We also shouldn’t forget who the Azerbaijanis are. Customs and traditions of the Azerbaijani people

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 - modern term, which was used to generically refer to the peoples of the Caucasus living 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.

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.

, Bulgars, Khazars, Oguzes, Pechenegs, etc.

The Azerbaijanis have a mixed ethnic origin, the oldest element of which is the local population of eastern Transcaucasia and possibly the Iranian-speaking Medes who lived in northern Persia. This population was Persianized during the rise to power of the Sassanid dynasty (III-VII centuries AD). A significant part of the Albanian population converted to Islam in Arab times, and later underwent Turkization, serving as the basis for the subsequent formation of the Azerbaijani people. American historian D. Burnoutyan notes that the Caucasian Albanians are not the direct ancestors of modern Azerbaijanis, since by the time the Turks penetrated into Transcaucasia, the Albanian tribes were first absorbed by Zoroastrian Persia and then Islamized by the Arabs.

As for the role of the Turkic-speaking component in the ethnogenesis of the Azerbaijanis, the Turkic-speaking Oguz tribal union was formed as a result of the mixing of the Turks with local tribes of Ugric and Iranian-speaking Sarmatian origin (according to the TSB, as a result of the mixing of some Turkic and ancient Mongolian tribes with part of the Iranian-speaking Saka-Massaget tribes). Later, the Seljuk clan emerged from the Oguz environment, under whose auspices a wave of Turkic-speaking tribes poured into Transcaucasia in the 11th century. According to the Larus Great Encyclopedic Dictionary: “Azerbaijanis are descendants of the ancient Iranian-speaking population, Turkified since the 11th century”. Vladimir Minorsky, in turn, notes that “At the beginning of the 5th/11th centuries. Hordes of Oghuzs, first in smaller groups and then in significant numbers, captured Azerbaijan under the Seljuks. As a result, the Iranian population of Azerbaijan and the adjacent regions of Transcaucasia became Turkic-speaking; at the same time characteristic features Azerbaijani Turkic language, such as Persian intonation, refusal of vocal harmony, do not reflect Turkic origin Turkified population." .

In Russia, early descriptions of the origins of Azerbaijanis appear already in late XIX- first half of the 20th century. Thus, the Brockhaus and Efron encyclopedia published in the Russian Empire wrote that “Aderbeijan Tatars are descendants of the Seljuk Turks and Turkic-Mongols of the army of Gulagu Khan (XIII century), but to a large extent also of Turkified Iranians”, and according to TSB 1926, “during the era of the decline of the caliphate, a gradual infiltration of Turkic elements into Eastern Transcaucasia begins. The indigenous population (Albanians) is either destroyed or pushed into the mountains, and most often mixed with the conquerors. The Turkic (Azeri) element finally established itself in the eastern part of the Caucasus as a result of the so-called. Mongol invasion of the 13th century. and subsequent conquests of Tamerlane, Turkmens, Ottoman Turks, etc. ".

Later, Soviet and Russian scientists, like their Western colleagues, also began to note the formation of the Azerbaijani ethnic group as a result of linguistic and ethno-cultural assimilation. So in the 1950s. S. T. Eremyan wrote: “As the Turkic nomadic tribes established themselves in the winter pastures of the Kura-Araks lowland, the Muslimized part of the aboriginal population of ancient Albania was assimilated by the newcomer Turkic tribes. This is how the modern Azerbaijani nation was formed." According to S. A. Tokarev: “The origin of Azerbaijanis is a relatively clear question. They are a mixed people. Its oldest layer is obviously the aboriginal population of Eastern Transcaucasia - the Caspians and Albanians, perhaps also the Medes of Northern Iran. This population, due to the cultural predominance of Iran in the Sassanid era, was Iranianized, and in the 11th century, during the Seljuk conquest, its Turkization began.", which continued during the period of the Mongol conquest.

Azerbaijanis as a people emerged as a result of long historical development, the gradual consolidation of local ancient tribes (Albanians, Udins, Caspian, Talysh, etc.) with Turkic-speaking tribes that arrived in different periods - Huns, Oguzes, Kipchaks, etc. - and, according to According to the 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. It must be assumed that in ethnic history Azerbaijan also left a noticeable mark on the Karakoyunlu (“black sheep”) and Akkoyunlu (“white sheep”) tribes who settled in Southern Azerbaijan, and became states of these in the 15th century. included “Azerbaijani lands south of Cuba”

The outstanding Soviet and Russian orientalist A.P. Novoseltsev wrote:

At the same time, he pointed out that “Current Azerbaijanis are also Turkified descendants of part of the ancient tribes of Caucasian Albania and the Iranians of southern Azerbaijan. The other ancestors of the Azerbaijanis, who brought the Turkic language, the Oguz tribes, in turn, are a product of a complex Turkic-Iranian synthesis.” .

The penetration of the Seljuk Turks into Eastern Transcaucasia led to the Turkization of a significant part of the local population, and in the XI-XIII centuries. The formation of the Turkic-speaking Azerbaijani ethnic group began, which was completed mainly by the end of the 15th century, during the reign of the Safavids. A number of researchers note the adoption of Shiism during the reign of the Safavids as the final factor in the formation of the Azerbaijani people.

