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| {{Redirect|Azeri}} | |||
| {{About|the Azerbaijani ethnic group|an analysis of the population of the Republic of Azerbaijan|Demographics of Azerbaijan}}{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2013}} | |||
| {{Infobox ethnic group | |||
| | group = Azerbaijanis<br />''Azərbaycanlılar, Azərilər''<br />{{lang|az|آذربایجانلیلار، آذریلر}} | |||
| | image = ] | |||
| | image_caption = Azerbaijani girls in traditional dresses | |||
| | population = {{circa}} 15–20 million<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/?id=YJwsAQAAIAAJ&dq=30+million+South+Azerbaijan&q=30-35 |title=The Continuum Political Encyclopedia of the Middle East|author=]|publisher=Continuum|year=2002|isbn=0-8264-1413-3|page=197|quote=15–25 million}}</ref> | |||
| | region1 = {{flagcountry|Iran}} | |||
| | pop1 = more than 15 million <small>(Encyclopædia Britannica)<ref name="eb"/></small><br />12.9–18 million <small>(CIA factbook,<ref name="CIA Iran"/> Knüppel,<ref name="16mil">Michael Knüppel, "TURKIC LANGUAGES OF PERSIA: AN OVERVIEW", Encyclopaedia Iranica "Altogether, one-sixth of today's Iranian population is turcophone or bilingual (Persian and Turkic; see Doerfer, 1969, p. 13).</ref> Izady,<ref name="16mil2">Mehrdad Izady – Columbia University – Gulf 2000 Project – Language Map of Iran – 2012 http://gulf2000.columbia.edu/maps.shtml''{{dead link|date=October 2016|bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}"</ref> Swietochowski<ref name="16mil3">]; Collins, Brian C. (1999). Historical dictionary of Azerbaijan. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. {{ISBN|0-8108-3550-9}}. "15 million (1999)"</ref>)</small><br />18–27 million <small> (e.g. Elling,<ref name="18mil">Elling, Rasmus Christian. Minorities in Iran: Nationalism and Ethnicity after Khomeini, Palgrave Macmillan, 2013. Excerpt: "The number of Azeris in Iran is heavily disputed. In 2005, Amanolahi estimated all Turkic-speaking communities in Iran to number no more than 9 million. CIA and Library of congress estimates range from 16 percent to 24 percent—that is, 12–18 million people if we employ the latest total figure for Iran's population (77.8 million). Azeri ethnicsts, on the other hand, argue that overall number is much higher, even as much as 50 percent or more of the total population. Such inflated estimates may have influenced some Western scholars who suggest that up to 30 percent (that is, some 23 million today) Iranians are Azeris." </ref> Shaffer,<ref>Shaffer, Brenda (2003). Borders and Brethren: Iran and the Challenge of Azerbaijani Identity. MIT Press. pp. 221–225. {{ISBN|0-262-19477-5}} "There is considerable lack of consensus regarding the number of Azerbaijanis in Iran ...Most conventional estimates of the Azerbaijani population range between one-fifth to one-third of the general population of Iran, the majority claiming one-fourth" Azerbaijani student groups in Iran claim that there are 27 million Azerbaijanis residing in Iran."</ref> Minahan,<ref>Minahan, James (2002). Encyclopedia of the Stateless Nations: S-Z. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 1765. {{ISBN|978-0-313-32384-3}} "Approximately (2002e) 18,500,000 Southern Azeris in Iran, concentrated in the northwestern provinces of East and West Azerbaijan. It is difficult to determine the exact number of Southern Azeris in Iran, as official statistics are not published detailing Iran's ethnic structure. Estimates of the Southern Azeri population range from as low as 12 million up to 40% of the population of Iran – that is, nearly 27 million..."</ref> Gheissari<ref name="Criticism"> | |||
| *Ali Gheissari, "Contemporary Iran:Economy, Society, Politics: Economy, Society, Politics", Oxford University Press, 2 April 2009. pg 300Azeri ethnonationalist activist, however, claim that number to be 24 million, hence as high as 35 percent of the Iranian population"</ref>)</small> | |||
| | region2 = {{flagcountry|Azerbaijan}} | |||
| | pop2 = 9,100,000 | |||
| | ref2 = <ref> 91,6% of 9,900,000, '']''</ref> | |||
| | region3 = {{flagcountry|Russia}} | |||
| | pop3 = 603,070–1,500,000 | |||
| | ref3 = <ref name="Russian Census">{{cite web|url=http://www.perepis-2010.ru/results_of_the_census/tab5.xls |title=Итоги переписи |work=2010 census |year=2012 |publisher=Russian Federation State Statistics Service |accessdate=24 January 2015 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120424113952/http://www.perepis-2010.ru/results_of_the_census/tab5.xls |archivedate=24 April 2012 |df=dmy }}</ref><ref name="Leeuw">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sNoP1zphWf8C&pg=PA19|title=Azerbaijan: a quest for identity : a short history|author=van der Leeuw, Charles|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|year=2000|isbn=978-0-312-21903-1|page=19}}</ref> | |||
| | region4 = {{flagcountry|Turkey}} | |||
| | pop4 = 530,000–800,000 | |||
| | ref4 = <ref name="Leeuw"/><ref name="Looklex Encyclopaedia">{{cite news|url=http://looklex.com/e.o/turkey.peoples.htm |title=Turkey-Peoples |publisher=] |date= |accessdate=13 August 2013}}</ref> | |||
| | region5 = {{flagcountry|Georgia}} | |||
| | pop5 = 233,178 | |||
| | ref5 = <ref>{{cite web|url=http://geostat.ge/cms/site_images/_files/english/population/Census_release_ENG_2016.pdf|format=PDF|title=Ethnic groups by major administrative-territorial units|publisher=National Statistics Office of Georgia|work=2014 census|accessdate=28 April 2016}}</ref> | |||
| | = <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stat.kz/p_perepis/DocLib1/%D0%90%D0%BD%D0%B0%D0%BB%D0%B8%D1%82%D0%B8%D1%87%D0%B5%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B9%20%D0%BE%D1%82%D1%87%D0%B5%D1%82.%20%D0%98%D1%82%D0%BE%D0%B3%D0%B8%20%D0%9D%D0%B0%D1%86%D0%B8%D0%BE%D0%BD%D0%B0%D0%BB%D1%8C%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B9%20%D0%BF%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%BF%D0%B8%D1%81%D0%B8%20%D0%BD%D0%B0%D1%81%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B8%D1%8F%202009%20%D0%B3%D0%BE%D0%B4%D0%B0.pdf |title=Population by national and/or ethnic group, sex and urban/rural residence (2009 census) |publisher=Agency for the Statistics of the Republic of Kazakhstan |accessdate=15 August 2012 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120616182454/http://www.stat.kz/p_perepis/DocLib1/%D0%90%D0%BD%D0%B0%D0%BB%D0%B8%D1%82%D0%B8%D1%87%D0%B5%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B9%20%D0%BE%D1%82%D1%87%D0%B5%D1%82.%20%D0%98%D1%82%D0%BE%D0%B3%D0%B8%20%D0%9D%D0%B0%D1%86%D0%B8%D0%BE%D0%BD%D0%B0%D0%BB%D1%8C%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B9%20%D0%BF%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%BF%D0%B8%D1%81%D0%B8%20%D0%BD%D0%B0%D1%81%D0%B5%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B8%D1%8F%202009%20%D0%B3%D0%BE%D0%B4%D0%B0.pdf |archivedate=16 June 2012 |df=dmy }}</ref> | |||
| | region8 = {{flagcountry|France}} | |||
| | pop8 = 70,000 | |||
| | ref8 = <ref>{{cite news |last=İlhamqızı |first=Sevda |date=October 2, 2007 |title=Gələn ilin sonuna qədər dünyada yaşayan azərbaycanlıların sayı və məskunlaşma coğrafiyasına dair xəritə hazırlanacaq |url=http://az.trend.az/azerbaijan/society/1034370.html |language=Azerbaijani |work=Trend News Agency |location=Baku |access-date=March 8, 2017}}</ref> | |||
| | region9 = {{flagcountry|Ukraine}} | |||
| | pop9 = 45,176 | |||
| | ref9 = <ref>{{cite web|url=http://2001.ukrcensus.gov.ua/eng/results/general/nationality/ |title=About number and composition population of Ukraine by data All-Ukrainian census of the population 2001 |work=Ukraine Census 2001 |publisher=State Statistics Committee of Ukraine |accessdate=17 January 2012 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20111217151026/http://2001.ukrcensus.gov.ua/eng/results/general/nationality/ |archivedate=17 December 2011 |df= }}</ref> | |||
| | region10 = {{flagcountry|Uzbekistan}} | |||
| | pop10 = 44,400 | |||
| | ref10 = <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.arbuz.com/Umid/Main/Uzbekistan/Population/population.html |title=The National Structure of the Republic of Uzbekistan |year=1989 |publisher=Umid World |accessdate=17 January 2012 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120223090542/http://www.arbuz.com/Umid/Main/Uzbekistan/Population/population.html |archivedate=23 February 2012 |df=dmy }}</ref> | |||
| | region11 = {{flagcountry|Turkmenistan}} | |||
| | pop11 = 33,365 | |||
| | ref11 = <ref>{{cite journal|url=http://demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/sng_nac_89.php?reg=14 |script-title=ru:Всесоюзная перепись населения 1989 года. Национальный состав населения по республикам СССР |work=Демоскоп Weekly |language=Russian |issue=493–494 |date=1–22 January 2012 |accessdate=17 January 2012 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314043707/http://demoscope.ru/weekly/ssp/sng_nac_89.php?reg=14 |archivedate=14 March 2012 |df=dmy }}</ref> | |||
| | region12 = {{flagcountry|United States}} | |||
| | pop12 = 24,377–400,000 | |||
| | ref12 = <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.news.az/articles/5620 |title=Azerbaijani-American Council rpartners with U.S. Census Bureau |publisher=News.Az |date=28 December 2009 |accessdate=2012-07-11 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407043029/http://www.news.az/articles/5620 |archivedate=7 April 2014 |df=dmy }}</ref><ref>http://www.azeris.org/images/proclamations/May28_BrooklynNY_2011.JPG{{dead link|date=October 2016|bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stlamerican.com/reader_interaction/letters_to_the_editor/article_a906f9d6-4a8f-11e0-9d87-001cc4c03286.html |title=Obama, recognize us – St. Louis American: Letters To The Editor |publisher=Stlamerican.com |date=9 March 2011 |accessdate=2012-07-11}}</ref> | |||
