Exploring The Ethnic Origins Of Azerbaijan: Aryan Or Not?

Azerbaijan is a transcontinental country at the boundary of Eastern Europe and West Asia. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia's republic of Dagestan to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia and Turkey to the west, and Iran to the south. The term Azerbaijan is derived from Atropates, a Persian satrap under the Achaemenid Empire. The name is believed to have its roots in the once-dominant Zoroastrianism.

The people of Azerbaijan are predominantly Shia Muslims and are of Turkic descent. They are believed to have originated from the indigenous population of eastern Transcaucasia and possibly the Medians from northern Iran. The modern ethnonym Azerbaijani or Azeri refers to the Turkic peoples of Iran's northwestern historic region of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Azerbaijan.

The Iranian Azerbaijanis are Iranians of Azerbaijani ethnicity. They are mainly of Iranian descent and are native to the Iranian Azerbaijan region, including the provinces of East Azerbaijan, Ardabil, Zanjan, and West Azerbaijan. Iranian Azerbaijan is the land originally and historically called Azerbaijan. The region is mostly populated by Azerbaijanis, with minority populations of Kurds, Armenians, Tats, Talysh, Assyrians, and Persians.

The people of Azerbaijan have been greatly influenced by the Iranian culture. At the same time, they have influenced and been influenced by their non-Iranian neighbours, especially the Caucasians and Russians. The Azerbaijani language is widely used, mostly orally, among the Iranian Azerbaijanis.

The people of Azerbaijan are of mixed descent, with influences from indigenous Eastern Transcaucasia populations and northern Iran's Medians

The people of Azerbaijan are predominantly Shia Muslims. They are believed to be descended from the inhabitants of Caucasian Albania, an ancient country located in the eastern Caucasus region, and various Iranian peoples who settled in the region. The indigenous people of Eastern Transcaucasia were influenced by the influx of Oghuz Turks from Central Asia, who adopted a Turkoman ethnonym at the time. The migration of Oghuz Turks from Turkmenistan, attested by linguistic similarity, remained high through the Mongol period. By the Safavid period, the Turkic nature of Azerbaijan increased with the influence of the Qizilbash, an association of Turkoman nomadic tribes that was the backbone of the Safavid Empire.

Azerbaijanis comprise the largest minority ethnic group in Iran. They are mainly of Iranian descent and are primarily found in the Iranian Azerbaijan region, including the provinces of East Azerbaijan, Ardabil, Zanjan, and West Azerbaijan. They also constitute a significant minority in Tehran, Karaj, and other regions. The Iranian Azerbaijanis are Iranians of Azerbaijani ethnicity, and most are bilingual in Azerbaijani and Persian.

Azerbaijanis are also found in large numbers in four other Iranian provinces: Hamadan, Qazvin, Markazi, and Kurdistan. In Kurdistan, Azerbaijanis are mainly found in villages around Qorveh. Additionally, Azerbaijanis have immigrated and resettled in large numbers in central Iran, particularly in Tehran, Qom, and Karaj.

The Iranian Azerbaijanis' culture was produced by centuries of symbiosis and mixture between native and nomadic elements. According to Richard Frye, Iranian Azerbaijanis largely descend from pre-existing Iranian-speakers, who were Turkified after a massive migration of Oghuz Turks but still exist in smaller pockets. In contrast, Olivier Roy writes that the Azerbaijani ethnogenesis involved the Turkification of the natives by Turkomans from Anatolia.

The Encyclopædia Britannica states that the Azerbaijanis are of mixed descent, with origins in the indigenous population of eastern Transcaucasia and possibly the Medians from northern Iran. There is evidence that, due to repeated invasions and migrations, the aboriginal Caucasian population may have gradually been culturally and linguistically assimilated, first by Ancient Iranian peoples and later by the Oghuz Turks.

Azerbaijanis are the largest ethnic group in the Republic of Azerbaijan and the second-largest in neighbouring Iran

The majority of Azerbaijanis live in the Republic of Azerbaijan and Iranian Azerbaijan. They are native to the Iranian Azerbaijan region, including the provinces of East Azerbaijan, Ardabil, Zanjan, and West Azerbaijan, and can also be found in smaller numbers in other provinces such as Kurdistan, Qazvin, Hamadan, Gilan, Markazi, and Kermanshah.

Azerbaijani populations are also found in large numbers in four other Iranian provinces: Hamadan, Qazvin, Markazi, and Kurdistan. In Kurdistan, Azerbaijanis are mainly found in villages around Qorveh. Additionally, there are significant Azerbaijani communities in central Iran, particularly in Tehran, Qom, and Karaj, due to internal migration.