Genetic research

Anthropological data

Anthropologically, Azerbaijanis belong to the Caspian subtype of the Caucasian race. This also includes Kumyks, Tsakhurs and Muslim Tats, as well as some Kurds and Turkmen. The Caspian type is usually considered as a variety of the Mediterranean race or the Indo-Afghan race.

19th century explorations

In another work, “Races of the Caucasus,” Pantyukhov highlights:

The third Caucasian race is of purely Asian origin, dolichocephalic with a cranial index of 77-78, an average height of about 1.70 m and hyper-brunette eye color, that is, more than 90% pigmented eyes. The Persians, Aderbeijan Tatars, Kurds and Tats belong to this very pure race.

The encyclopedic dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron regarding the distribution of dolichocevalia wrote that “Only a few of the modern Caucasian peoples show the presence of a dolichocephalic element (Natukhais, Aderbeijan Tatars), while the majority are characterized high degrees brachycephaly (for example, Abkhazians, Georgians, Armenians, Aysors, Mountain Jews, Dagestanis, Kumyks)." ESBE calls Azerbaijanis Turks by language and Iranians by race, and also gives the following description:

The cephalic index, according to Eckert, is 79.4 (mesocephals), according to Chantre - 84 (brachycephaly). The eyes are dark, horizontally slit, the nose is long with a hump, the lips are often thick, the facial expression is serious and important.

According to the article “Turks” in the encyclopedic dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron, Azerbaijanis under “they are tall and mesocephalic (gol. index 80.4) and in all other characteristics, abundant facial hair, very elongated face, curved nose, merging eyebrows, etc., clearly approach the Iranians”. ESBE also notes that “In terms of the shape of the skull, Persians, Kurds, and Azerbaijanis generally present a significant similarity (skull width indicator 77-78)” .

20th century studies

Analyzing the anthropological characteristics of Azerbaijanis, Soviet and Russian anthropologist Valery Alekseev noted:

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 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.

He notes that among the Caucasian peoples, the Azerbaijanis are the darkest-eyed, with the maximum of individuals with black eyes falling in the southeastern regions of Azerbaijan, where the average score in most groups rises above 1.65. According to hair color in different Azerbaijani groups, in approximately half of the cases, blue-black hair was noted (No. 27 on the Fisher scale). Alekseev gives the following description:

The face of Azerbaijanis is narrow and, apparently, low, the nose protrudes very much. However, unlike the Adyghe peoples of the North Caucasus, who also have small faces, Azerbaijanis are the most darkly pigmented of the Caucasian peoples. The hairline is moderately developed, in all likelihood, approximately the same as that of Georgians or even a little less.

Soviet and Russian anthropologist, specialist in the field of anthropological dermatoglyphics, Henrietta Hit in the report “Dermatoglyphics and racial genesis of the population of the Caucasus” regarding dermatoglyphics notes that “The Turks of the Caucasus (Azerbaijanis, Karachais, Balkars) according to dermatoglyphics form a separate homogeneous cluster, merging with the Adyghe. However, according to somatological characteristics, closely similar Karachais and Balkars unite with Ossetians, Chechens and Ingush, and Azerbaijanis are generally dermatoglyphically isolated in the entire system of Caucasian peoples.” .

Sources

1. Stuart James An Ethnohistorical Dictionary of the Russian and Soviet Empires. - Greenwood Publishing Group, 1994. - P. 27. - ISBN 0313274975
2. Shnirelman V.A. Wars of Memory: Myths, Identity and Politics in Transcaucasia. - ICC "Akademkniga", 2002. - P. 197. - ISBN 5-94628-118-6

   Original text(Russian)

   During Arab times, a significant part of the Albanian population converted to Islam and began to use Arabic writing. Later, in the 11th-13th centuries, it underwent Turkization and served as the basis for the subsequent formation of the Azerbaijani people.

3. Ethnogenesis of Azerbaijanis- article from the Great Soviet Encyclopedia
4. Central Asian Survey: The Journal of the Society for Central Asian Studies (1982, p. 437).
5. Azerbaijani. Article from the Encyclopædia Britannica
6. George A. Bournoutian. A brief history of the Aghuankʻ region. Mazda Publishers, 2009. ISBN 1-56859-171-3. Page 28
7. Mikhail Illarionovich Artamonov History of the Khazars. - Philological Faculty of St. Petersburg State University, 2002. - P. 419. - ISBN 5846500323, 9785846500327

   Original text(Russian)

   The term “Oguz” was originally a common noun for a tribe and, with a numeral determinative, was used to name unions of tribes, such as, for example, the Uighurs - Tokuz-Oguz - nine tribes, Karluks - Uch-Oguz - three tribes. Subsequently, it lost its original meaning and became the ethnic name of the tribes formed in the Aral steppes as a result of the mixing of the Turkuts with local tribes of Ugric and Sarmatian origin.