| | region13 = {{flagcountry|Netherlands}} | |||
| | pop13 = 18,000 | |||
| | ref13 = <ref>{{cite web|url=http://mfa.gov.az/eng/downloads/bilaterial/Netherlands.pdf |format=PDF |title=The Kingdom of the Netherlands: Bilateral relations: Diaspora |publisher=Republic of Azerbaijan Ministry of Foreign Affairs |date= |accessdate=17 January 2012 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120119175140/http://mfa.gov.az/eng/downloads/bilaterial/Netherlands.pdf |archivedate=19 January 2012 |df=dmy }}</ref> | |||
| | region14 = {{flagcountry|Kyrgyzstan}} | |||
| | pop14 = 17,823 | |||
| | ref14 = <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stat.kg/stat.files/din.files/census/5010003.pdf |format=PDF |title=5.01.00.03 Национальный состав населения |publisher=National Statistical Committee of Kyrgyz Republic |year=2011 |language=Russian |accessdate=17 January 2012 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120219092904/http://www.stat.kg/stat.files/din.files/census/5010003.pdf |archivedate=19 February 2012 |df= }}</ref> | |||
| | region15 = {{flagcountry|Germany}} | |||
| | pop15 = 15,219 | |||
| | ref15 = <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.destatis.de/jetspeed/portal/cms/Sites/destatis/Internet/EN/Content/Statistics/Bevoelkerung/AuslaendischeBevoelkerung/Tabellen/Content100/AlterAufenthaltsdauer,property=file.xls |title=Foreign population on 31.12.2006 by citizenship and selected characteristics |publisher=Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) |accessdate=3 February 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101116074931/http://www.destatis.de/jetspeed/portal/cms/Sites/destatis/Internet/EN/Content/Statistics/Bevoelkerung/AuslaendischeBevoelkerung/Tabellen/Content100/AlterAufenthaltsdauer%2Cproperty%3Dfile.xls |archivedate=16 November 2010 |deadurl=yes |df= }}</ref> | |||
| | region16 = {{flagcountry|United Arab Emirates}} | |||
| | pop16 = 7,000 | |||
| | ref16 = <ref name="BQ">{{cite web|url=http://www.bqdoha.com/2015/04/uae-population-by-nationality|title=UAE´s population – by nationality|work=BQ Magazine|date=12 April 2015|accessdate=13 June 2015|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150711160839/http://www.bqdoha.com/2015/04/uae-population-by-nationality|archivedate=11 July 2015|df=dmy-all}}</ref> | |||
| | region17 = {{flagcountry|Canada}} | |||
| | pop17 = 6,425 | |||
| | ref17 = <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/dt-td/Rp-eng.cfm?LANG=E&APATH=3&DETAIL=0&DIM=0&FL=A&FREE=0&GC=0&GID=0&GK=0&GRP=1&PID=110528&PRID=10&PTYPE=109445&S=0&SHOWALL=0&SUB=0&Temporal=2017&THEME=120&VID=0&VNAMEE=&VNAMEF=|title=Ethnic Origin (279), Single and Multiple Ethnic Origin Responses (3), Generation Status (4), Age (12) and Sex (3) for the Population in Private Households of Canada, Provinces and Territories, Census Metropolitan Areas and Census Agglomerations, 2016 Census - 25% Sample Data|year=2016|publisher=Statistics Canada|accessdate=6 November 2017}} In the 2016 census, 2,280 people indicated 'Azeri'/'Azerbaijani' as a single response and 4,145 as part of multiple origins.</ref> | |||
| | region18 = {{flagcountry|United Kingdom}} | |||
| | pop18 = 6,220 | |||
| | ref18 = <ref name=ons2011>{{cite web|title=Nationality and country of birth by age, sex and qualifications Jan - Dec 2013 (Excel sheet 60Kb)|url=http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/about-ons/business-transparency/freedom-of-information/what-can-i-request/published-ad-hoc-data/labour/april-2014/nationality-and-country-of-birth-by-age--sex-and-qualifications-jan---dec-2013.xls|website=www.ons.gov.uk|publisher=]|accessdate=11 June 2014}}</ref> | |||
| | region19 = {{flagcountry|Belarus}} | |||
| | pop19 = 5,567 | |||
| | ref19 = <ref>{{cite web |url=http://belstat.gov.by/homep/ru/perepic/2009/vihod_tables/5.8-0.pdf |title=Population Census 2009 |publisher=National Statistical Committee of the Republic of Belarus |accessdate=17 April 2013 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/65BNNIkIs?url=http://belstat.gov.by/homep/ru/perepic/2009/vihod_tables/5.8-0.pdf |archivedate=3 February 2012 |df= }}</ref> | |||
| | region20 = {{flagcountry|Sweden}} | |||
| | pop20 = 2,935 | |||
| | ref20 = <ref name="Statistics Sweden">{{cite web|title=Foreign born after country of birth and immigration year|url=http://www.scb.se/sv_/Hitta-statistik/Statistik-efter-amne/Befolkning/Befolkningens-sammansattning/Befolkningsstatistik/25788/25795/Helarsstatistik---Riket/385479/}} Statistics Sweden.</ref> | |||
| | region21 = {{flagcountry|Latvia}} | |||
| | pop21 = 1,657 | |||
| | ref21 = <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ecmi.de/uploads/tx_lfpubdb/report_8.pdf|format=PDF|title=Accession to the European Union and National Integration in Estonia and Latvia|author=Poleshchuk, Vadim|date=March 2001|accessdate=18 January 2012|quote=232 citizens|publisher=European Center for Minority Issues}}</ref> | |||
| | region22 = {{flagcountry|Austria}} | |||
| | pop22 = 1,000 | |||
| | ref22 = <ref>{{cite web|url=http://mfa.gov.az/eng/downloads/bilaterial/Austria.pdf |format=PDF |publisher=Republic of Azerbaijan Ministry of Foreign Affairs |title=The Republic of Austria: Bilateral relations |accessdate=18 January 2012 }}{{dead link|date=October 2016|bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> | |||
| | region23 = {{flagcountry|Estonia}} | |||
| | pop23 = 923 | |||
| | ref23 = <ref>{{cite web|url=http://pub.stat.ee/px-web.2001/I_Databas/Population_census/PHC2011/01Demographic_and_ethno_cultural_characteristics/04Ethnic_nationality_Languages_Dialects/04Ethnic_nationality_Languages_Dialects.asp |title=Population Census of 2011|publisher=Statistics Estonia|accessdate=24 January 2015}} Select "Azerbaijani" under "Ethnic nationality".</ref> | |||
| | region24 = {{flagcountry|Lithuania}} | |||
| | pop24 = 648 | |||
| | ref24 = <ref name=litstats>{{cite web|url=https://osp.stat.gov.lt/documents/10180/217110/Gyv_kalba_tikyba.pdf/1d9dac9a-3d45-4798-93f5-941fed00503f|title=Population by ethnicity in 1959, 1970, 1979, 1989, 2001 and 2011|publisher=Lithuanian Department of Statistics|accessdate=10 March 2016}}</ref> | |||
| | region25 = {{flagcountry|Norway}} | |||
| | pop25 = 501 | |||
| | ref25 = <ref name="Statistics Canada">{{cite web|title=Immigrants and Norwegian-born to immigrant parents, 1 January 2013|url=http://www.ssb.no/en/befolkning/statistikker/innvbef/aar/2013-04-25?fane=tabell&sort=nummer&tabell=109861}}</ref> | |||
| | region26 = {{flagcountry|Australia}} | |||
| | pop26 = 290 | |||
| | ref26 = <ref>. NB According to the 2006 census, 290 people living in Australia identified themselves as of Azeri ancestry, although the Australian-Azeri community is estimated to be larger. Retrieved 1 April 2008.</ref> | |||
| | religions = Predominantly ]; minority ], ],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://haruth.com/jw/JewsAzerbaijan.html|title=Jews of Azerbaijan|first=Haruth Communications, Harry |last=Leichter|website=haruth.com}}</ref><ref name="jewishvirtuallibrary.org">{{cite web|url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/vjw/Azerbaijan.html|title=Azerbaijan Virtual Jewish History Tour|website=www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org}}</ref> ],<ref>http://www.bahai.az/ Azerbaidjan Bahai</ref><ref>] Azerbaidjan Bahai</ref>,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NCez3ZuV3NoC&pg=PA79 |title=Azerbaijan|publisher=|accessdate=18 March 2015}}</ref> ],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.today.az/news/society/50636.html |title=Today.Az - Covering Azerbaijan inside and outside |publisher= |accessdate=18 March 2015 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006084434/http://www.today.az/news/society/50636.html |archivedate=6 October 2014 |df= }}</ref> ]<ref name="Day.az">{{cite web|url=http://news.day.az/society/85160.html|title=5,000 Azerbaijanis adopted Christianity|publisher=Day.az|date=7 July 2007|language=Russian|accessdate=30 January 2012}}</ref><ref name="Tehran Radio">{{cite web|url=http://azeri.irib.ir/tehliller/item/148029-xristian-missioner-t%C9%99riq%C9%99tl%C9%99r-ar-da-aktivl%C9%99sir?tmpl=component&print=1|title=Christian Missionaries Becoming Active in Azerbaijan|publisher=Tehran Radio|date=19 June 2011|language=Azerbaijani|accessdate=12 August 2012}}</ref> | |||
| |languages=] | |||
| | related = ] (]) | |||
| }} | |||
| {{Azerbaijanis}} | |||
