. In addition, there are significant Azerbaijani diasporas in Georgia (south and southeast), Turkey, and Turkmenistan. After the collapse of the USSR, many migrated to the CIS countries, America, and Europe.
More than 180,000 Azerbaijanis lived in Armenia in the 70s of the last century. After the interethnic clashes that resulted in the Karabakh conflict, the vast majority of them left the country. It is believed that only a few hundred of them live here permanently now.
Number
The approximate number of Azerbaijanis who live around the world today is 50 million people. Surprisingly, most of them live in Iran - according to some sources, about 30 million. Next on the list is, in fact, Azerbaijan - 8.2 million.
According to the 2010 census, the number of Azerbaijanis in Russia is 603,000. Experts believe that in fact there are three times more of them - about 2 million. The following states became the homeland for representatives of the nation:
- Türkiye - 3 million;
- USA - 1 million;
- Egypt - 850 thousand;
- Iraq - 800 thousand;
- Georgia - 600 thousand;
- Ukraine - 500 thousand;
- Afghanistan - 430 thousand;
- Kingdom of Jordan - 410 thousand;
- Pakistan - 350 thousand;
- Germany - 300 thousand;
- India - 300 thousand
Language
The Azerbaijani language belongs to a large group of Turkic languages, representing its southwestern or Oghuz group. It also includes Turkmen, Uzbek, Turkish languages, and Kumyk is phonetically close. The language was formed after the seizure of Persian territories by Oghuz tribes in the early Middle Ages. One can feel the great influence of Arabic and Persian languages, native to the indigenous population of this area.
The people have had writing since ancient times, and the first surviving monuments date back to the 13th century. It acquired its final forms in the period of the XV-XVIII centuries. The works of classical national poets Nasimi, Fizuli and Khatai date back to this time.
The alphabet changed three times in the 20th century according to a pattern characteristic of the peoples of the USSR: it moved from Arabic to Latin, and then to Cyrillic. The modern alphabet of the Azerbaijani language varies depending on the regions of residence. In Dagestan, Cyrillic remained, in Iran they use Arabic, and in Azerbaijan they created a new version: Latin based on Turkish.
Story
In Antiquity, the territories of modern settlement of the nationality were occupied by nomadic tribes of the Caucasian and Caspian anthropological types. Later they formally united into Caucasian Albania, which was a union of 26 nomadic and semi-nomadic tribes living independently.
In the 4th century BC, Alexander the Great came to the region and founded the state of Media Atropatene. From it arose the name of the nation and the territorial boundaries of its main area of location. The state existed until the 8th century AD, when it was conquered by the powerful Arab Caliphate, which brought Islam, which quickly replaced Zoroastrianism, which had dominated here for centuries.
The next period to which researchers attribute the identification of Azerbaijanis as a nation is the 11th-13th centuries. Oguz tribes who spoke the Turkic language began to actively penetrate the region: the flow increased during the rule of the Tatar-Mongols. The finishing touch to the formation of the ethnic group was the Turkmens who came from Central Asia. By the 15th century, the inhabitants of the territories of modern Iran and Azerbaijan considered themselves one people and spoke the same language.
From the 16th to the 18th centuries, the powerful Safavid dynasty ruled, during which the empire flourished, imposed tribute on neighboring regions and encroached on foreign territories. Then the state fell into decline and was divided into many khanates, for which the Russians, Iranians, Afghans, and the Ottoman Caliphate fought for the next century.
After the revolution, the Azerbaijan SSR was formed, and the country's independence was restored in 1991. In Iran, representatives of the nation have long been subject to discrimination, but today many government posts are occupied by Azerbaijanis.
Appearance
Azerbaijanis belong to the Caucasian type, representing its Caspian subtype, which includes characteristics of the Indo-Afghan and Mediterranean races. The distinctive features of a nation's appearance include:
- average height: 170-175 cm;
- predominant black eye color;
- blue-black hair;
- medium and high level of vegetation;
- narrow and low face;
- protruding nose;
- Skin pigmentation is darker than that of other Caucasian peoples.