Iranian Azerbaijanis are mainly of Iranian descent, with scholars estimating their population to be between 12 and 23 million. They are well-integrated into Iranian society and are represented at all levels of political, military, intellectual, and religious hierarchies. They are also found in prominent positions in Persian literature, politics, and the clerical world.

The modern ethnonym "Azerbaijani" or "Azeri" refers to the Turkic peoples of Iran's northwestern historic region of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Azerbaijan. Historically, they called themselves or were referred to as Muslims and/or Turks. The term "Azerbaijani" was first popularized in the late 19th century among the Caucasus Tatars, eventually supplanting the term "Transcaucasian Tatars."

The emergence of an Azerbaijani national identity can be traced back to the late 19th century, particularly after the collapse of the Russian Empire in 1917 and the establishment of the short-lived Azerbaijan Democratic Republic in 1918, which adopted the name "Azerbaijan" for political reasons. This designation had previously been used exclusively to refer to the adjacent region of contemporary northwestern Iran.

The division of Azerbaijanis between Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan is a result of the Russo-Persian Wars of the 19th century, which led to the cession of the Caucasian territories of Qajar Iran to the Russian Empire. The territories north of the Aras River, including the territory of the contemporary Republic of Azerbaijan, were incorporated into the Russian Empire, while the territories south of the Aras River became the new northwestern frontier of Qajar Iran, later known as Iran.

The migration of Oghuz Turks from present-day Turkmenistan to the Caucasus and Anatolia in the 11th century AD, along with other Turkmen tribes, resulted in the Turkification of the local population. Over time, they converted to Shia Islam and gradually absorbed Azerbaijan and Shirvan.

The Iranian Azerbaijan region is historically and originally called Azerbaijan, while the neighbouring Azerbaijani-populated region in the Republic of Azerbaijan appropriated the name during the 20th century. The name "Azerbaijan" is derived from Atropates, a Persian satrap under the Achaemenid Empire, whose name is believed to mean "protected by fire" or "guardian of fire."

The Iranian Azerbaijan region includes three northwestern Iranian provinces: West Azerbaijan, East Azerbaijan, and Ardabil, with some authors also including Zanjan. It is mostly populated by Azerbaijanis, with minority populations of Kurds, Armenians, Tats, Talysh, Assyrians, and Persians.

Iranian Azerbaijanis have influenced and been influenced by their non-Iranian neighbours, particularly the Caucasians and Russians. They celebrate Nowruz, the Iranian new year, and their music and poetry demonstrate cultural connections with other Iranian peoples, such as Persians and Kurds, as well as the Caucasian peoples.

The majority of Azerbaijanis in both Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan are followers of Twelver Shia Islam, with a minority of Sunni Azerbaijani Turks practising Shafi'i Islam.

The Azerbaijani language is a Turkic language descended from the Oghuz Turkic language

Azerbaijani is mutually intelligible with Turkish to a high degree, and speakers of the two languages can often understand each other without prior knowledge of the other. Azerbaijani has official status in the Republic of Azerbaijan and Dagestan (a federal subject of Russia) but does not have official status in Iran, despite the majority of Iranian Azerbaijanis living there.

The standardized form of North Azerbaijani, spoken in the Republic of Azerbaijan and Russia, is based on the Shirvani dialect, while South Azerbaijani, spoken in Iran, Iraq, and Syria, uses a variety of regional dialects. Azerbaijani evolved from the Eastern branch of Oghuz Turkic ("Western Turkic") and spread to the Caucasus, Eastern Europe, and northern Iran during the medieval Turkic migrations. The language was historically referred to as "Turkish" or "Turkic" by its native speakers, and official documents referred to it as "Turkish" in the early years following the establishment of the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic. However, in the 1930s, its name was officially changed to "Azerbaijani".

The historical development of Azerbaijani can be divided into two major periods: early (c. 14th to 18th century) and modern (18th century to present). Early Azerbaijani differed from its modern descendant in that it contained a much larger number of Persian and Arabic loanwords, phrases, and syntactic elements. As Azerbaijani gradually moved from being a language of epic and lyric poetry to a language of journalism and scientific research, its literary version became more unified and simplified, losing many archaic Turkic elements and loanwords from other languages.

The Russian annexation of Iranian territories in the Caucasus through the Russo-Iranian wars of 1804–1813 and 1826–1828 split the language community across two states. The Tsarist administration encouraged the spread of Azerbaijani in eastern Transcaucasia as a replacement for Persian and as a measure against Persian influence in the region. The Soviet Union promoted the development of the language but also set it back with two successive script changes—from the Perso-Arabic script to Latin and then to Cyrillic. After the Republic of Azerbaijan gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, it switched back to a modified Latin script.