| '''Azerbaijanis''' ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|æ|z|ər|b|aɪ|ˈ|dʒ|ɑː|n|i}}) or '''Azeris''' ({{lang-az|Azərbaycanlılar}} آذربایجانلیلار, ''Azərilər'' آذریلر), also known as '''Azerbaijani Turks'''<ref>{{Cite book|title = The Azerbaijani Turks: Power and Identity under Russian Rule|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=7eyoAAAAQBAJ|publisher = Hoover Press|date = 2013-09-01|isbn = 9780817991838|first = Audrey L.|last = Alstadt}}</ref> ({{lang-az|Azərbaycan türkləri}} آذربایجان تورکلری), are a ]<ref>{{cite book|author=Svante E. Cornell|title=Azerbaijan Since Independence|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TaZzCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA7 |date=20 May 2015|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1-317-47621-4|page=7}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Barbara A. West|title=Encyclopedia of the Peoples of Asia and Oceania|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pCiNqFj3MQsC&pg=PA68|date=1 January 2009|publisher=Infobase Publishing|isbn=978-1-4381-1913-7|page=68}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=James Minahan|title=Encyclopedia of the Stateless Nations: S-Z|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Zu5GpDby9H0C&pg=PA1766|date=1 January 2002|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-313-32384-3|page=1766}}</ref> ] living mainly in the ]ian region of ] and the sovereign (former Soviet) ]. They are the second-most numerous ethnic group among the Turkic peoples after ].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Azerbaijani-people|title=Azerbaijani {{!}} people|newspaper=Encyclopædia Britannica|access-date=2016-11-03}}</ref> They are predominantly ],<ref>{{cite book|title=Russia & Eurasia Facts & Figures Annual|author=Robertson, Lawrence R.|year=2002|publisher=Academic International Press|isbn=0-87569-199-4|page=210|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ye1oAAAAMAAJ}}</ref> and have a mixed cultural heritage, including ],<ref name="roy" /> ],<ref name="washingtonpost.com">{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/world/countries/azerbaijan.html#land|title=Azerbaijan|publisher=|accessdate=18 March 2015}}</ref> and ] elements. They comprise the largest ethnic group in the Republic of Azerbaijan and by far the second-largest ethnic group in neighboring Iran.<ref name="books.google.nl">{{cite book |first=Brenda |last=Shaffer |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uEOd-cDWVwQC&pg=PA229 |title=The Limits of Culture: Islam and Foreign Policy |publisher=MIT Press |year=2006 |isbn=0262195291 |page=229}}</ref> The world's largest number of ethnic Azerbaijanis live in Iran, followed by the Republic of Azerbaijan.<ref>{{cite book|author=Bani-Shoraka, Helena|contribution=Language Policy and Language Planning: Some Definitions|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rkRC5G2qMzMC&pg=PA144|editor1=Rabo, Annika |editor2=Utas, Bo |title=The Role of the State in West Asia|publisher=Swedish Research Institute in Istanbul|year=2005|isbn=91-86884-13-1|page=144}}</ref> | |||
| Following the ] of ] and ], the territories of the ] in the Caucasus were ceded to the ] and the treaties of ] in 1813 and ] in 1828 finalized the borders between Czarist Russia and Qajar Iran.<ref>{{cite book|author=Harcave, Sidney|year=1968|title=Russia: A History: Sixth Edition|publisher=Lippincott|page=267}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Mojtahed-Zadeh, Pirouz|year=2007|title=Boundary Politics and International Boundaries of Iran: A Study of the Origin, Evolution, and Implications of the Boundaries of Modern Iran with Its 15 Neighbors in the Middle East by a Number of Renowned Experts in the Field|publisher=Universal|isbn=1-58112-933-5|page=372}}</ref> The formation of the ] in 1918 established the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Despite living on two sides of an international border, the Azeris form a single ethnic group.<ref name="eb">{{cite web|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/46833/Azerbaijani|title=Azerbaijani (people)|work=Encyclopædia Britannica|accessdate=24 January 2012}}</ref> However, northerners and southerners differ due to nearly two centuries of separate social evolution of ] and Azerbaijanis in Russian/]-influenced Azerbaijan. ] unifies Azeris but centuries of separation have led to significant differences in the grammatical and lexical structures of the language. Additionally, ] and ] are ] to a high enough degree that their speakers can have simple conversation without prior knowledge of the other, which prompted some Turkic linguists to classify their relationship as a ] ].<ref name=nichol>{{cite book |title=Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia |editor=Curtis, Glenn E. |author=Nichol, James|contribution=Azerbaijan |year=1995 |publisher=Federal Research Division, Library of Congress|location= |isbn=0-8444-0848-4|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=B2W1YOG3N10C&pg=PA105 }}</ref> | |||
| ==Etymology of Azerbaijan== | |||
| Azerbaijan is believed to be named after '']'', a ]<ref>{{cite book|author=Minahan, James|year=2000|title=Miniature Empires: A Historical Dictionary of the Newly Independent States|publisher=Greenwood|isbn=0-313-30610-9|page=20}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.livius.org/as-at/atropates/atropates.htm|author=Lendering, Jona|title=Atropates (Biography)|publisher=Livius.org|accessdate=27 January 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Chamoux, Francois|year=2003|title=Hellenistic Civilization|publisher=Blackwell Publishing|isbn=0-631-22241-3|page=26}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author1=Bosworth, A. B. |author2=Baynham, E. J. |year=2002|title=Alexander the Great in Fact and Fiction|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=0-19-815287-6|page=92}}</ref> ] (governor) who ruled in '']'' (modern ]) circa 321 ]<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/?id=MybbePBf9YcC&dq=azeri&printsec=frontcover#PPA7,M1 |author=Atabaki, Touraj|year=2000|title=Azerbaijan: Ethnicity and the Struggle for Power in Iran|publisher=I. B. Tauris|isbn=1-86064-554-2|page=7}}</ref><ref name=altstadt>{{cite book|author=Altstadt, Audrey L.|year=1992|title=The Azerbaijani Turks: Power and Identity under Russian Rule|publisher=Hoover Institution Press|isbn=0-8179-9182-4}}</ref>{{rp|2}} The name ''Atropates'' is the Hellenistic form of ''Aturpat'' which means 'guardian of fire'; itself a compound of ''ātūr'' (]) 'fire' (later garbled into ''ādur'' and then into ''āðar'' (آذر) in ], and is pronounced ''āzar'' today)<ref name="Pahlavi Dictionary">MacKenzie, D. (1971). A concise Pahlavi dictionary (p. 5, 8, 18). London: Oxford university press.</ref> + ''-pat'' (]) suffix for -guardian, -lord, -master<ref name="Pahlavi Dictionary"/> (''-pat'' in early ], ''-bad'' (بَد) in New Persian). Present-day name ''Azerbaijan'' is the Arabicized form of ''Azarbaigān''. The latter is derived from ''Ādurbādagān'', itself ultimately from ''Āturpātakān''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/azerbaijan-iii |title=Azerbaijan, Pre-Islamic History |last=Schippmann |first=K. |date=15 December 1987 |website=Encyclopædia Iranica |access-date=26 December 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=Azerbaijan&allowed_in_frame=0 |title=Azerbaijan |website=Online Etymology Dictionary |access-date=26 December 2015}}</ref> meaning 'the land associated with (satrap) Aturpat' (''-an'', here garbled into ''-kān'' , is a suffix for association or forming adverbs and plurals;<ref name="Pahlavi Dictionary"/> e.g.: ] 'land associated with ]').<ref>Aliyev, Igrar. (1958). History of Atropatene (تاريخ آتورپاتكان) (p. 93).</ref> | |||
| ==Ethnonym== | |||
| {{further|Caucasian Tatars}} | |||
| ]. ] (also known as Iranian Azerbaijan) is believed to be named after him.]] | |||
| The modern ethnonym "Azerbaijani" or "Azeri" refers to the Turkic peoples of Iranian Azerbaijan and Republic of Azerbaijan. They historically called themselves or were referred to by others as Muslims, Turks, Turkmens,<ref>Баку, губернский город // Энциклопедический словарь Брокгауза и Ефрона: В 86 томах (82 т. и 4 доп.). — СПб., 1890—1907.</ref> Persians, or ]s (by Kurds)<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/?id=fsJ8FMY_XjgC&pg=PA214&dq=ajam+azeris|author1=Kemp, Geoffrey |author2=Stein, Janice Gross |year=1995|title=Powder Keg in the Middle East|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=0-8476-8075-4|page=214}}</ref> – that is to say that religious identification prevailed over ethnic identification. When the Southern Caucasus became part of the ] in the nineteenth century, the Russian authorities, who traditionally referred to all Turkic people as ]s, defined Tatars living in the Transcaucasus region as Caucasian or Aderbeijanskie (Адербейджанские) Tatars in order to distinguish them from other Turkic groups.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.demoscope.ru/weekly/2005/0187/perep04.php |year=2005 |publisher=Demoscope Weekly |script-title=ru:Алфавитный список народов, обитающих в Российской Империи |language=Russian |accessdate=29 January 2012 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120205042823/http://www.demoscope.ru/weekly/2005/0187/perep04.php |archivedate=5 February 2012 |df=dmy }}</ref> The Russian ], written in the 1890s, also referred to Tatars in Azerbaijan as Aderbeijans (адербейджаны),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gatchina3000.ru/brockhaus-and-efron-encyclopedic-dictionary/103/103729.htm|work=Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary|script-title=ru:Тюрки|language=Russian|date=1890–1907|accessdate=29 January 2012}}</ref> but noted that the term had not been widely adopted.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://gatchina3000.ru/brockhaus-and-efron-encyclopedic-dictionary/103/103731.htm|work=Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary|script-title=ru:Тюрко-татары|language=Russian|date=1890–1907|accessdate=29 January 2012}}</ref> This ethnonym was also used by ]: | |||
| {{quote| grouping coincide with the somatological grouping: thus the Aderbeijani of the Caucasus and Persia, who speak a Turkic language, have the same physical type as the ], who speak an Iranian tongue.<ref>{{cite book |last=Deniker |first=Joseph |date=1900 |title=Races et peuples de la terre |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rbqRt-A13P8C&pg=PA349#v=onepage&q&f=false |language=French |location= Paris, France |publisher=Schleicher frères |page=349 |quote=''Ce groupement ne coïncide pas non plus avec le groupement somatologique : ainsi, les Aderbaïdjani du Caucase et de la Perse, parlant une langue turque, ont le mème type physique que les Persans-Hadjemi, parlant une langue iranienne.''}}</ref>}} | |||
| In Azerbaijani language publications, the expression "Azerbaijani nation" referring to those who were known as Tatars of the Caucasus first appeared in the newspaper ''Kashkul'' in 1880.<ref>{{cite book|author=Mostashari, Firouzeh|year=2006|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RBNDaEFGJrsC|title=On the Religious Frontier: Tsarist Russia and Islam in the Caucasus|publisher=I. B. Tauris|isbn=1-85043-771-8|page=129}}</ref> | |||
