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History of Azerbaijan
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Azerbaijan, or Azerbeijan (Azerbaijani: Azərbaycan, Azərbeycan) has been the home of culture and civilization since antiquity. Its heritage is amongst the richest and most ancient, and the history of its land and people is perhaps as old as time itself.
Azerbaijan is located at the crossroads of different cultures and is the ancestral home of the Azerbaijanis (Azerbaijani Turks) who according to CIA and Ethnologue statistics number more than 8 million in the Republic of Azerbaijan and more than 20 million in the northwestern region of Iran, reffered to by the United Nations as South Azerbaijan. The independent Republic of Azerbaijan is the northern half of historic Azerbaijan while the southern portion is under the administration of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Scholars consider the historical territory of Azerbaijan to include “the land populated today by the Azerbaijani Turks" who inhabit the region stretching from the northern slopes of the Caucus mountains along the Caspian Sea to the central parts of what is present-day Iran. According to the 10th century Balami History, it is stated that the borders of Azerbaijan start at Derbent (present-day southern Russia) and end in Hamedan (present-day western Iran).
It was stated in the 10th century that: "All these lands (between Derbent and Hamedan) are called Azerbaijan and all these lands belong to Turks." Azerbaijan was divided in 1828 along the Araz river, which is a physical barrier that has divided the land politically up until now.
The people of Azerbaijan are the inheritants of ancient civilizations such as those of Sumer, Elam, Aratta, Urartu, Mannai, Media and Caucasian Albania and are the descendants of various bodies of Turkic peoples, especially the Oghuz Turks who in the 10th century set the national foundation of modern Azerbaijan.
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Ancient History
The cave of Azykh in the territory of the Fizuli district in the Republic of Azerbaijan is considered to be the most ancient human habitation. Based on discoveries and recent exploration of the Azykh cave and a number of stone age sites, Azerbaijan's history can be dated back to 1.5 million years ago.
Remnants of the pre-ashel culture were found in the lowest layers of the Azykh cave. This culture is one of the oldest and in many ways similar to the Olduway culture in South Africa and Walloon culture in the southeast of France.
The fragment of the lower jaw of a woman who lived about 350,000-400,000 years ago was unearthed from the 5th layer of the Azykh cave. This woman was very close to people of the ashel culture, whose remnants were discovered in the Arago cave in France.
The Paleolithic (Homo-Sapien) period in Azerbaijan is represented in Taglar, Damjily, Yatagery and some other sites. It lasted for about 20,000 years and vanquished in the 13th millennium BC.
During the Mesolithic period, evidence of carved drawings in Gobustan demonstrate scenes of hunting, fishing, labor and dancing which can be seen on the rocks.
The Neolithic period (6th - 4th millenniums BC) was the period of transition from the Stone Age to the Bronze Age. Many Neolithic settlements have been discovered in Azerbaijan, and artifacts show that during this period people built homes, made copper weapons and were familiar with irrigated agriculture.
Tradition places the Garden of Eden, considered by theologists as the birthplace of mankind, west of Urmiya in southern Azerbaijan.
Ancient peoples and civilizations such as the Sumerians and Elamites had interaction in the territory of Azerbaijan, and their ancient and distinct cultures still symbolize parts of Azerbaijan's modern character.
Earliest written evidence of tribes that inhabited Azerbaijan (mostly in South Azerbaijan) are dated to 2,300 BC. The manuscripts describe the tribes of Gutis, Lulubis, Kasis and Hurris. The Hurri (Hurra) tribal union played an extremely important role in the history of the ancient east and formed one of the great eastern civilizations.
Different political entities and states such as Mannai and Urartu as well as Media and Albania (Agvania) flourished on Azerbaijan's soil.
Chols, Cimmerians as well as Scythians and Massagets (both refered to as Ishkuz) lived in Azerbaijan before the Christian era.
In the ninth century B.C., the seminomadic Scythians settled in areas of what is now Azerbaijan
The Assyrians also had a civilization which flourished in the western part of Lake Urmiya in the years prior to Media and Albania. Most of the ancient documents and inscriptions that are used for historical analyzation of the area comes from the Assyrians.