8. Great Soviet Encyclopedia. - State Scientific Publishing House, 1954. - P. 513. - ISBN 5846500323, 9785846500327

   Original text(Russian)

   OGUZ (Guzes, Uzes) - a union of tribes that existed in the Aral Sea region in the 6th-11th centuries. based on the mixing of certain Turkic and ancient Mongolian tribes with part of the Saka-Massaget tribes; The Turkic speech turned out to be victorious.

9. Grand Dictionnaire Encyclopédique Larousse(1982). Page 921, ISBN 2-03-102301-2 (retrieved 17 February 2007).
10. Minorsky, V. "(Azarbaijan)." Encyclopaedia of Islam. Edited by: P. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel and W.P. Heinrichs. Brill

    Original text(English)

    In the beginning of the 5th/11th century the Ghuzz hordes, first in smaller parties, and then in significant numbers, under the Seljuqids occupied Azerbaijan. In consequence, the Iranian population of Azerbaijan and the adjacent parts of Transcaucasia became Turkophone while the characteristic features of Ādharbāyjānī Turkish, such as Persian intonations and disregard of the vocalic harmony, reflect the non-Turkish origin of the Turkicised population.

11. // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: In 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional ones). - St. Petersburg. , 1890-1907.
12. Great Soviet Encyclopedia. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia, 1926. - T. 1. - P. 660.
13. Essays on the history of the USSR: the crisis of the slave system and the emergence of feudalism on the territory of the USSR in the 3rd-9th centuries. - Publishing House of the USSR Academy of Sciences, 1958. - P. 330.
14. S.A. Tokarev Ethnography of the peoples of the USSR: historical foundations of life and culture. - Moscow University Publishing House, 1958. - pp. 295-296.
15. Fundamentals of Iranian linguistics: ancient Iranian languages. - M.: Nauka, 1979. - P. 49.
16. Proceedings of the Institute of Ethnography named after. N.N. Miklouho-Maclay. - Publishing House of the USSR Academy of Sciences, 1962. - T. 79, Part 1. - P. 18.
17. Sakinat Shikhamedovna Gadzhieva Dagestan Terekemen residents: XIX - early XX centuries. - Science, 1990. - pp. 8-9. - ISBN 5020167614, 9785020167612
18. Ways of development of feudalism. - Science, 1972. - pp. 56-57.
19. A.P. Novoseltsev, V.T. Pashuto, L.V. Cherepnin Ways of development of feudalism. - Science, 1972. - P. 21.
20. History of the East. In 6 vols. T. 2. East in the Middle Ages. M., “Oriental Literature”, 2002. ISBN 5-02-017711-3
21. XAVIER DE PLANHOL. IRAN I. LANDS OF IRANn, Encyclopædia Iranica.

    Original text(English)

    This unique aspect of Azerbaijan, the only area to have been almost entirely “Turkicized” within Iranian territory, is the result of a complex, progressive cultural and historical process, in which factors accumulated successively (Sümer; Planhol, 1995, pp. 510- 12) The process merits deeper analysis of the extent to which it illustrates the great resilience of the land of Iran. The first phase was the amassing of nomads, initially at the time of the Turkish invasions, following the route of penetration along the piedmont south of the Alborz, facing the Byzantine borders, then those of the Greek empire of Trebizond and Christian Georgia. The Mongol invasion in the 13th century led to an extensive renewal of tribal stock, and the Turkic groups of the region during this period had not yet become stable. In the 15th century, the assimilation of the indigenous Iranian population was far from being completed. The decisive episode, at the beginning of the 16th century, was the adoption of Shiʿite Islam as the religion of the state by the Iran of the Safavids, whereas the Ottoman empire remained faithful to Sunnite orthodoxy. Shiʿite propaganda spread among the nomadic Turkoman tribes of Anatolia, far from urban centers of orthodoxy. These Shiʿite nomads returned en masse along their migratory route back to Safavid Iran. This movement was to extend up to southwest Anatolia, from where the Tekelu, originally from the Lycian peninsula, returned to Iran with 15,000 camels. These nomads returning from Ottoman territory naturally settled en masse in regions near the border, and it was from this period that the definitive “Turkicization” of Azerbaijan dates, along with the establishment of the present-day Azeri-Persian linguistic border-not far from Qazvin, only some 150 kilometers from Tehran.

22. Olivier Roy The new Central Asia: the creation of nations. - I.B.Tauris, 2000. - P. 6. - ISBN 1860642780, 9781860642784

“Each ethnic unit has one ethnic language, Azerbaijanis have more than forty ethnic languages!” (V. Jengel)

The reason for writing this article was the publication of a certain author, Azerbaijani historian Fikrin Bektashi, “Where did the Armenians come from in the list of “indigenous” peoples of Azerbaijan?”

On the topic of “Azerbaijanis” among the Azerbaijanis themselves (meaning only the Turkic-speaking residents of the Republic of Azerbaijan), debates on ethnological topics have not stopped for several decades. Let's look at the most common versions, put forward not only on all kinds of Internet forums, but even in academic and university circles.