| ==History of Azerbaijan== | |||
| {{Main article|History of Azerbaijan|Azerbaijan_(Iran)#History}} | |||
| Ancient residents of the area spoke the ], which belonged to the ] branch of the ].<ref name="yarshater">{{cite web|url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/azerbaijan-vii |author=Yarshater, E|date=18 August 2011|title=The Iranian Language of Azerbaijan|publisher=Encyclopædia Iranica|accessdate=25 January 2012}}</ref> In the 11th century AD with Seljukid conquests, ] ] tribes started moving across the Iranian plateau into the Caucasus and Anatolia. The influx of the Oghuz and other Turkmen tribes was further accentuated by the Mongol invasion.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/arran-a-region|author=Bosworth, C. E.|date=12 August 2011|title=Arran|publisher=Encyclopædia Iranica|accessdate=25 January 2012}}</ref> Here, the Oghuz tribes divided into various smaller groups, some of whom – mostly ] – moved to ] (i.e., the later ]) and became settled, while others remained in the Caucasus region and later – due to the influence of the ] – eventually converted to the ] branch of Islam. The latter were to keep the name "Turkmen" or "Turcoman" for a long time: from the 13th century onwards they gradually ] the Iranian-speaking populations of ] (historic Azerbaijan, also known as Iranian Azerbaijan) and ] (Azerbaijan Republic), thus creating a new identity based on Shia and the use of Oghuz Turkic. Today, this Turkic-speaking population is known as Azerbaijani.<ref name="roy">{{cite book|author=Roy, Olivier|authorlink=Olivier Roy (professor)|year=2007|title=The new Central Asia |url=https://books.google.com/?id=-eMcn6Ik1v0C&pg=PA7#PPA6,M1 |publisher=I.B. Tauris|isbn=978-1-84511-552-4|page=6|quote=The mass of the Oghuz who crossed the Amu Darya towards the west left the Iranian plateaux, which remained Persian, and established themselves more to the west, in Anatolia. Here they divided into Ottomans, who were Sunni and settled, and Turkmens, who were nomads and in part Shiite (or, rather, Alevi). The latter were to keep the name 'Turkmen' for a long time: from the 13th century onwards they 'Turkised' the Iranian populations of Azerbaijan (who spoke west Iranian languages such as Tat, which is still found in residual forms), thus creating a new identity based on Shiism and the use of Turkish. These are the people today known as Azeris.}}</ref> | |||
| ===Ancient period=== | |||
| ] ] tribes are believed to be the earliest inhabitants of the region where the modern-day Republic of Azerbaijan is located.<ref> | |||
| {{cite book|author=Coene, Frederik|year=2010|title=The Caucasus: An Introduction|publisher=Routledge|isbn=0-415-48660-2|page=97}} | |||
| </ref> Early Iranian settlements included the ]ns (Ishkuza Kingdom) in the ninth century BC.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TsoJhzc426cC&pg=PA586&lpg=PA586&dq=Early+Iranian+settlements+included+the+Scythians+in+the+ninth+century+BC&source=#|title=Countries and Territories of the World|publisher=|accessdate=18 March 2015}}</ref> Following the Scythians, the ] came to dominate the area to the south of the ].<ref name="Library of Congress Azerbaijan"> | |||
| {{cite web|url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/aztoc.html|title=Country Study: Azerbaijan|publisher=Federal Research Division Library of Congress|accessdate=28 January 2012}} | |||
| </ref> Ancient Iranian people of the Medes forged a vast empire between 900 and 700 BC, which the ] integrated into their own empire around 550 BC. During this period, ] spread in the ] and in ]. | |||
| ] defeated the Achaemenids in 330 BC, but allowed the Median satrap Atropates to remain in power. Following the decline of the ]s in Persia in 247 BC, an ] exercised control over parts of Caucasian Albania.<ref> | |||
| {{cite web|url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+am0014)|title=Armenia-Ancient Period|publisher=Federal Research Division Library of Congress|accessdate=28 January 2012}} | |||
| </ref> | |||
| Caucasian Albanians established a kingdom in the first century BC and largely remained independent until the ] made their kingdom a ] in 252 AD.<ref name="dictionary">{{cite book|author1=Swietochowski, Tadeusz |author2=Collins, Brian C. |year=1999|title=Historical dictionary of Azerbaijan|location=Lanham, Maryland|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=0-8108-3550-9|quote=15 million (1999)}}</ref>{{rp|38}} | |||
| Caucasian Albania's ruler, King ], went to Armenia and then officially adopted ] as the state religion in the fourth century AD, and Albania remained a Christian state until the 8th century.<ref> | |||
| {{cite web|url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/albania-iranian-aran-arm|author=Chaumont, M. L.|date=29 July 2011|title=Albania|publisher=Encyclopædia Iranica|accessdate=28 January 2012}} | |||
| </ref><ref> | |||
| {{cite journal|url=http://www.azer.com/aiweb/categories/magazine/ai102_folder/102_photos/102_heyerdahl_alexidze.html|author=Alexidze, Zaza|date=Summer 2002|title=Voices of the Ancients: Heyerdahl Intrigued by Rare Caucasus Albanian Text|work=Azerbaijan International|volume=10.2|pages=26–27|accessdate=25 January 2012}} | |||
| </ref> Sassanid control ended with their defeat by Muslim ] in 642 AD,<ref> | |||
| {{cite web | |||
| |url=https://www.ucalgary.ca/applied_history/tutor/islam/beginnings/sassanid.html | |||
| |title=Sassanid Empire | |||
| |work=The Islamic World to 1600 | |||
| |publisher=University of Calgary | |||
| |year=1998 | |||
| |accessdate=3 February 2012 | |||
| |deadurl=yes | |||
| |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120213113547/http://www.ucalgary.ca/applied_history/tutor/islam/beginnings/sassanid.html | |||
| |archivedate=13 February 2012 | |||
| |df=dmy | |||
| }}</ref> through the ]. | |||
| ===Medieval period=== | |||
| Muslim Arabs defeated the Sassanids and ] as they marched into the Caucasus region. The Arabs made Caucasian Albania a vassal state after the Christian resistance, led by Prince ], surrendered in 667.<ref name="dictionary"/>{{rp|71}} Between the ninth and tenth centuries, Arab authors began to refer to the region between the ] and ] rivers as '']''.<ref name="dictionary"/>{{rp|20}} During this time, Arabs from ] and ] came to Azerbaijan and seized lands that indigenous peoples had abandoned; the Arabs became a land-owning elite.<ref name="lapidus">{{cite book|author=Lapidus, Ira|year=1988|title=A History of Islamic Societies|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=0-521-77933-2}}</ref>{{rp|48}} Conversion to Islam was slow as local resistance persisted for centuries and resentment grew as small groups of Arabs began migrating to cities such as ] and ]. This influx sparked a major rebellion in ] from 816–837, led by a local ] commoner named ].<ref>{{cite book|author=Kennedy, Hugh|authorlink=Hugh N. Kennedy|year=1992|title=The Prophet and the Age of the Caliphates|publisher=Longman|isbn=0-582-40525-4|page=166}}</ref> However, despite pockets of continued resistance, the majority of the inhabitants of Azerbaijan converted to Islam. Later, in the 10th and 11th centuries, parts of Azerbaijan were ruled by the ] dynasties of ] and ]. | |||
| In the middle of the eleventh century, the ] dynasty overthrew Arab rule and established an empire that encompassed most of ]. The Seljuk period marked the influx of ] nomads into the region, who are considered to be the founding stock of modern Azeri people. | |||
| The emerging Turkic identity was chronicled in epic poems or ''dastans'', the oldest being the '']'', which relate ] tales about the early Turks in the Caucasus and ].<ref name="dictionary"/>{{rp|45}} Turkic dominion was interrupted by the ] in 1227, but it returned with the ] and then ] ] (Black Sheep Turkmen) and ] (White Sheep Turkmen), who dominated Azerbaijan, large parts of Iran, eastern Anatolia, and other minor parts of West Asia, until the ] ] took power in 1501.<ref name="dictionary"/>{{rp|113}}<ref name="lapidus"/>{{rp|285}} | |||
| ===Early modern period=== | |||
| {{See also|Treaty of Gulistan|Treaty of Turkmenchay}} | |||
| ] | |||
| The ], who rose from around ] in Iranian Azerbaijan and lasted until 1722, established the foundations of the modern Iranian state.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ucalgary.ca/applied_history/tutor/islam/empires/safavid/ |title=The Safavid Empire |publisher=University of Calgary |accessdate=8 June 2006 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060427202257/http://www.ucalgary.ca/applied_history/tutor/islam/empires/safavid/ |archivedate=27 April 2006 |deadurl=yes |df=dmy }}</ref> The Safavids, alongside their ] archrivals, dominated the entire West Asian region and beyond for centuries. At its peak under ], it surpassed its political and ideological archrival the ] in military strength. Noted for achievements in state building, architecture, and the sciences, the Safavid state crumbled due to internal decay (mostly royal intrigues), ethnic minority uprisings and external pressures from the ], and the eventually opportunistic ], who would mark the end of the dynasty. The Safavids encouraged and spread Shi'a Islam, as well as the arts and culture, and Shah ] created an intellectual atmosphere that according to some scholars was a new "golden age".<ref name="Sammis">{{cite book|author=Sammis, Kathy|year=2002|title=Focus on World History: The First Global Age and the Age of Revolution|publisher=J. Weston Walch|isbn=0-8251-4370-5|page=39}}</ref> He reformed the government and the military, and responded to the needs of the common people.<ref name="Sammis"/> | |||