Media & Albania
Throughout much of its ancient history, Azerbaijan's northern portion was what became known as the state of Caucasian Albania, and its southern portion was what became known as the state of Media. Azerbaijani scholars regard both Media and Albania as predecessors of modern Azerbaijan. Media and Albania (Mata and Agvan) shared similar characteristics and the majority population in these areas before the 3rd century A.D. were composed mostly by central Asian tribes such as the Scythians who had migrated to the region in the 7th century B.C.
The state and civilization of the Medes is believed to have been highly influenced by the Urartu and Mannai civilization and population which had previously been established in the land.
From around 550 B.C. until the 6th century A.D., the state religion of Azerbaijan was Zoroastianism. Zoroaster, the prophet of Zoroastianism was born in Urmiya. Christianity, Shamanism and Buddhism were also practiced in Azerbaijan prior to the 6th century. Churches in Tabriz, Urmiya, Qarabaq as well as Zoroastrian fire temples are some of Azerbaijan's pre-Islamic religious monuments.
Prior to the Islamic age, Persians, Greeks and Romans had invaded Azerbaijan and had incorporated it into their empires. The area was invaded by Persian king Cyrus in the 6th century B.C.E., by Alexander two centuries later and by Roman legions under Pompey three centuries after that. A boulder bearing what is believed to be the eastern-most Roman inscription survives just southwest of Baku.
Turks in Media & Albania
Throughout the history of pre-Islamic Azerbaijan, Turkic peoples had lived in the land for centuries, although they were not fully unified. The Huns, Khazars, Bulgars, Barsils, Sabirs, Gokturks, Kutugurs, Kipchaks and others had been some of the Turkic people who had dwelled in Azerbaijan and participated in pre-Islamic Azerbaijan's state formations .
The historian Ashurbeyli in "History of Azerbaijan" writes that in Azerbaijan "there were incurrsions of Turkic groups from the beginning of our era which increased in the 5th to the 7th and the 9th to the 11th centuries" and also states that "since antiquity" Turks have lived in Azerbaijan.
According to the 1911 encyclopedia "the people of the Mada (Mata), the Medes, appear in history first in 836 B.C., when the Assyrian conqueror Shalmaneser II in his wars against the tribes of the Zagros received the tribute of the Amadai ....Herodotus gives a list of six Median tribes among them the Paraetaceni....names in the Assyrian inscriptions prove that the tribes in the Zagros and the northern parts of Media (Azerbaijan) were not Iranians nor Indo-Europeans, but an aboriginal population.....perhaps connected with the numerous tribes of the Caucasus (northern Azerbaijan, Albania)....Gelae, Tapuri, Cadusii, Amardi, Utii and other tribes in northern Media (Azerbaijan) and on the shores of the Caspian were not Iranians. With them Polybius, Strabo and Pliny mention the Anariaci, whom they consider as a particular tribe; but in reality their name, the Non-Aryans, is the comprehensive designation of all these small tribes.....
Richard N. Frye states the following regarding the ethnic composition of Media: "in Azerbaijan (Media) the Medes were in contact with a settled majority of non-Indo European (non-Iranian) speakers represented by the Urartians, Mannaeans, Hurrians etc..possibly related to the peoples speaking "Japhetic" languages" also spoken in the Caucasus (northern Azerbaijan, Albania).
According to historian Kalankatly, in the period between 191-200 A.D., hordes of Barsil and Khazar Turks crossed the Kura river in Azerbaijan.
According to the historian Tabari, descriptions of incursions into Azerbaijan by Turks (Huns and Khazars) occurred in the 4th and 5th centuries. Tabari also states that by the mid-6th century, there was a significant Turkish presence in Azerbaijan.
Kalankatly also states that in the year 629, the army of the Gokturks as well as a series Khazar Turkic tribes entered Azerbaijan and declared the land to be "eternal possesion" of Turks.
Byzantine sources of the mid 6th century refer to the "settlement of Khazar Turks" in the left bank of the Kura river, and Moisey Khaghankatli, a historian from pre-Islamic Azerbaijan reffered to a "Hun state" on the left bank of the Kura River in the 7th century.
According to Professor Peter B. Golden, "In the course of the seventh century, the two major tribal unions emerged in Azerbaijan under the Turk banner: the Khazars and the Bulgars...the Khazars formed the bulk of the Turk forces used by the Byzantine Emperor Heraclius (610-640) in his counter-offensive against the Sasanids (rulers) in Azerbaijan"
Pre-Islamic Turkic presence in Azerbaijan is evident in literature after the Islamic conquest of the region, in an era that was famous for its historical, geographical and scientific analyzations of the world by Muslim scholars and Islamic states. According to the 7th century work of Ubeid ibn Shariyya al-Jurhumi, the Muslim Caliph Mueviyyen (661-680) was told that Azerbiajan "has long been a land of Turks. Having gathered over there, they have mixed with one another and become integrated."