The first, most publicized version is the official version, put forward by circles close to the government, which assumes the autochthonous Turkic origin of all ethnic groups of the country with the Iranianization and Caucasianization of some parts in different historical periods. That is, Azerbaijanis are ancient local Turks of Sumerian origin.

This is the official version of the version of ethnogenesis, intended for foreign use - for school and university textbooks and popular television shows. The version is based on the first two parts of the call of the founder of pan-Turkism, Ziya Gökalp, “Turkize, modernize, Islamize!”

The second includes the official version for internal use, which is somewhat different, where the Azerbaijanis, due to the multi-ethnicity of the country and the complete reluctance to Turkize very solid parts of the population, representing non-Turkic autochthonous ethnic groups: Kurds, Tats-Parsis, Talysh, Lezgins, Avars, Udis, Ingiloys, Rutuls , Budugs, Padars, Lahijas and others. The languages ​​of these peoples belong to two language families, Indo-European and Caucasian.

The third version is a somewhat amorphous and unclear statement that the Azerbaijani nation was formed from several ethnic groups, which, during assimilation, lost their languages ​​(or retained them, but are no longer considered ethnic groups) and switched to Turkic, or as it was commonly called since 1939 - to 1992, and then from 1993, Azerbaijani language.

This version of the ethnogenesis of Azerbaijanis as an ethnos was promoted by the Bolsheviks, was especially fashionable in the Stalin-Baghirov era, but then gave way to the above-mentioned pan-Turkic, assimilationist versions.

However, these are not all versions of the genesis of Azerbaijanis. For example, after reading the article by Fikrin Bektashi, one can discover a new idea that in the formation of the supposedly united Azerbaijani (at the same time - Turkic, or as it is still fashionable to call the “Azeri-Turkic” ethnic group today), some people, for some unknown reason called Armenians in Iranian sources, also took part, but actually being Caucasian-speaking, Albanians.

For reference, it should be noted that Albanians in the Republic of Azerbaijan are called the inhabitants of medieval Caucasian Albania, which is traditionally called Aranians in Iranian and local sources, i.e. inhabitants of the Middle Ages Aran (or, in the Arabic manner - Ar-Rana). In Georgian chronicles this country is called Rani, and in ancient Armenian chronicles it is called Agvank, or Aluank.

This careless and apolitical confession of Fikrin Bektashi arouses the genuine interest of the reader. Either he wants to say that the contemporaries of medieval Armenians, Persian-speaking and Arabic-speaking authors were mistaken and saw another ethnic group, but called it someone else’s ethnonym, or these authors saw Armenians, but in fact they were not Armenians, but were Caucasian-speaking Albanians, for example, udinami. But the Udins are also not ethnic Azerbaijanis, and also not ethnic Turks! Moreover, in the Republic of Azerbaijan the ancient Udi (read Albanian) toponyms were completely destroyed, a priori classifying them as Armenian (Kutkashen, Vartashen, etc.).

But, according to F. Bektashi, they are precisely the Azerbaijanis. As they say, you can’t argue with logic! Let's check what served as the basis for the statement of our unlucky historian-ethnologist...

Most likely, he relies on the opinion of those Armenians who recognize the Karabakh people as “converts”; in Armenian it sounds “shurtvats”. Being a Talysh by nationality and, naturally, a native speaker of the Talysh language, which is essentially nothing more than a modern form of the Median language, that is, the very “Azeri” or “Avestan” spoken by the population of pre-Islamic Atropat Media (Atrapatgana Mad or Media Atropatena) I can afford to translate this word into Talysh - “gardman” (converted).

If F. Bektashi means those who in Talysh are called gardmans / girdmans /, then he is very close to the true state of affairs, but something “incomprehensible” does not allow him to recognize autochthons in the gardmans. According to the official version, this would be regarded as an unacceptable balancing act and turning onto a slippery slope. And this would never be forgiven by the one who is “a thousand times right.” It won’t take long to end up in a dungeon, and F. Bektashi hardly wants this for himself.

What can you advise him in this case? Yes, the same well-trodden and indicated path is to declare the Shurtvats-Gardmans as “Sumerian Turks” or “Turkic Sumerians”. If this version does not suit you, then they can be written down as Oguzes, Turkmens, Seljuks, or, at worst, a Turkic-speaking army of Mongols lost in the mountains. For the first time, why else should you be afraid of the rain when you are soaked to the skin?

Here, for example, is a very reliable confirmation of the tarnished reputation of our professional ethnologist - “The Armenians retained their “identity” not because they “steadfastly resisted” the process of ethnogenesis of the Azerbaijanis, but because they arrived here very “late” - when the train left and the Azerbaijani ethnic group had already been formed by their arrival in the Caucasus.” That is, he does not deny “Armenians of Persian sources” participation in the ethnogenesis of a certain mysterious Azerbaijani ethnos F. Bektashi (although no one, including himself, knows what kind of ethnos this is - Azerbaijani).