Genetic studies have shown that Azerbaijanis are close to the Persians and the peoples of the Caucasus, and the Turks, people from Asia Minor and representatives of the Indo-European group had little influence on the formation of external characteristics.
Cloth
The national women's costume consisted of many components. Underwear included:
- A spacious koynek shirt.
- A skirt that varied in cut depending on the region.
- Wide jutbalag pants or narrow darbalag pants.
Outerwear was even more varied. Mandatory elements are an outer shirt and an arkhalyg: a short caftan that fits tightly to the body with a high collar. In the regions of Sheki and Ganja it was replaced by lebbade: shoulder-length clothing without a collar and with short flared sleeves, richly decorated with embroidery and braid. Arkhalyg was supplemented with belts made of leather, silver or gold. Multi-colored leg warmers and shoes with curved toes were put on their feet.
Particular attention was paid to bright accessories made of stones. The head was covered with a small cap, covered on top with a kelagai - a scarf with a traditional printed pattern. This authentic piece of national costume was included in the UNESCO Intangible Heritage List in 2014. The final element was the veil, which was used to cover yourself when leaving the house.
The men's suit consisted of an undershirt and long johns, over which they wore wide trousers and an arkhalyg with a belt. They complemented the outfit with a chukha - an analogue of the Circassian coat; in cold regions they wore lamb fur coats or burkas. A common option for winter clothing is a long fur coat with raised sleeves reaching to the floor.
Men
Since ancient times, Islamic norms have determined the dominant role of men. His task was to provide the family with housing and finances. The man did not take part in household chores and raising children. His word was law for his wife and was not disputed; women were treated with disdain. Men were allowed polygamy, levirate and sororate were practiced, and adultery was allowed.
Azerbaijani men are distinguished by a calm and firm character, maintain a serious expression on their faces, and behave modestly and with dignity. They quickly make decisions and follow them clearly, without allowing doubts. They are sensitive to attacks on the honor of the family or their own, they keep their word, public opinion, status, and appearance are of particular importance.
Women
For Azerbaijanis, women have always played a secondary role. Her main task is to look after the household, not go out and raise children. Women did all the housework themselves, including chopping wood and carrying water. After marriage, they had to listen not only to their husband, but also to all his older relatives. In the family of origin, besides the father, the word of the brothers was law.
Modesty, humility, hard work and beauty were valued in a woman. Her honor was of paramount importance: neither before nor after marriage she should be seen in disgraceful relationships with men: this was considered a disgrace.
Family life
The main people in families and tribal settlements were old people, who were called aksakals. They made all public decisions, people went to them for advice, they were involved in resolving disputes, economic issues, and asked for help in matchmaking. In small families, the head had the final word; children, wife, sisters and brothers could not disobey him.
The marriageable age for girls was 15-17 years old, sometimes they were married off earlier. After the wedding, the bride came to her husband's house. Traditionally, by this time, parents prepared separate housing for their son; in a number of villages it was customary to live with parents. The daughter-in-law was forbidden to speak first with her fathers-in-law, and in case of dialogue she was required to cover her mouth with the corner of a scarf.
The birth of a child, especially a son, was a real holiday. According to tradition, immediately after cutting the umbilical cord, he was bathed in salt water to keep him clean and brave. After this, he was handed over to his mother, with whom he did not part until he was 7-10 years old. The name was usually chosen to be similar to the names of other children; they were often given the names of their grandfather or grandmother.
Housing
In the mountainous regions, Azerbaijanis settled in crowded settlements located on terraces. Houses were built from untreated stone or raw brick, covered with turf or had gable roofs. Often they stood so close to each other that it was difficult for two riders to pass each other.
On the plains they practiced a chaotic arrangement of houses surrounded by estates or small courtyards. They were built from the same materials, multi-room and two-story. On the first one they housed livestock and utility rooms, on the second one they lived, supplementing it with open terraces. They were used as workshops or for drying fruits.