It must also be noted that the famous "Book of Dede Korkut" which is the epic of the Oghuz Turks (considered the main ancestors of Azerbaijanis) was written in Azerbaijan in the 6th and 7th centuries, indicating that the Oghuz Turks, who were a majority in Azerbaijan in the 10th and 11th centuries and henceforth, were also present in the land prior to Islam.
Islamic Azerbaijan
Throughout its pre-Islamic history, Azerbaijan wast subject to myriad invasions, migrations, and cultural and political influences. The land became Islamic territory during the Arab conquest under Omar's caliphate sometime between 639 and 643. The implementation of Islam in Azerbaijan was not easy for the Arabs.
In the 8th century, rebels under the leadership of Babek resisted Arab rule and started a revolt which lasted for close to 20 years. Babek's revolt became known as the "Khuremit Movement." Although Arab garrisons were placed in several strategic towns (Ardebil, Barda, Nakhchivan, Derbent, Maragha) the followers of the Khuremit movement resisted their control. The Arabs eventually defeated Babek and his followers, yet the legend of Babek still lives on in contemporary Azerbaijan, in both the northern and southern spheres.
Prior to Babek, The Khazar Turkic tribes in a series of conflicts which became known as the "Arab-Khazar wars" also sought to efface Azerbaijan of Arab presence. One of the major battles fought between the Turks and Arabs in Azerbaijan was near the historic city of Ardebil, which is one of the largest cities of present-day South Azerbaijan.
The settlement of Arabs in Azerbaijan and the fact that non-Muslims paid higher taxes led eventually to the Islamization of most of the Azerbaijani population.
After the full establishment of Islam, centuries of prosperity as a province of the Islamic caliphate followed. Much of the Islamic architecture in Azerbaijan was built from the 7th until the 10th century. During this period, many Azerbaijanis would travel to different Arab cities such as Baghdad, Damascus and Cairo for Islamic education.
Oghuz Turks
After the decline of the Arab caliphate, the Oghuz Turks in a series of mass migrations from Central Asia created a majority in Azerbaijan in the 10th and 11th century, during Seljuk rule. The Oghuz Turks were the founders of the Seljuk state, and had recently began their domination of the area under Seljuk leadership.
The modern statehood, blood, language, literature, culture, garments, dances, folklore and national character of the Azerbaijanis comes from the Oghuz Turks. However, the disunified ancient Turks of the land and their cultural traits were strengthened and revived by the newly arrived Oghuz.
During the Oghuz migration in Azerbaijan, there was also Oghuz migration into Anatolia (Turkey) and into parts of eastern Europe, The name "Seljuk" belonged to a Turkish sultan in central Asia
Seljuks & Modern Azerbaijan
The Seljuk period on Azerbaijan's history set the foundation of its ancient and modern culture and established the modern Azerbaijani-Turk nation.
The Seljuk Atabeks were the governing elite from the 10th-12th centuries. Under their rule, Azerbaijan was characterized by a cultural growth and considered a period of renaissance in Azerbaijan. Palaces of the Ildeniz and the Shirvanshahs hosted distinguished people of the time, many of whom became outstanding Muslim artists and scientists.
Great progress was achieved in mathematics, medicine, chemistry, philosophy, natural science, logic, law, and astronomy. Bakhmanyar, Khatib Tabrizi, Shikhabaddin Sukhravardi and many others were among those scientists.
New characteristic styles and trends arose in literature and arts in the 11th-12th centuries. Shirvan, Nakhchivan, and Arran architectural schools that established principal features of Azerbaijani medieval architectural style shaped at that time.
Fortress walls of Baku, Ganja, Tabriz, Shamakhi, Beylagan, Maragha, and Absheron were built during this time, and towers, mosques, schools, mausoleums, and bridges with their distinct and original style are the most remarkable memorials of the contemporary architecture of that era.
In 1225 the Shakh of Khorezm Djalaladdin occupied Azerbaijan, which put an end to the Atabek State.