It seems that Azerbaijanis actually appeared in 1939, before that they were called Turks, and even earlier simply Muslims or Iranians, as is clear from all sources of the periods of history under consideration (“Iranlilar - in the Baku newspapers of the founding period of “Ekinchi”, “Shargi-Rus” and etc.).

But Bektashi is talking about a train that went back to ancient times, when neither the name “Azerbaijanis”, nor trains, nor even Stephenson himself was in sight. And if it wasn’t, then what kind of supposedly departed train, and what ethnic groups are supposedly late for it we can talk about? Either F. Bektashi, with a surprisingly serious expression on his face, decided to make fun of all the readers, or he considers everyone to be naive fools, or he mocks the historical and ethnological sciences simultaneously and simultaneously.

Why do I think so? Yes, because despite the difference in religious affiliation, ethnic groups mixed little in the Middle Ages. The mountainous and complex terrain formed linguistic and ethnic isolated "bags". What kind of active mixing can we talk about in the conditions of the Mountain of Languages ​​- the Caucasus?

The only thing that can be actively promoted in such conditions is religion, for which ethnicity is not a big obstacle. And indeed, even an ignorant reader, having revealed to himself only physical card region can almost accurately indicate the territories in which a particular religion can spread most quickly. These will be flat areas, but not mountainous ones.

I will give one more, this time living, example: the Talysh Sunnis almost do not mix on the southern border with related (!) Gilyak Shiites, but on the northern border of the area, where the Talysh Shiites border on the Shiite Turks, they are actively undergoing assimilation processes. As you can see, religion has greater penetration or, conversely, more strongly protects ethnic identity.

These processes have been studied quite well in Azerbaijan, where for several centuries the propaganda and ideological machine of the Safaviye order dominated, which originated among the Talysh and was transferred to the Turkmen tribes of the Ag-goyunlu ("white sheep") union up to the province of Diyarbakr, where they roamed. And only the repressions of the Ottoman sultans on confessional and religious grounds forced the Turkmens, already Shiites, to seek protection in the territory controlled by the theocratic power of the Safavid sheikhs. Thus, the resettlement of some Turkmen and Kurds to the east, to Azerbaijan, took place. But in Aran, these ethnic groups appeared later, in connection with the conquests of the son of Sheikh Heydar, who declared himself the Shah and a descendant of the ancient Iranian crown-bearers, Ismail I Safevi.

By the way, this historical figure of the restorer of Iranian statehood is presented by Azerbaijani historians as a Turk (not a Turkmen!) and the founder of a certain “Azerbaijani state.” This is exactly what Azerbaijani authors write in all textbooks. Although the first who introduced this “innovation” into Soviet historiography was a Soviet historian, a Jew by nationality, Z.I. Yampolsky, completely free from the remorse of a professional.

This phrase also causes bewilderment: “Before this, there were practically no Armenians here, and those who were sometimes called such in the sources and whom the Persian Shah resettled to the south of the country were in fact the unassimilated remnants of Caucasian-speaking Albanians who professed Christianity, who, moreover, had its independent Catholicosate in Gansasar. They were sometimes called “Armenians.”

Allow me, sir! Which Persian Shah is the article talking about? The Iranian monarchy dates back more than 2.5 thousand years, during which time several formations have changed, from a slave society to capitalism! For some reason, for the historian F. Bektashi, this turns into an insignificant factor, which he easily neglects. No, this won’t work, Mr. Forger, you can’t even falsify this way, the white threads are visible to the naked eye. We will have to explain to you, to us, the unassimilated Talysh, how an ethnic group resettled to the south of the country (and this is the coast of the Persian Gulf), without an Armenian environment and interethnic contacts (there were practically no Armenians there according to F. Bektashi) managed to somehow incomprehensibly to assimilate without them, and even manage to get into the annals under the name of Armenians?

Probably, Mr. Bektashi is one of those wizard historians who, unlike academician Igrar Aliyev, can suck out the Turkic origins from anyone, even the Sumerians. Question two: If the mentioned “unassimilated remnants of Caucasian-speaking Albanians” were sometimes called Armenians, then what were they usually called? Unfortunately, F. Bektashi did not indicate exactly this, the very necessary “common” and not “rare” name of the ethnic group.

And I’ll tell you, dear readers, why he doesn’t name this ethnonym. It simply does not exist in the sources mentioned. The fact is that the term “Armenians” itself is an Iranian exo-ethnonym that denoted the inhabitants of Aran. Subsequently, it designated all the inhabitants of this country who professed Christianity. Therefore, this term can only be treated as an ethnonym in the initial period of use. Gradually, this term began to designate both Armenians and all Monophysite Christians, including the Iranian-speaking and Caucasian-speaking ethnic elements of Aran. An example of this can be shown by King Varaz Tirdad from the Mehranid dynasty, Iranian in origin.

The term “Albanians”, today the only one used by historians of the Republic of Azerbaijan, is taken from ancient Greek sources, therefore it looks strange in Azerbaijani sources, which, according to the logic of facts and tradition, would rely on Arab-Persian sources in which this term does not exist.