| After the Safavid state disintegrated, it was followed by the conquest by ], a Shia chieftain from ] who reduced the power of the ghulat Shi'a and empowered a moderate form of shi'ism,<ref name="lapidus"/>{{rp|300}} and, exceptionally noted for his military genius, making Iran reach its greatest extent since the ]. The brief reign of ] came next, followed by the ], who ruled what is the present-day Azerbaijan Republic and Iran from 1779.<ref name="dictionary"/>{{rp|106}} Russia loomed as a threat to Persian and Turkish holdings in the Caucasus in this period. The ], despite already having had minor military conflicts in the 17th century, officially began in the eighteenth century and ended in the early nineteenth century with the ] of 1813 and the ] in 1828, which ceded the Caucasian portion of Qajar Iran to the ].<ref name="altstadt"/>{{rp|17}} While Azerbaijanis in Iran integrated into Iranian society, Azerbaijanis who used to live in Aran, were incorporated into the Russian Empire. | |||
| ===Modern period in Azerbaijan=== | |||
| ] presented by the Azerbaijani delegation ] in 1919.|211x211px]] | |||
| [[File:Flag of the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan (1918).svg|thumb|First flag of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (till November 9, 1918)<ref>Азербайджанская Демократическая Республика (1918―1920). Законодательные акты. (Сборник документов). — Баку, 1998, С.188 | |||
| </ref>|209x209px]] | |||
| ] in 1918|231x231px]] | |||
| After the collapse of the Russian Empire during ], the short-lived ] was declared, constituting what are the present-day republics of Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Armenia. This was followed by ] massacres<ref name="Swietochowski Borderland">Russia and a Divided Azerbaijan: A Borderland in Transition, by Tadeusz Świętochowski, Columbia University Press, 1995, p. 66</ref><ref name="smithmusavat">{{cite journal |last1=Smith |first1=Michael |date=April 2001 |title=Anatomy of Rumor: Murder Scandal, the Musavat Party and Narrative of the Russian Revolution in Baku, 1917-1920 |journal=Journal of Contemporary History |publisher= |volume=36 |issue=2 |page=228 |url= |doi= |quote=''The results of the March events were immediate and total for the Musavat. Several hundreds of its members were killed in the fighting; up to 12,000 Muslim civilians perished; thousands of others fled Baku in a mass exodus''}}</ref><ref name="minahan">{{cite book |title=Miniature Empires: A Historical Dictionary of the Newly Independent States |last=Minahan |first=James B. |publisher= |location= |isbn=0-313-30610-9 |page=22 |pages= |url= |accessdate= |quote=''The tensions and fighting between the Azeris and the Armenians in the federation culminated in the massacre of some 12,000 Azeris in Baku by radical Armenians and Bolshevik troops in March 1918''}}</ref> that took place between March 30 and April 2, 1918 in the city of ] and adjacent areas of the ] of the ].<ref name="Smith">{{cite web |url=http://old.sakharov-center.ru/publications/azrus/az_004.htm |title=Pamiat' ob utratakh i Azerbaidzhanskoe obshchestvo/Traumatic Loss and Azerbaijani. National Memory |author=Michael Smith |work=Azerbaidzhan i Rossiia: obshchestva i gosudarstva (Azerbaijan and Russia: Societies and States) |publisher=Sakharov Center |accessdate=21 August 2011|language=ru}}</ref> When the republic dissolved in May 1918, the leading ] adopted the name "Azerbaijan" for the newly established ], which was proclaimed on May 27, 1918,<ref>{{cite book |first=Touraj |last=Atabaki |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M3adD9kNH1gC&pg=PA132 |title=Iran and the First World War: Battleground of the Great Powers' |publisher=I.B.Tauris |year=2006 |isbn=978-1860649646 |page=132}}</ref> for political reasons,<ref>{{cite book|last1=Yilmaz|first1=Harun|title=National Identities in Soviet Historiography: The Rise of Nations Under Stalin|date=2015|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-1317596646|page=21|quote=On May 27, the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan (DRA) was declared with Ottoman military support. The rulers of the DRA refused to identify themselves as Tatar, which they rightfully considered to be a Russian colonial definition. (...) Neighboring Iran did not welcome did not welcome the DRA's adoptation of the name of "Azerbaijan" for the country because it could also refer to Iranian Azerbaijan and implied a territorial claim.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Barthold|first1=Vasily|title=Sochineniya, vol II/1|date=1963|location=Moscow|page=706|accessdate=|quote="(...) whenever it is necessary to choose a name that will encompass all regions of the republic of Azerbaijan, name ] can be chosen. But the term Azerbaijan was chosen because when the Azerbaijan republic was created, it was assumed that this and the ] will be one entity, because the population of both has a big similarity. On this basis, the word Azerbaijan was chosen. Of course right now when the word Azerbaijan is used, it has two meanings as Persian Azerbaijan and as a republic, its confusing and a question rises as to which Azerbaijan is talked about."}}</ref> even though the name of "Azerbaijan" had always been used to refer to the ].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Atabaki|first1=Touraj|title=Azerbaijan: Ethnicity and the Struggle for Power in Iran|date=2000|publisher=I.B.Tauris|isbn=9781860645549|page=25}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Dekmejian|first1=R. Hrair|last2=Simonian|first2=Hovann H.|title=Troubled Waters: The Geopolitics of the Caspian Region|date=2003|publisher=I.B. Tauris|isbn=978-1860649226|page=60|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4_jdnke35AgC&dq=azerbaijan+name+used+1918&hl=nl&source=gbs_navlinks_s|quote=Until 1918, when the Musavat regime decided to name the newly independent state Azerbaijan, this designation had been used exclusively to identify the ].}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Rezvani|first1=Babak|title=Ethno-territorial conflict and coexistence in the caucasus, Central Asia and Fereydan: academisch proefschrift|date=2014|publisher=Amsterdam University Press|location=Amsterdam|isbn=978-9048519286|page=356|quote="The region to the north of the river Araxes was not called Azerbaijan prior to 1918, unlike the region in northwestern Iran that has been called since so long ago."}}</ref> The ADR was the first modern ] in the ] and ].<ref name="Swietochowski Borderland"/><ref name="kazemzadeh"/><ref>{{cite book |last=Schulze |first=Reinhard |title=A Modern History of the Islamic World |publisher=I.B. Tauris |year=2000 |isbn=978-1-86064-822-9}}</ref> Among the important accomplishments of the Parliament was the extension of suffrage to women, making Azerbaijan the first Muslim nation to grant women equal political rights with men.<ref name="kazemzadeh"/> Another important accomplishment of ADR was the establishment of ], which was the first modern-type university founded in Muslim East.<ref name="kazemzadeh">{{Cite book| last = Kazemzadeh | first = Firuz |authorlink=Firuz Kazemzadeh | title = The Struggle for Transcaucasia: 1917–1921 | publisher = The New York Philosophical Library | year= 1951 | isbn = 978-0-8305-0076-5 | pages = 124, 222, 229, 269–270 }}</ref> | |||
| By March 1920, it was obvious that Soviet Russia would attack the much-needed Baku. ] said that the invasion was justified as ] could not survive without Baku's ].<ref>{{cite web|last=Горянин |first=Александр |script-title=ru:Очень черное золото |publisher=GlobalRus |date=August 28, 2003 |url=http://www.globalrus.ru/print_this/134413/ |accessdate=August 28, 2003 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20030906163920/http://www.globalrus.ru/print_this/134413/ |archivedate=6 September 2003 |deadurl=no |language=ru |df=dmy }}</ref><ref>{{cite web| last =Горянин | first = Александр | script-title=ru:История города Баку. Часть 3.| publisher = Window2Baku| url = http://www.window2baku.com/001history_3.htm|language=ru}}</ref> Independent Azerbaijan lasted only 23 months until the ] ] invaded it, establishing the ] on April 28, 1920. Although the bulk of the newly formed Azerbaijani army was engaged in putting down an Armenian revolt that had just broken out in ], Azeris did not surrender their brief independence of 1918–20 quickly or easily. As many as 20,000 Azerbaijani soldiers died resisting what was effectively a Russian reconquest.<ref>{{cite book |last=Pope|first=Hugh |year=2006|title=Sons of the conquerors: the rise of the Turkic world|page= 116 |edition= |publisher=New York: The Overlook Press |isbn=978-1-58567-804-4}}</ref> | |||
| The brief independence gained by the short-lived Azerbaijan Democratic Republic in 1918–1920 was followed by over 70 years of ].<ref name=nichol/>{{rp|91}} After the restoration of independence in October 1991, the Republic of Azerbaijan became embroiled in a war with neighboring Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.<ref name=nichol/>{{rp|97}} | |||
| ===Modern period in Iran=== | |||
| ], ] of the ], was a short-lived government in ] region from November 1945 to November 1946.|171x171px]] | |||
| In Iran, Azerbaijanis such as ] sought constitutional reform.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/sattar-khan-one-of-the-most-popular-heroes-from-tabriz-who-defended-the-town-during-the-lesser-autocracy-in-1908-09|author=Pistor-Hatam, Anja|title=Sattār Khan|publisher=Encyclopædia Iranica|date=20 July 2009|accessdate=6 February 2012}}</ref> The ] of 1906–11 shook the Qajar dynasty. A parliament (''Majlis'') was founded on the efforts of the constitutionalists, and pro-democracy newspapers appeared. The last Shah of the Qajar dynasty was soon removed in a military coup led by ]. In the quest to impose national homogeneity on a country where half of the population were ethnic minorities, Reza Shah banned in quick succession the use of the Azerbaijani language in schools, theatrical performances, religious ceremonies, and books.<ref>{{cite book|author=Swietochowski, Tadeusz|year=1995|title=Russia and Azerbaijan: A Borderland in Transition|publisher=Columbia University Press|isbn=0-231-07068-3}}</ref> | |||