Later, wooden houses with a gable roof appeared. The attic was used for storing supplies or raising silkworms. They slept on mats right on the floor: during the day they were rolled up and put away. The home was heated by a hearth, such as a fireplace; in the cold season, the stoves were additionally heated.
Life
The main occupations of the Azerbaijanis living in the lowland areas were related to agriculture. They grew wheat, oats, rye, corn, barley, rice, and were engaged in cotton growing, viticulture, and gardening. Cattle breeding and transhumance sheep breeding played an important role.
Traditional crafts were associated with the processing of metals: copper, gold, silver. Jewelry, blades, and forged chests with exquisite patterns made by local craftsmen were widely famous: brides' dowries were collected in them.
The local carpets with national patterns are still famous throughout the world. Tambour embroidery with silk threads on velvet in black, blue, and red shades was considered a particularly valuable craft. Only the rich could afford it, and Dumas the father noted its standard quality and low price.
Culture
The architecture of Azerbaijan attracts with well-preserved castles-fortresses (for example, on the Absheron peninsula), palaces, among which the Shah's palace in Nukha stands out, creating a unique urban appearance with cobbled streets, mausoleums, caravanserais, and houses made of untreated stone.
At all times, song has played a special role for the people. The art of ashugs: professional singers and storytellers is included in the UNESCO World Intangible Heritage List.
Boys and girls took part in folk dances. The former were characterized by sharp, emotional movements, while the latter danced smoothly, elegantly, and with restraint. The typical structure of the dance is three-part: at first the participants move slowly in a circle, then freeze in a symbolic position, and then continue the circular movement, but more emotionally and expressively.
Religion
90% of Azerbaijanis living in the Caucasus, Iran and Azerbaijan profess Shiite Islam. A small part of the nation's representatives belongs to the Hanafis, adherents of the Sunni branch. In recent years, conversion to Orthodoxy has been gaining popularity: according to 2007 data, the number of representatives of this faith in Azerbaijan numbered 5 thousand people.
Traditions
The tradition of hospitality that has passed through centuries is known throughout the world. Previously, the entire village, led by elders, came out to greet important guests. The visitor was treated to sweets and tea, and entertained with folk songs and dances.
Any traveler will find shelter with an Azerbaijani if he asks. First of all, he is taken into the house (on the threshold you must take off your shoes) and given tea from a national glass of armuda with sweets.
Translated, the word “armudu” means “pear-shaped”, which corresponds to its shape. It is believed that his unusual appearance refers to the figure of an oriental beauty. Scientists explain the shape from a scientific point of view: thanks to the narrow “waist”, the liquid from the lower part does not cool down, and the energy released by it warms up the drink in the upper compartment.
The tea ceremony and sweets are unchanging attributes of any feast and holiday of Azerbaijanis. Tea begins and ends any meal; it is drunk during negotiations, relaxation, and matchmaking. Teahouses are popular in the country, however, unlike Asian ones, they only serve sweets and tea. Only men gather here in the evenings to relax and discuss business. Sweets symbolize the sweet life: they are present in huge quantities at weddings.
If tea was not poured for the guest, it meant that they were not welcome to see him in the house. And the unexpected presentation of a full bag of food indicated that hospitality should not be abused and the owners were asking the stranger to leave the house.
Food
The basis of the people's diet was flour, dairy and meat products. Bread and lavash were baked in tandoors, and kutabs were popular - unleavened dough pies filled with herbs or cottage cheese. In everyday life they ate rich lamb soups - bozbash and piti. There was a special relationship with pilaf: the national cuisine has more than 30 recipes for it. Azerbaijani dishes such as dolma, lula kebab and shish kebab are popular throughout the post-Soviet space.
Famous Azerbaijanis
The vocal abilities of Azerbaijanis did not disappear with the advent of modern times. This is confirmed by famous singers and musicians Muslim Magomayev, Emin Agalarov (EMİN), Bakhtiyar Aliyev (Bahh Tee), Timur Rodriguez.
Emin Garibov, the former captain of the Russian artistic gymnastics team, actor and model Rustam Dzhabrailov, and member of the Russian national football team Alexander Samedov achieved fame. Among the women, journalist Irada Zeynalova, grandmaster Elmira Mirzoeva, and model Gunay Musayeva became famous.