Based on the examples considered, one can only note the author’s amateurish and frivolous approach to historical facts and his ignorance of the ethnological processes that have taken place and are taking place in the region.

With such twists and turns, the Talysh won’t have long to wait, who are already observing how history and ethnogenesis are shamelessly falsified, turning into a complete nonsense.

So tomorrow the same “Bektashi” will begin to argue about the alienness of the Talysh, especially since we see with our own eyes today in school textbooks how, instead of the Talysh Khanate, the fantastic Lenkoran Khanate of some fantastic Azerbaijan Shah is being cleverly screwed in. We are observing the Turkization of Talysh toponyms even in Talysh itself, which the media is ordered to call only the “southern region” instead historical name. We are clearly observing the course of falsification of everything in the politics of the Azerbaijani-Turkic state, which is just “Turkic state No. 2”.

We don't need unnecessary comments from any political crooks! And without comment one can see the predatory grin of the Turkic-chauvinists who are planning to destroy both the indigenous peoples and real story, and replace them with pseudo-atropatenes and their pseudo-historical tales.

The next very strange point in Fikrin Bektashi’s opus is the following quote: “In our article there is no hint that these peoples completely lost their identity and became Azerbaijanis. On the contrary, today many peoples live in Azerbaijan (in contrast to the once multinational Armenia, which today holds an insignificant number of Yezidi Kurds as a “duty” example), which is a source of pride for multinational Azerbaijan. The emphasis in our previous article was placed differently: today's Azerbaijanis are a conglomerate of those representatives of indigenous and immigrated peoples who joined either completely or partially. However, whatever share this “partiality” may have, Azerbaijanis today are the majority of the population compared to those representatives of indigenous peoples who retain (and God bless them!) their identity...”

The very tone of F. Bektashi’s expressions in this quote is that of a market trader accustomed to verbal altercations and loud insults, although he refers to himself in the third person like monarchs in the plural. Please note that it is “in our article”. Very immodest, overly ambitious, and very unbecoming of a scientist or journalist. And here's why: A source of pride today in multinational Azerbaijan is the slogan “One nation - two states!”, which was repeated one after another by Presidents A. Elchibey, Heydar Aliyev and I. Aliyev.

Multinationality in today's Republic of Azerbaijan is used only as a two-faced excuse and cover for a policy of forced assimilation - Turkization, which even F. Bektashi cannot hide. Therefore, I will remind him that it is indecent to lie and to deny the personal statements of presidents is, at a minimum, ugly. We must recognize the chauvinist and Nazi policies of our state, and not lash out at the readers of IA REGNUM.

The emphasis in his articles is precisely on the hope of naive and stupid politicians that the Turkization of indigenous peoples will end quite soon. However, in the current situation, smart people would not even dream about it. It is clear that the policy aimed at the Turkization-Azerbaijanization of the country’s indigenous ethnic groups was a fiasco, and today it is stalling, and is unlikely to be successful in the next century. Most likely, this policy will lead to civil and ethnic confrontation. Rely on the mythical majority of the so-called. assimilated Azerbaijanis not seriously. Firstly, the facts of the total registration of indigenous peoples by the Azeri State Committee as Azerbaijanis are already widely known. Secondly, simultaneously with the censuses, an entire army of public groups and associations of indigenous peoples conducts parallel censuses and monitoring, which reveal an unprecedented scale of registration and falsification. As a result, the results of Azgoskomstat turned into an international laughing stock. To do this, you just need to submit a query in search engines, and immediately all the information gets to the reader in every detail. So this old technique of postscripts from the Brezhnev era no longer works, and there is no need to try in vain.

There are no conglomerates united nations and can never compete in the field of monolithic ethnic unity even with small ethnic groups, not to mention such large ones for the Republic of Azerbaijan as the Talysh and Lezgins. Talking about the Tats allegedly turned into Turks, it may still somehow pass - the ethnocide committed against this people is before everyone’s eyes, but this does not happen to everyone and one should not hope that these people, like a herd of sheep, will run after the goat-Turkizer .

This is what it would be worth telling you about in my articles about the departed train. The Bolshevik train of Stalin’s policy of manufacturing and consolidation of socialist nations has indeed long since passed at full speed past Azerbaijanization, which today, with the sabotage of all international conventions on the rights of indigenous peoples and national minorities, has acquired a very negative meaning. This ethno-politician in no way attracts ethnic groups to the Stalinist plan of creating some kind of powerless conglomerate out of Muslims.

Ethnic groups no longer want to be a conglomerate. Finally, look around. Look soberly at the processes in the world. And then ask: “Who are you really, mysterious Azerbaijanis?”