The most famous of the Atabek kings was Shems al-din Ildeniz.
Mongol invasion
After Atabek rule came the Mongols who attacked parts of Azerbaijan but also built architectural sites (especially in the south) and resided in Tabriz and other cities across the nation as rulers.
In 1231, the Mongols occupied most of Azerbaijan and killed Khan Djalaladdin, who had overthrown the Atabek dynasty. In 1235 the Mongols destroyed Ganja, Shamkir, Tovuz, and other cities and fortresses in Azerbaijan.
Mongol through the Derbend passage at north stroke a severe blow on the national economy and Azerbaijanis constantly rebelled against them. Being unable to resist the Mongol enemies, the Azerbaijani rebels who fought the Mongols were defeated, yet the long resistance eventually put an end to the Mongol supremacy in the region
Under Mongol rule, more Turks migrated to Azerbaijan from to escape invasion in central Asia. The Turks that arrived in the 13th and 14th centuries mostly belonged to the Kipchak Turkic tribes, which includes the Tatar and Kazak Turkic groups.
Azerbaijani Dynasties
The five Azerbaijani dynasties that came in the following centuries (Qara-Qoyonlu, Aq-Qoyonlu, Safavi, Afshar, Qajar) as well as the existing Shirvanshahs in the northern part of Azerbaijan further developed the country and its national culture. These dynasties ruled over much of western Asia and Iran.
The Safavis, natives of Ardebil, established their regime in Tabriz in 1501 and based their power under the ideology of Shia Islam. Thus, Shia Islam was imposed on the former Sunni population in Azerbaijan as well as other peoples who lived under their empire. The subsequent Shiaism which was bestowed on the Azerbaijanis seperated them from other Turkic peoples in that era such as the Ottomans and Uzbeks, who were mostly Sunni Muslim.
King Ismayil, the founder of the Safavi dynasty and a Turkic poet who wrote many poems in the Azerbaijani language under the pen name "Khatai" was forced to move his capital from Tabriz into the present-day Persian city of Isfahan after attacks by the Ottomans which became a series of wars between the Ottoman and Safavi Turks which were based on religious reasons.
The territory of Azerbaijan was divided by the Safavis into four areas of Beklerbekliks, or administrations: Tabriz, Shukhursada (Nakhchivan) Shirvan and Qarabaq.
After the collapse of the Safavi empire, Nadir Shah Afshar (Nadir Guli Bey) was crowned as king of Azerbaijan and Iran in 1737. The corronation of Nadir Shah took place in Mugan, in the area of South Azerbaijan. Nadir Shah had formerly been a commander in the Safavid state, and was from the Afshar tribe of the Azerbaijani Turks who lived in Khurasan.
After his assassination 10 years later, Azerbaijan was divided into several principalities known as "Khanates."
Division of Azerbaijan
Thus, the kingdom of Azerbaijan was divided into a federal system with the Khanates of: Tabriz, Baku, Quba, Urmiya, Ardebil, Khoy, Sheki, Shamakhi, Qarabaq, Qaradaq, Maku, Maraga and Nakhchivan. The land of Azerbaijan was divided in 1828 between Russia and the Qajars who had lost in battle to the Russians. Azerbaijan is divided to this day. Due to its location astride the trade routes connecting Europe to Central Asia and the Near East and on the shore of the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan was fought over by Russia, Persia, and the Ottomans for several centuries. Finally the Russians split Azerbaijan's territory with Persia in 1828 by the Treaty of Turkmenchay, establishing the present frontiers and extinguishing the last native dynasties of local Azerbaijani khans.
The beginning of modern exploitation of the oil fields in the 1870s led to a period of unprecedented prosperity and growth in the years before World War I.
At the collapse of the Russian Empire in 1917, an independent republic was proclaimed in 1918 following an abortive attempt to establish a Transcaucasian Republic with Armenia and Georgia. Azerbaijan received de facto recognition by the Allies as an independent nation in January 1920, an independence terminated by the arrival of the Red Army in April. Incorporated into the Transcaucasian Federated Soviet Socialist Republic in 1922, Azerbaijan became a union republic of the USSR in 1936. The late 1980s were characterized by increasing unrest, eventually leading to a violent confrontation when Soviet troops killed 190 nationalist demonstrators in Baky in January 1990. Azerbaijan declared its independence from the USSR on August 30, 1991.