Azerbaijani literature has a rich history, with early writings dating back to the 14th century by poets such as Kadi Burhan al-Din, Hasanoghlu, and Imadaddin Nasimi. The development of Azerbaijani literature is closely associated with Anatolian Turkish, written in the Perso-Arabic script. Modern Azerbaijani literature continued to emphasize humanism, as seen in the writings of Samad Vurgun, Shahriar, and others.

Azerbaijan is one of six independent Turkic states and an active member of the Organization of Turkic States

Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is one of six independent Turkic states and an active member of the Organization of Turkic States. It is also a member of the TÜRKSOY community.

Azerbaijan is a transcontinental country at the boundary of Eastern Europe and West Asia. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia's republic of Dagestan to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia and Turkey to the west, and Iran to the south. Baku is the capital and largest city.

The territory of what is now Azerbaijan was first ruled by Caucasian Albania and later various Persian empires. Until the 19th century, it remained part of Qajar Iran, but the Russo-Persian wars of 1804–1813 and 1826–1828 forced the Qajar Empire to cede its Caucasian territories to the Russian Empire. The region north of the Aras River was part of Iran until it was conquered by Russia in the 19th century.

In the late 19th century, an Azerbaijani national identity emerged when the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic proclaimed its independence from the Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic in 1918, a year after the Russian Empire collapsed. In 1920, the country was conquered and incorporated into the Soviet Union as the Azerbaijan SSR. The modern Republic of Azerbaijan proclaimed its independence on 30 August 1991, shortly before the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

Azerbaijan has diplomatic relations with 182 countries and holds membership in 38 international organizations, including the United Nations, the Council of Europe, the Non-Aligned Movement, the OSCE, and the NATO PfP program. It is one of the founding members of GUAM, the Commonwealth of Independent States, and the OPCW.

Azerbaijan is a unitary semi-presidential republic. The vast majority of the country's population (97%) is nominally Muslim, but the Constitution of Azerbaijan does not declare an official religion, and all major political forces in the country are secular. Azerbaijan is a developing country and ranks 91st on the Human Development Index.

The country's name, Azerbaijan, was first adopted by the government of Musavat in 1918 after the collapse of the Russian Empire. The name is believed to have originated from Atropates, a Persian satrap under the Achaemenid Empire. The original etymology of this name is thought to have roots in the once-dominant Zoroastrianism.

Azerbaijanis are a Turkic ethnic group living mainly in the Azerbaijan region of northwestern Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan. They are predominantly Shia Muslims. They comprise the largest ethnic group in the Republic of Azerbaijan and the second-largest ethnic group in neighboring Iran and Georgia. They speak the Azerbaijani language, belonging to the Oghuz branch of the Turkic languages.

The majority of Azerbaijanis are followers of Twelver Shia Islam

Azerbaijan is a transcontinental country in Eastern Europe and West Asia with a population that is 97% Muslim, according to some reports. The majority of these Muslims are followers of Twelver Shia Islam, with 55-65% of the population adhering to the Ja'fari school of Shia Islam. The remaining 35-45% are Sunni Muslims, typically adhering to the Hanafi or Shafi'i school.

The differences between these two branches of Islam are not sharply defined in Azerbaijan, and the country is considered the most secular in the Muslim world. Religious affiliation is often nominal and based more on culture and ethnicity than on religion, due to decades of Soviet atheist policy. Shia Islam is prevalent in the western, central, and southern regions of the country, with villages around Baku and the Lankaran region considered Shia strongholds. In contrast, Sunni Islam is dominant in the northern regions.

The history of Islam in Azerbaijan is closely tied to the country's geopolitical situation, with Russia, Turkey, and Iran as significant regional players. Islam arrived in Azerbaijan with the Arabs in the seventh century, gradually supplanting Christianity and pagan cults. In the sixteenth century, the Safavid Dynasty established Shi'a Islam as the state religion, and the population of what is now Iran and Azerbaijan were converted.

The two branches of Islam came into conflict in Azerbaijan, with the Safavid rulers clashing with the ruling Sunnis of the neighbouring Ottoman Empire. In the nineteenth century, many Sunni Muslims emigrated from Russian-controlled Azerbaijan due to Russia's wars with the Ottoman Empire, leading to a Shi'a majority in Russian Azerbaijan by the late nineteenth century. Antagonism between the Sunnis and Shi'a diminished as Azerbaijani nationalism emphasised a common Turkic heritage and opposition to Iranian religious influences.

During the Soviet era, most mosques were closed, and religious affiliation was replaced by the promotion of Azerbaijani national consciousness. After independence, the number of mosques rose dramatically, with support from other Islamic countries. Today, the government maintains a secular position, and the role of Islam in politics and everyday life remains relatively small.

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