Video
Located from a geographical point of view on the border of Europe-Asia, Azerbaijan in the historical past was entrenched at the intersection of various civilizations - Achaemenid-Sasanian, Roman-Byzantine, Scythian-Khazar, Turkic-Oguz cultures. The favorable geographical location and rich nature of this region became the reason in ancient times for the transformation of this territory into a densely populated settlement. From those times to this day, Azerbaijan has gone down in history as a country distinguished by its high level of tolerance. This region is the birthplace of Zoroastrianism, the cradle of Christianity in the Caucasus, a place of widespread Islam, a territory of peaceful cohabitation of different ethnic groups, a place of mutually beneficial symbiosis of diverse cultures. Historical sources indicate that the ethnic composition of Azerbaijan was constantly expanding.
Today Azerbaijan stands out for its ethnic palette. Here, along with the Azerbaijani Turks, live such ethnic groups as Mountain Jews, Kurds, Talysh, Tats, Molokans, Ingiloi, Tsakhurs, Avars, Lezgins, Khynalygs, Buduglu, Gryz. Representatives of all of the above ethnic groups consider themselves Azerbaijanis. At the same time, they preserved elements of a specific culture. This culture is reflected in the everyday life, creativity, cuisine and various rituals of these peoples.
Ethnic groups
Jews
One of the most ancient peoples on the territory of Azerbaijan are Jews. Today, Jews live in Baku, Sumgait, as well as in the Guba, Oguz and Goychay regions. Located in the Guba region, the “Red Village” is the most densely populated settlement of Mountain Jews in the world. Jews in Azerbaijan have historically been represented by Mountain Jews. Moses of Kalankatui dates the arrival of Mountain Jews in the Caucasus to the first century BC. Researchers' statements on this issue vary. According to one theory, one of the most ancient Jewish communities, the Mountain Jews, come from the line of the sons of Israel, resettled by the Shahs of Assyria and Babil from the territory of Palestine to Media. Their ancestors were the first adherents of Judaism. Living in Media, their tribes intertwined with the Tatami, as a result of which the Mountain Jews speak the Tat language, which is one of the Farsi dialects, containing words from the ancient Hebrew and Aramitic languages. Mountain Jews of Azerbaijan are divided into 3 local groups:
Guba (guboi) – Guba region of Azerbaijan, mainly in the “Red Village”.
Shirvan (Shirvoni) - North-East of Azerbaijan, the former village of Myudzhi, Shemakha region of Azerbaijan, as well as the city of Baku.
Oguz - Oguz, Ganja, Ismailly, Shemakha.
Talysh
The people living in the southeast of Azerbaijan, in the territory of Lenkoran, Astara, Masalli and Lerik regions of the Azerbaijan Republic, as well as in the north of Iran. They speak Talysh, which is part of the Iranian family of languages. Scientists of the former union considered the Talysh to be aborigines. They considered the Talysh to be the descendants of the Kadus, one of the most ancient tribes of the aborigines of Azerbaijan. But Western scientists doubt the correctness of this statement. In their opinion, the arrival of the Talysh on the territory of Azerbaijan is associated with the name of the commander Genghis Khan Talysh (XIII century). The material and spiritual culture of the Talysh is not very different from Azerbaijani.
Kurds
Today, Kurds live in Azerbaijan in the regional center of the Syadaryak region of the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic, in the village of Teyvaz in the Julfa region and in the village of Daryakend in the Sharur region. Also, before the Armenian occupation, Kurds lived in Lachin (the villages of Garakechdi, Chiragly, Minkend), Kelbajar (the villages of Akhjakyand and Zar were completely inhabited, in the rest they lived mixed), Gubadli (the village of Zilanly) region of the Republic of Azerbaijan. They speak Kurdish, which is part of the Iranian family of languages.