Maybe they are blacks, as it seemed to you in your example? Or maybe they are just, as you put it, a poorly mixed conglomerate, solution, vinaigrette, salad, or, as they call it in Tat, hafta-bijar? No, Fikrin Bektashi, this is not so, it’s just that ethnic Azerbaijanis do not exist, there are Azerbaijanis who are citizens of the Republic of Azerbaijan, but as soon as they change their citizenship, along with their citizenship they lose their involvement in the conglomerate vinaigrette. And this is despite the amazing efforts of talkers like you and others like you, despite the incredible efforts on the territory of Russia and other post-Soviet republics of the special services of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

The East is a delicate matter, and ethnic issues are even subtler and even more dangerous. We had to make every effort to give our indigenous peoples and minorities the full range of rights, but everything was done exactly the opposite. And here is the result - ridiculous attempts to impose a falsified, invented story on everyone, to come up with a salad conglomerate that is falling apart before our eyes, but is shown from the stage as a monolith using a crudely and hastily put together propaganda scheme. You and your colleagues have to bend over backwards in order to somehow fool your own people, and at least somehow “hang noodles in the ears” of foreigners and international organizations. Even the Ombudsman-Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms. E. Suleymanova, had to to lie from the international platform. Is this deceitful policy worth such effort and such shame?

You should be ashamed and ashamed for such a brazen imposition of a conglomerate rather than an ethnic name on your fellow citizens. Or are you not capable of experiencing such natural for anyone normal person feelings? Judging by your articles, I am sure that they are not capable. Why did you suddenly get it into your head that betrayal of your people, your culture, your native language can have positive qualities, where did you get the idea that being called an Azerbaijani instead of the ethnonym Talysh, Lezgin, Udin, Avar, Kurd, Parsi, Turk, finally, is better and more honorable and prestigious?

What you are trying to impose with all your meager strength on these proud peoples is actually a call to betrayal and ugliness. Give up your lies, do not serve the devil, turn your face to the truth, to God, and although it will be bitter and difficult at first, but after committing the inner, greatest jihad against your own lies, you will be able to understand how sweet the taste of freedom and the feeling of belonging to your own history is, to your ancestors...

You yourself wrote that “there is not a single Azerbaijani in the world in whose veins only Oghuz blood of the “Trans-Baikal spill” and “Altai endurance” flows. Not a single one! And you are right about this - there is not a single ethnic Azerbaijani, and there never has been and never will be, no matter how much they repeat this every fifteen minutes on all Azerbaijani TV channels. There is no such ethnic group!

But you are trying to make such an ethnic group out of thin air, and even convince readers that such an ethnicity exists. Are your readers zombies, are they mankurts? So what if the AR authorities want to see exactly what they want to see?

I would like to remind you that the basis of any state is made up of ethnic groups, real and not invented, and over-ambitious and self-confident governments and authorities are just transitory personalities, like Saddam Hussein, like Ben Ali, like Muammar Gaddafi and a string of similar dictators in other countries. All these rulers and their entourage were very fond of erecting statues for themselves and building museums and naming streets and avenues after themselves at the expense and on behalf of the peoples, but we know firsthand what such a hobby leads to. Today you yourself can look for the monuments of Stalin and Lenin, which stood in almost all settlements of Azerbaijan and understand the futility of searching for these former idols and idols.

But they were not right a thousand times, but hundreds of thousands of times, but the Almighty judged their rightness differently. So with this false concept of ethnogenesis, there is no need to break copies in vain; it is unviable and detrimental to the unity of the ethnic groups of Azerbaijan, among which there is not a single ethnic group called Azerbaijanis.

This “concept” is not beneficial to anyone, to any ethnic group, neither large nor small, nor the smallest, and what does quantity have to do with it, you and I know very well that nations are considered great not by the number of individuals. We know very well that a few Mongols managed to rule numerous and many ethnic groups, we know how the relatively few Manchus ruled all of China for centuries.

There is no need to disgrace all of us (hidden under a common name) before the enlightened world, because your policy can only have dubious success and only in an unenlightened environment. You are forcing us to explain your point of view, your position, which is fundamentally different from your officialdom, which we: the Talysh, Lezgins, Avars, Tabasarans, Rutulians, Kryz, Ingiloys, Kurds, Parsis and all other peoples of the Republic of Azerbaijan do not care about.

And if you want to write on behalf of only officials and other associates and appointees, then write so, God help you and the flag in your hands! But we have nothing to do with your articles and other opuses, and you do not have any moral right to write on our behalf, just as we do not have any ethnic rights in the Azerbaijani state with the same nation as the Turkish one. And it is not you who should write about the Turkish nation, who has not yet figured out who the Azerbaijanis are, but the Turkish press itself.

Azerbaijanis

representatives of the nation that makes up the majority of one of the states of Transcaucasia - Azerbaijan. By their nature, A. are inquisitive, quick-witted, brave, freedom-loving, and keep the promises they make. As a rule, they behave modestly, but with dignity, and are distinguished by their quick judgments and conclusions, which cannot always be clearly interpreted by other people in their relationships.

One cannot ignore the great emotionality of Azerbaijanis. A disrespectful attitude towards them or their loved ones is almost always perceived as an attack on their honor and dignity, and can cause them to feel offended or have a sharp response. When communicating with Azerbaijanis, you should show as much tact, attentiveness, and genuine respect as possible. With trust, friendship and participation, you can achieve more from them than through pressure and coercion.