| ] (1868–1914) was a major ] figure in the late ] period in Iran.|247x247px]] | |||
| Upon the dethronement of Reza Shah in September 1941, Soviet forces ] of ] and helped to set up the ], a ] under the leadership of ] backed by ]. The Soviet military presence in Iranian Azerbaijan was mainly aimed at securing the ] supply route during ]. Concerned with the continued Soviet presence after ], the United States and Britain pressured the Soviets to withdraw by ]. Immediately thereafter, the Iranian government regained control of ]. | |||
| According to Professor Gary R. Hess: | |||
| {{quote|On December 11, an Iranian force entered Tabriz and the Peeshavari government quickly collapsed. Indeed the Iranians were enthusiastically welcomed by the people of Azerbaijan, who strongly preferred domination by Tehran rather than Moscow. The Soviet willingness to forego its influence in (Iranian) Azerbaijan probably resulted from several factors, including the realization that the sentiment for autonomy had been exaggerated and that oil concessions remained the more desirable long-term Soviet Objective.<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.azargoshnasp.net/recent_history/atoor/theiraniancriris194546.pdf|title=The Iranian Crisis of 1945–46 and the Cold War|author=Hess, Gary. R.|journal=Political Science Quarterly|volume=89|issue=1|date=March 1974|format=PDF|accessdate=28 January 2012}}</ref>}} | |||
| ==Origins of the Azerbaijani people== | |||
| {{Main article|Origin of the Azerbaijanis}} | |||
| In many references, Azerbaijanis are designated as a ], due to their ].<ref name="golden">{{cite book|author=Golden, Peter B.|year=1992|title=An Introduction to the History of the Turkic Peoples|publisher=Otto Harrasowitz|isbn=3-447-03274-X|pages=385–386}}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title=Turkic Peoples|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Americana| volume=27|page=276|publisher=Grolier|year=1998|isbn=0-7172-0130-9}}</ref> Modern-day Azerbaijanis are believed to be primarily the descendants of the ]n<ref>{{cite book|author=Kobishchanov, Yuri M.|year=1979|url=https://books.google.com/?id=K4RyAAAAMAAJ&q=azerbaidjanians&dq=azerbaidjanians|title=Axum|publisher=Pennsylvania State University Press|isbn=0-271-00531-9|page=89}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|authorlink=Ronald Grigor Suny|author=Suny, Ronald G.|date=July–August 1988|title=What Happened in Soviet Armenia?|journal=Middle East Report|issue=153, Islam and the State|pages=37–40}}</ref> and ] who lived in the areas of the Caucasus and northern Iran, respectively, prior to ]. Historian ] writes that largely Iranian and Caucasian populations became Turkic-speaking: | |||
| {{quote|In the beginning of the 11th century the Ghuzz hordes, first in smaller parties, and then in considerable 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-Turkic origin of the Turkicised population.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|author=Minorsky, V.|title=Azarbaijan|encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia of Islam|editor1=Bearman, P. |editor2=Bianquis, Th. |editor3=Bosworth, C. E. |editor4=van Donzel, E. |editor5=Heinrichs, W. P. |publisher=Brill|edition=2nd}}</ref>}} | |||
| Thus, centuries of Turkic migration and Turkification of the region helped to formulate the contemporary Azerbaijani ethnic identity. | |||
| ===Turkification=== | |||
| {{main article|Turkification}} | |||
| ] by ] (1914). Fuzûlî is considered one of the greatest ].<ref> in Encyclopædia Britannica</ref>]] | |||
| The earliest major Turkic incursion of the area now known as Azerbaijan began and accelerated during the ] period.<ref name="golden"/> The migration of ] from present-day Turkmenistan, which is attested by linguistic similarity, remained high through the Mongol period, as many troops under the ]s were Turkic. By the ] period, the Turkification of Azerbaijan continued with the influence of the ], a Turkic army that was the backbone of Safavid Empire. The very name Azerbaijan is derived from the pre-Turkic name of the province, Azarbayjan or Adarbayjan, and illustrates a gradual language shift that took place as local place names survived Turkification, albeit in altered form.<ref name="yarshater"/> | |||
| Most academics view the linguistic Turkification of predominantly non-Turkic-speaking indigenous peoples and assimilation of small bands of Turkic tribes as the most likely origin for the people of Azerbaijan.<ref name="altstadt"/>{{rp|6–7}} | |||
| ===Iranian origin=== | |||
| {{Main article|Iranian peoples|Persian peoples|Tat people (Iran)|Tat people (Caucasus)}} | |||
| The Iranian origins of the Azerbaijanis likely derive from ancient Iranian tribes, such as the ] in Iranian Azerbaijan, and ] invaders who arrived during the eighth century BC. It is believed that the Medes mixed with ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/mannea|author=Zadok, Ran|title=Mannea|publisher=Encyclopædia Iranica|date=15 August 2006|accessdate=29 January 2012}}</ref> Ancient written accounts, such as one written by Arab historian ], attest to an Iranian presence in the region: | |||
| {{cquote|The ] are a people whose borders are the ] Mountains and ] up to ] and ], and ] and ], and ] and ] and ] and ] and Abarshahr, and that is ], and ] and ] and other places in land of ], and ] and ] and ] and ]... All these lands were once one kingdom with one sovereign and one language...although the language differed slightly. The language, however, is one, in that its letters are written the same way and used the same way in composition. There are, then, different languages such as ], ], ], as well as other Persian languages.<ref>{{cite book|author=Al Mas'udi|year=1894|title=Kitab al-Tanbih wa-l-Ishraf|editor=De Goeje, M.J.|publisher=Brill|pages=77–78|language=Arabic}} Arabic text: "قد قدمنا فيما سلف من كتبنا ما قاله الناس في بدء النسل، وتفرقهم على وجه الأرض، وما ذهب إليه كل فريق منهم في ذلك من الشرعيين وغيرهم ممن قال بحدوث العالم وأبى الانقياد إلى الشرائع من البراهمة وغيرهم، وما قاله أصحاب القدم في ذلك من الهند والفلاسفة وأصحاب الاثنين من المانوية وغيرهم على تباينهم في ذلك، فلنذكر الآن الأمم السبع ذهب من عني بأخبار سوالف الأمم ومساكنهم إلى أن أجل الأمم وعظماءهم كانوا في سوالف الدهر سبعاً يتميزون بثلاثة أشياء: بشيمهم الطبيعية، وخلقهم الطبيعية، وألسنتهم فالفرس أمة حد بلادها الجبال من الماهات وغيرها وآذربيجان إلى ما يلي بلاد أرمينية وأران والبيلقان إلى دربند وهو الباب والأبواب والري وطبرستن والمسقط والشابران وجرجان وابرشهر، وهي نيسابور، وهراة ومرو وغير ذلك من بلاد خراسان وسجستان وكرمان وفارس والأهواز، وما اتصل بذلك من أرض الأعاجم في هذا الوقت وكل هذه البلاد كانت مملكة واحدة ملكها ملك واحد ولسانها واحد، إلا أنهم كانوا يتباينون في شيء يسير من اللغات."</ref>}} | |||
| Archaeological evidence indicates that the Iranian religion of ] was prominent throughout the Caucasus before Christianity and Islam.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iras.ucalgary.ca/~volk/sylvia/FireTemple.htm |title=Various Zoroastrian Fire-Temples |publisher=University of Calgary |date=1 February 2000 |accessdate=8 June 2006 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060430091558/http://www.iras.ucalgary.ca/~volk/sylvia/FireTemple.htm |archivedate=30 April 2006 |deadurl=yes |df=dmy }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4ZLxt6LsgKUC&pg=PA26&dq=Zoroastrianism+in+Azerbaijan&hl=en&sa=X&ei=hXf3Uau1BIbd4QSN8YHoDA&ved=0CE0Q6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=Zoroastrianism%20in%20Azerbaijan&f=false|title=Ethnicity, Nationalism and Conflict in the South Caucasus|publisher=|accessdate=18 March 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=B2W1YOG3N10C&pg=PA106&dq=Azerbaijani+Zoroastrians&hl=en&sa=X&ei=NH73UbjbOsO64ASMuoG4BQ&ved=0CDAQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=Azerbaijani%20Zoroastrians&f=false|title=Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia|publisher=|accessdate=18 March 2015}}</ref> It has also been hypothesized that the population of Iranian Azerbaijan was predominantly Persian-speaking before the ] arrived. This claim is supported by the many figures of ], such as ], ], ], and ], who wrote in Persian prior to and during the Oghuz migration, and ] anthology, as well as by ], Al-Istakhri, and Al-Masudi, who all describe the language of the region as ]. The claim is mentioned by other medieval historians, such as ].<ref name="yarshater"/> | |||
| ] says "The Turkish speakers of Azerbaijan (q.v.) are mainly descended from the earlier Iranian speakers".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/iran-v1-peoples-survey |title=Peoples of Iran|author=Frye, R. N.|publisher=Encyclopædia Iranica|date=15 December 2004|accessdate=29 January 2012}}</ref> The continued presence of pockets of Iranian speakers; ] and ] are present in Azerbaijan. | |||
| ===Caucasian origin=== | |||
| ] in silk national garments.|269x269px]]{{Main article|Peoples of the Caucasus}} | |||
| According to Encyclopædia Britannica: | |||