Tats
A small people living mainly in the Guba, Khizy and Khachmaz regions, as well as in some villages of the city of Baku. According to some researchers, the Tats living along the Western shore of the Caspian Sea, from Absheron to Derbent, are the descendants of ancient Iranians resettled to these lands, and, without a doubt, are one of the most ancient ethnic layers of the Shirvan territory.
Avars
Avars are an ethnic minority inhabiting mainly the Zagatala and Balakan regions of the Republic of Azerbaijan. They speak the Avar language, which is part of the North Caucasian family of languages. The Avars are strongly intertwined with the Azerbaijanis. Today, Avars live compactly in the village of Gabagchol, the villages of Jar, Zilban, Mazykh, Beretbinya, Dzhindzhartala, Katekh, Meshashambul, Mahamalar, Goyamtala, maintaining close family relations with the Azerbaijanis. They practice Islam.
Shahdag peoples or Shahdag national ethnic group
Component of Azerbaijanis. The ethnic groups that are part of the Shahdag national ethnic group, according to the villages in which they live - Khinalig, Gryz, Budug and Rutul of the Guba region of the Republic of Azerbaijan, are called Khinalig, Gryz, Buduglu and Rutul. Despite the small number of these villages, the population of each of them is a separate ethnic group.
Khinaligs Among the small aboriginal peoples of Azerbaijan, the Khinaligs are distinguished by specific features. The language of this ethnic group is part of the family of Caucasian languages. In historical and ethnographic literature, due to its location in the vicinity of Mount Shahdag, it is called the “Shahdag people”. Khinaligs are one of the most ancient settlers on the territory of Azerbaijan. This ethnic group has the only language and settlement in the world. This means that there is only one village and language, Khinalyg, in the world, and they are located in the Guba region.
Gryzly A small ethnic group living in the north of Azerbaijan, in some villages of the Guba and Khachmaz regions. They speak the Gryz language, which is part of the Nakh-Dagestan language family, a group of Lezgin languages.
Rutuli Ethnic group in the territory of Azerbaijan and Russia. They profess Islam, adopted with the arrival of the Arabs in the Caucasus in the 7th century. The main language is Rutul. Along with this, the Rutuli speak excellent languages of the countries of residence (Azerbaijani and Russian).
Buduglu Representatives of the Azerbaijani national ethnic group, identified as the “Shahdag national ethnic group”. The first official document that mentions Buduglu is a decree of 1607 by the Safavid ruler Shah Abbas I. Historically, Buduglu were divided into separate clans, small and large family unions, and to this day bear the names of these clans. Like other mountain peoples, the Buduglu lead a sedentary lifestyle.
Lezgins
One of the Caucasian peoples living in the territory of Azerbaijan and Dagestan. In Azerbaijan, Lezgins live compactly mainly in the Guba, Gusar, Khachmaz regions, as well as in Baku, Ganja, Sumgait and Mingachevir, in the Gabala, Ismayilli, Oguz and Goychay regions. Lezgins make up 2.2% of the total population of Azerbaijan.
Molokans
Today in Azerbaijan, Molokans live mainly in Baku, Sumgait, Shemakha, Ismailly, Gadabay and Guba. The first Molokan communities in Azerbaijan appeared in the middle of the 18th century. They were exiled here for disagreeing with the beliefs of the Orthodox Church. In the famous village of Ivanovka, Ismayilli region of Azerbaijan, live representatives of the Molokans exiled here from Russia.
Ingiloi
They live mainly in the Gakh and Zagatala regions of Azerbaijan. During the time of Shah Abbas I they converted to Islam. The mostly Muslim and small Christian part of this group speak a southern dialect of the Georgian group of languages. The main occupation of the Ingiloys living in the foothills of the Greater Caucasus is tobacco growing, grain growing, viticulture, cattle breeding and the cultivation of beech-flowering plants.
Gypsies
One of the nomadic peoples of Indo-European origin, found throughout Eurasia. In order to prevent uprisings of local tribes, Shah Abbas I resettled the gypsies to the territory of Balakan. They live mainly in the villages of Shambulbine, Gyulyuzyanbine, and Myalikzade. Balakan gypsies are Persian-speaking. In addition, Roma live in Shemakha, Yevlakh and Borchaly. Gypsies have historically led a nomadic lifestyle. Along with traditional cattle breeding and horse breeding, they were engaged in blacksmithing, repairing and manufacturing various agricultural tools and small household appliances.