In conflict situations, Azerbaijanis are emotionally incontinent and hot-tempered, but not as recklessly as, for example, Chechens or Ossetians. However, at such moments, they are sometimes inclined to resolve issues with representatives of other nationalities “from a position of strength” and stand up for their fellow countrymen, regardless of whether they are right or wrong in a given case.

The attitude towards work in Azerbaijan is not clear. Most people basically conscientiously master their profession, their business, become good specialists. At the same time, there are many who show laziness and a desire to find a “warm place.” There are also people who strive to be wealthy, to have prestigious things, a car, without doing anything for it. Azerbaijanis in general often approach life overly pragmatically, often guided only by the momentary benefit that they can derive for themselves.

They are very sensitive to success, honor, fame. Their characteristic great ambition also plays an important role. Azerbaijanis love to boast about their successes in official and social activities, emphasize personal merits and achievements in every possible way, and do everything so that other people pay special attention to this.

Azerbaijanis willingly communicate and interact with people of different nationalities. They readily take up the study of the Russian language, although due to the fact that it is not very similar to their native language, as a rule, they do not achieve very great success. However, sometimes, even knowing Russian, an Azerbaijani hides this, trying, when necessary, to use this circumstance to his advantage.

Ethnopsychological Dictionary. - M.: MPSI. V.G. Krysko. 1999.

See what “Azerbaijanis” are in other dictionaries:

Azerbaijanis- azərbaycanlılar آذربایجانلیلار, azərilər آذری لر ... Wikipedia

AZERBAIJANIANS Modern encyclopedia

AZERBAIJANIANS- (self-name Azerbaijanlilar Azeriler), people, the main population of Azerbaijan (5.8 million people, 1992). They also live in Iran (10,430 thousand people), the Russian Federation (336 thousand people), Georgia (307 thousand people), Kazakhstan (90 thousand people) ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

AZERBAIJANIANS- AZERBAIJANIANS, ev, units. netts, ntsa, husband. The people who make up the main indigenous population of Azerbaijan. | wives Azerbaijani, and | adj. Azerbaijani, aya, oh. Dictionary Ozhegova. S.I. Ozhegov, N.Yu. Shvedova. 1949 1992 … Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary

AZERBAIJANIANS- (self-name azerbaijanlilar, azerilsr), 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 mostly... ...Russian history

Azerbaijanis- (the self-name Azerbaijanlilar, also includes people close to the main ethnic group: Ayrums, Afshars, Bayats, Karadags, Karapapakhs, Padars, Shahsevens) people, the main population of Azerbaijan. The total number is 17,200 thousand people. Basic... ... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

Azerbaijanis- ev; pl. The people, the main population of Azerbaijan; representatives of this people. ◁ Azerbaijani, nca; m. Azerbaijani, and; pl. genus. nok, dat. nkam; and. ◁ Azerbaijani, oh, oh. A. language (one of the Turkic languages). * * * Azerbaijanis (self-name ... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary

AZERBAIJANIANS- representatives of the nation that makes up the majority of one of the Transcaucasian states, Azerbaijan. By their nature, A. are inquisitive, quick-witted, brave, freedom-loving, and keep the promises they make. As a rule, they behave modestly, but with... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary of Psychology and Pedagogy

Azerbaijanis- AZERBAIJANIANS, ev, plural (ed Azerbaijani, nca, m). The people who make up the main indigenous population of Azerbaijan, a state located in the east. parts of Transcaucasia, on the coast of the Caspian Sea; people belonging to this nation; language... ... Explanatory dictionary of Russian nouns

Azerbaijanis- azerbaijanlilar, azeriler, nation. In the USSR, A. make up the main population of the Azerbaijan SSR (67.5% according to the 1959 census). They live partly in the Georgian SSR, the Armenian SSR and the Dagestan ASSR, as well as in the Uzbekistan SSR, Turkmen SSR,... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

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 was the Middle Persian word “Aderbadgan”, from which it came modern name state and people.

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:

1. Kyzylbash - in the 16th-17th centuries, all nomadic tribes were called this way.
2. Busurmane is a common name in Russian Empire all Muslims, including Azerbaijanis.
3. Adzhemi - this is how the people are designated in the manifesto of Peter I before the Persian campaign.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Persians are one of the names of the people in Turkey and pre-revolutionary Russia.
7. Kajarly, kajar, padar, gamshari, mugals, azerbezhano - a variety of names for Azerbaijanis among the peoples of the North Caucasus.

Where do they 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

Azerbaijani language belongs to large group Turkic, 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 final touch to the formation of the ethnos came from Central Asia Turkmens. 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;
• average and high level 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 a slight influence on the formation of external characteristics.

Cloth

National women's suit consisted of many components. Underwear included:

1. A spacious koynek shirt.
2. A skirt that varied in cut depending on the region.
3. 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 encroachments on the honor of the family or their own, they keep their word, it is of particular importance public opinion, status, appearance.

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 special role a song was played 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; kutabs, pies made from unleavened dough stuffed with greens 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.

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