| {{quote|The Azerbaijani are of mixed ethnic origin, the oldest element deriving from the indigenous population of eastern Transcaucasia and possibly from the Medians of northern Persia.<ref name="eb"/>}}There is evidence that, despite repeated invasions and migrations, aboriginal ]s may have been culturally assimilated, first by ] and later by the Oghuz. Considerable information has been learned about the Caucasian Albanians including their language, history, early conversion to ]. The ], still spoken in Azerbaijan, may be a remnant of the Albanians' language.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lrz.de/~wschulze/Udigen1.htm |title=The Udi Language |publisher=University of Munich |author=Schulze, Wolfgang |date=2001–2002 |accessdate=29 January 2012 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120205043611/http://www.lrz.de/~wschulze/Udigen1.htm |archivedate=5 February 2012 |df=dmy }}</ref> | |||
| This Caucasian influence extended further south into Iranian Azerbaijan. During the 1st millennium BC, another Caucasian people, the ] (''Mannai'') populated much of Iranian Azerbaijan. Weakened by conflicts with the ], the Mannaeans are believed to have been conquered and assimilated by the Medes by 590 BC.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/362506/Mannai|title=Mannai|publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica|accessdate=19 June 2006}}</ref> | |||
| ===Genetics=== | |||
| ] | |||
| Genetic studies demonstrate that northern Azerbaijanis are more closely related to other Caucasian people like ] and ] than they are to Iranians or Turks.<ref name="nasidze">{{cite journal|url=http://www.eva.mpg.de/genetics/pdf/Y-paper.pdf |author1=Nasidze, Ivan |author2=Sarkisian, Tamara |author3=Kerimov, Azer |author4=Stoneking, Mark |year=2003 |title=Testing hypotheses of language replacement in the Caucasus |format=PDF |journal=Human Genetics |volume=112 |pages=255–261 |doi=10.1007/s00439-002-0874-4 |pmid=12596050 |issue=3 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070315195125/http://www.eva.mpg.de/genetics/pdf/Y-paper.pdf |archivedate=15 March 2007 |df=dmy }}</ref> Iranian Azerbaijanis are genetically more similar to northern Azerbaijanis and the neighboring Turkic population than they are to geographically distant Turkmen populations.<ref name="andonian">{{cite journal|author=Andonian l. |year=2011 |title=Iranian Azeri's Y-Chromosomal Diversity in the Context of Turkish-Speaking Populations of the Middle East |journal=Iranian J Publ Health |volume=40 |issue=1 |pages=119–123 |url=http://www.ijph.ir/pdfs/17.%20Dr_Laris_1st_edit_Re_3_.pdf |format=PDF |display-authors=etal |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20111127222342/http://www.ijph.ir/pdfs/17.%20Dr_Laris_1st_edit_Re_3_.pdf |archivedate=27 November 2011 |df=dmy }}</ref> However, it is also significant that the evidence of genetic admixture derived from Central Asians (specifically ]), notably the ], is higher for Azerbaijanis than that of their Georgian and Armenian neighbors.<ref name="Human Genes 2002"> — American Journal of Human Genetics, 71:466-482, 2002 (retrieved 9 June 2006)</ref> Iranian-speaking populations from Azerbaijan (the ] and ]) are genetically closer to Azerbaijanis of the Republic than to other Iranian-speaking populations (] and ] from Iran, ], and ]).<ref>{{cite journal|author=Asadova, P. S.|year=2003|title=Genetic Structure of Iranian-Speaking Populations from Azerbaijan Inferred from the Frequencies of Immunological and Biochemical Gene Markers|journal=Russian Journal of Genetics|volume=39|issue=11|pages=1334–1342|doi=10.1023/B:RUGE.0000004149.62114.92|display-authors=etal}}</ref> Such genetic evidence supports the view that the Azerbaijanis originate from a native population long resident in the area who adopted a Turkic language through a process of "elite dominance", i.e. a limited number of Turkic immigrants had a substantial cultural impact but left only weak patrilineal genetic traces.<ref name="yepiskoposian"/><ref name="nasidze"/><ref name="andonian"/> | |||
| The MtDNA subclade U7a4 peaks among the modern inhabitants of Azerbaijan (26%) and Azerbaijani inhabitants of northwestern Iran (16-22%), while occurring in the rest of Iran at frequencies from 2-16%. | |||
| ] analysis indicates that Persians, Anatolians and Caucasians are part of a larger West Eurasian group that is secondary to that of the Caucasus.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Quintana-Murci, L.|year=2004|title=Where West Meets East: The Complex mtDNA Landscape of the Southwest and Central Asian Corridor|journal=American Journal of Human Genetics|volume=74|pages=827–845|doi=10.1086/383236|issue=5|pmid=15077202|pmc=1181978|display-authors=etal}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|author1=Nasidze, S |author2=Stoneking, M. |year=2001|title=Mitochondrial DNA variation and language replacements in the Caucasus|journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society B|volume=268|issue=1472|pages=1197–1206|doi=10.1098/rspb.2001.1610|pmid=11375109|pmc=1088727}}</ref> While genetic analysis of mtDNA indicates that Caucasian populations are genetically closer to Europeans than to Near Easterners, Y-chromosome results indicate closer affinity to Near Eastern groups.<ref name="nasidze"/> | |||
| Iranians have a relatively diverse range of Y-chromosome ]s. A population from central Iran (]) shows closer similarity in terms of haplogroup distributions to Caucasians and Azerbaijanis than to populations from southern or northern Iran.<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.yhrd.org/files/b465c9a4e956626445689b1dd11409ef27e60d0f.regueiro2006.pdf |format=PDF |author=Regueiro, M. |year=2006 |title=Iran: Tricontinental Nexus for Y-Chromosome Driven Migration |journal=Human Heredity |volume=61 |pages=132–143 |doi=10.1159/000093774 |issue=3 |pmid=16770078 |display-authors=etal |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727044611/http://www.yhrd.org/files/b465c9a4e956626445689b1dd11409ef27e60d0f.regueiro2006.pdf |archivedate=27 July 2011 }}</ref> The range of haplogroups across the region may reflect historical genetic admixture,<ref>{{cite journal|author=Zerjal, T.|year=2002|title=A Genetic Landscape Reshaped by Recent Events: Y-Chromosomal Insights into Central Asia|journal=American Journal of Human Genetics|volume=71|pages=466–482|doi=10.1086/342096|issue=3|pmid=12145751|pmc=419996|display-authors=etal}}</ref> perhaps as a result of invasive male migrations.<ref name="nasidze"/> | |||
| The latest comparative study (2013) on the complete mitochondrial DNA diversity in Iranians has indicated that Iranian Azeris are more related to the people of ], than they are to other ], as well as to ]. However the same ] plot shows that Azeris from the Caucasus, despite their supposed common origin with Iranian Azeris, cluster closer with other Iranians (e.g. ], etc.) than they do with Iranian Azeris.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Derenko | first1 = M. | last2 = Malyarchuk | first2 = B. | last3 = Bahmanimehr | first3 = A. | last4 = Denisova | first4 = G. | last5 = Perkova | first5 = M. | last6 = Farjadian | first6 = S. | last7 = Yepiskoposyan | first7 = L. | year = 2013 | title = Complete Mitochondrial DNA Diversity in Iranians | url = http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0080673 | journal = PLOS ONE | volume = 8 | issue = 11| page = e80673 | doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0080673 | pmid=24244704 | pmc=3828245}}</ref> | |||
| ==Demographics and society== | |||
| {{See also|Azerbaijani population|Demographics of Azerbaijan|Demographics of Iran}} | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| The vast majority of Azerbaijanis live in the Republic of Azerbaijan and ]. Between 11.2 and 20 million Azerbaijanis live in Iran, mainly in the northwestern provinces. Approximately 8 million Azerbaijanis are found in the Republic of Azerbaijan. A diaspora of over a million is spread throughout the rest of the world. According to ], there are over 1 million speakers of the northern Azerbaijani dialect in southern ], Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=azj|title=Azerbaijani, North|author=Lewis, M. Paul|year=2009|work=Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Sixteenth edition|publisher=SIL International|accessdate=29 January 2012}}</ref> No Azerbaijanis were recorded in the 2001 census in Armenia,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://docs.armstat.am/census/pdfs/51.pdf|title=Table 5.1 De Jure Population (Urban, Rural) by Age and Ethnicity|work=Census 2001|publisher=National Statistical Service of the Republic of Armenia|accessdate=29 January 2012}}</ref> where the ] resulted in population shifts. Other sources, such as national censuses, confirm the presence of Azerbaijanis throughout the other states of the former ]. Ethnologue reports that 1 million South Azerbaijanis live outside Iran, but these figures include ], a distinct though related Turkic people.<ref name="ethnologue">{{cite web|url=http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=azb|title=Azerbaijani, South|author=Lewis, M. Paul|year=2009|work=Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Sixteenth edition.|publisher=SIL International|accessdate=29 January 2012}}</ref> | |||
| ===In Azerbaijan=== | |||
| Azerbaijanis are by far the largest ethnic group in Azerbaijan (over 90%), holding the second-largest community of ethnic Azerbaijanis after neighbouring Iran. The literacy rate is very high, and is estimated at 99.5%.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/countries/profiles/AZE.html |title=Azerbaijan |work=International Human Development Indicators |publisher=United Nations |accessdate=29 January 2012 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120121093046/http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/countries/profiles/AZE.html |archivedate=21 January 2012 |df= }}</ref> Azerbaijan began the twentieth century with institutions based upon those of Russia and the Soviet Union, with an official policy of atheism and strict state control over most aspects of society. Since independence, there is a secular democratic system. | |||