Assyrians
One of the ethnic groups living on the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The ancient roots of this group are associated with the Assyrians, who lived in what is now Iran and Turkey. Today they live as a small ethnic group in the Zagatala zone of Azerbaijan.
Udi (Udi, Ooty)
One of the small, indigenous, aboriginal peoples of Azerbaijan. This ethnic group inhabited the province of Uti of ancient Caucasian Albania, and in the 19th century - several settlements in the Nukha region (the current Sheki region). Today they live mainly in the village of Nij in the Gabala region and partly in the regional center of the Oguz region. On the ethnic map of the world, the Udi ethnic group is located mainly on the territory of Azerbaijan. The Udins are one of the ancient inhabitants of the Caucasus. The language of this ethnic group, which has preserved its own numerous ancient elements, is included in the Lezgin subgroup of the Caucasian languages. Historically, the Udins worshiped the deity of the Sun and Moon, and at the beginning of the 4th century they adopted Christianity.
Historically, the territory of modern independent Azerbaijan is part of the Iranian statehood system. It ceded to Russia only under two peace treaties, the Gulistan Treaty of 1813 and the Turkmanchay Treaty of 1828. Now, according to various sources, from fifteen percent to almost a third of the population of Iran are ethnic Azerbaijanis, also known as Azeri or often simply called Turks in Iran. It is difficult to say exactly the numbers, since we do not have sufficiently reliable demographic sources, but we can say with high accuracy that more Azerbaijanis now live in Iran than in Azerbaijan itself. Azerbaijanis are an integral part of Iranian society, which has played and continues to play an important role in the culture, literature and politics of the country. Thus, throughout the twentieth century, Iranian Azerbaijanis made a significant contribution to the Constitutional Movement, as well as to the victory of the Islamic Revolution of 1979. According to a number of sources, the current Rahbar (Supreme Leader of Iran) - Ali Akbar Khamenei - is ethnically Azerbaijani, which is often not advertised within the country.
There is another example: after the Soviet-British occupation of Iran during the Second World War, there was an attempt to form the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan, which was socialist in orientation, but it was based not on ethnicity, but rather on leftist ideas. After the withdrawal of Soviet troops from its territory, this movement was harshly suppressed by the last Shah, Muhammad Reza Pahlavi.
Rizvan HUSEYNOV, employee of the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan, director of the Center for the History of the Caucasus, UNESCO/UNITWIN associate professor for the North Caucasus.
For many centuries, Azerbaijanis (Turks) and Persians were and remain the peoples who created a number of brilliant medieval empires. In particular, in the 9th century, the Turks created a number of military-political alliances on the basis of which states were created, which included vast territories of the Caucasus, Asia Minor and Western Asia. Azerbaijani Turkic dynasties created the Kara-Koyunlu, Ak-Koyunlu empires in the 15th century, then the Safavid state in the 16th century, which played an important role in history and world politics for many centuries. Then, during the weakening of the Safavid Empire in the 18th century, a talented commander Nadir Shah appeared - originally from the Turkic Afshar tribe. He was able to unify the empire for a short period and make extensive conquests, for which he was compared to Alexander the Great. Then the Turkic Qajar dynasty came to power and tried to stop the collapse of the empire. However, this could not be done; the loss of Northern (Caucasian) Azerbaijan, which, according to the Turkmanchay Treaty of 1828, went to the Russian Empire, was especially difficult. As a result, the Azerbaijani Turkic factor weakened in the empire, which began to decline and the Shah’s power ceased to exist in 1979. Today, about 10 million Azerbaijani Turks live in the Republic of Azerbaijan, as well as hundreds of thousands in Georgia, Dagestan and other regions of the Caucasus. And according to approximate data, about 25-28 million Azerbaijani Turks live in Iran.