| Azerbaijani society has been deeply impacted by the war with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh, which has displaced nearly 1 million Azerbaijanis and put strain on the economy.{{citation needed|date=September 2012}} Azerbaijan has benefited from the oil industry, but high levels of corruption have prevented greater prosperity for the masses.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bicusa.org/bicusa/issues/BTC_corruption_claim_COIWRP.pdf |format=PDF |title=Report on corruption in Azerbaijan oil industry prepared for EBRD & IFC investigation arms |publisher=The Committee of Oil Industry Workers' Rights Protection |date=October 2003 |accessdate=10 June 2006 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060724165553/http://www.bicusa.org/bicusa/issues/BTC_corruption_claim_COIWRP.pdf |archivedate=24 July 2006 |deadurl=yes |df=dmy }}</ref> Despite these problems, there is a renaissance in Azerbaijan as positive economic predictions and an active political opposition appear determined to improve the lives of average Azerbaijanis.<ref name="Library of Congress Azerbaijan"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/civilsociety/articles/eav032805.shtml|title=Azerbaijan: Opposition Parties Prepare to Vigorously Contest Parliamentary Election|publisher=Eurasia.net|author1=Abbasov, Shahin |author2=Arifoglu, Farid |date=27 March 2005|accessdate=29 January 2012}}</ref> | |||
| ===In Iran=== | |||
| {{Main article|Iranian Azerbaijanis}} | |||
| ]s performance in ]]] | |||
| While population estimates in Azerbaijan are considered reliable due to regular censuses, the figures for Iran remain questionable. Since the early twentieth century, successive Iranian governments have avoided publishing statistics on ethnic groups.<ref name="state">{{cite book|editor1=Banuazizi, Ali |editor2=Weiner, Myron |year=1988|title=The State, Religion, and Ethnic Politics: Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan Part II: Iran|publisher=Syracuse University Press|isbn=0-8156-2448-4}}</ref> Unofficial population estimates of Azerbaijanis in Iran range from 16% by the CIA and Library of Congress<ref name="CIA Iran">{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ir.html#People |title=Iran |work=CIA: The World Factbook |publisher=CIA |date=14 November 2011 |accessdate=4 October 2012 |quote=16% of 77,891,220 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120203093100/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ir.html |archivedate=3 February 2012 |df= }}</ref><ref name="Library of Congress Iran">{{cite web |url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/profiles/Iran.pdf |title=Country Profile: Iran|publisher=Federal Research Division Library of Congress |date=May 2008|accessdate=1 September 2012|quote=16% of 70 million }}</ref> up to 40% by Azerbaijani nationalists. An independent poll in 2009 placed the figure at around 20–22%.<ref name="tft"/> Nevertheless, regardless of the highest or lowest estimates or publications, Azerbaijanis in Iran comprise by far the second-largest ethnic group in the nation as well as by far the largest minority ethnic group.<ref name="books.google.nl"/> Furthermore, once again regardless of any estimate or publication, the number of Azerbaijanis in Iran by far outnumber the amount of Azerbaijanis in the neighbouring ] Republic, and comprise the largest number of ethnic Azerbaijanis in the world. | |||
| Azerbaijanis in Iran are mainly found in the northwest provinces: ], ], ], ], parts of ], ], and ].<ref name="Library of Congress Iran"/> Azerbaijani minorities live in the ]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ghorveh.gov.ir/Default.aspx?TabID%3D62 |title=Archived copy |accessdate=2013-08-12 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130808090412/http://ghorveh.gov.ir/Default.aspx?TabID=62 |archivedate=8 August 2013 |df= }}</ref> and ]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.encyclopaediaislamica.com/madkhal2.php?sid=2396 |title=بیجار |publisher= |accessdate=18 March 2015 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131014040836/http://www.encyclopaediaislamica.com/madkhal2.php?sid=2396 |archivedate=14 October 2013 |df= }}</ref> counties of ], in ],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://library.tebyan.net/newindex.aspx?pid=102834&ParentID=0&BookID=97560&MetaDataID=27846&Volume=1&PageIndex=196&PersonalID=0&NavigateMode=CommonLibrary&Content=Tebyan|title=کتابخانه|date=18 March 2015|publisher=|accessdate=18 March 2015}}</ref><ref>Encyclopædia Iranica:</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tatha.fagig.com/tati%20talesh2.htm|title=ی ی /|publisher=|accessdate=18 March 2015|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150320035425/http://www.tatha.fagig.com/tati%20talesh2.htm|archivedate=20 March 2015|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>http://guilan.irib.ir/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=913:-&catid=291:shahr {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203110906/http://guilan.irib.ir/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=913%3A-&catid=291%3Ashahr |date=3 December 2013 }}</ref> as ]s in ] in ], around ] and ] in ],<ref>{{cite book|author1=Keith Brown |author2=Sarah Ogilvie |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F2SRqDzB50wC|title=Concise encyclopedia of languages of the world|publisher=Elsevier|year=2008|accessdate=30 January 2012}}; p. 112-113</ref> and in the town of ] in ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/gonbad-e-qabus|title=GONBAD-E QĀBUS|publisher=|accessdate=18 March 2015}}</ref> Large Azerbaijani populations can also be found in central Iran (] # ]) due to internal migration. Azerbaijanis make up 25%<ref>{{cite web|url=http://looklex.com/e.o/teheran.htm |title=Tehran |publisher=] |date= |accessdate=2013-07-04}}</ref><ref name="The Council of Public Culture">{{cite news|url= |title=The Council of Public Culture |publisher=The Council of Public Culture |date=19 January 2013 |accessdate=13 August 2013}}</ref> of ]'s population and 30.3%<ref>National Bibliography Number: 2887141 / plan review and assess the country's culture indicators (indicators Ghyrsbty) {report}: ] / General Council of the Order of the Executive Director is responsible for planning and policy: Mansoor Vaezi; run company experienced researchers Us - {{ISBN|978-600-6627-42-7}} * Publication Status: Tehran - Institute Press book, published in 1391 * appearance: 296 p: table (the color), diagrams (colored part)</ref> – 33%<ref name="Library of Congress Country Studies">"Chapter ۲ - The Society and Its Environment: People and Languages: Turkic-speaking Groups: Azarbaijanis" in ''A Country Study: Iran'' ] Country Studies, , last accessed 19 November 2008</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0KOSUrLPC6IC&pg=PA152 |title=Country Study Guide-Azerbaijanis |publisher=STRATEGIC INFORMATION AND DEVELOPMENTS-USA |date= |accessdate=13 August 2013}}</ref> of the population of the ], where Azerbaijanis are found in every city.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.refworld.org/docid/469f3a9821.html |title=Assessment for Azerbaijanis in Iran|publisher=] |date=31 December 2003 |accessdate=2013-07-05}}</ref> They are the largest ethnic groups after ] in Tehran and the Tehran Province.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.minorityrights.org/?lid=5096|title=Azeris|publisher=World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous People |date= |accessdate=2013-07-05}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://en.tehran.ir/Default.aspx?tabid=98|title=Tehran, Political situation|publisher=] |date= |accessdate=2013-08-16}}</ref> Many Azerbaijanis have emigrated and resettled in large numbers in ], living beside linguistically related ],<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/azerbaijan-vi |title=AZERBAIJAN vi. Population and its Occupations and Culture |publisher=] |date= August 18, 2011 |accessdate=13 August 2013}}</ref> especially in ].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://khabarfarsi.com/ext/3881782 |title=Mourning Azerbaijanis residing in Mashhad |publisher=] |date= August 18, 2011 |accessdate=23 August 2013}}</ref> | |||
| Generally, Azerbaijanis in Iran were regarded as "a well integrated linguistic minority" by academics prior to ].<ref>{{cite journal|author=Higgins, Patricia J.|year=1984|title=Minority-State Relations in Contemporary Iran|journal=Iranian Studies|volume=17|issue=1|pages=37–71|doi=10.1080/00210868408701621}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Binder, Leonard|year=1962|title=Iran: Political Development in a Changing Society|publisher=University of California Press|pages=160–161|oclc=408909}}</ref> Despite friction, Azerbaijanis in Iran came to be well represented at all levels of "political, military, and intellectual hierarchies, as well as the religious hierarchy".<ref name="state"/> | |||
| Resentment came with Pahlavi policies that suppressed the use of the ] in local government, schools, and the press.<ref>{{cite book|author=Abrahamian, Ervand|year=1982|title=Iran between Two Revolutions|publisher=Princeton University Press|isbn=0-691-10134-5}}</ref> However, with the advent of the ] in 1979, emphasis shifted away from nationalism as the new government highlighted religion as the main unifying factor. Within the Islamic Revolutionary government there emerged an Azerbaijani nationalist faction led by ], who advocated greater regional autonomy and wanted the constitution to be revised to include secularists and opposition parties; this was denied.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Menashri, David|year=1980|title=Shi'ite Leadership: In the Shadow of Conflicting Ideologies|journal=Iranian Studies|volume=13|pages=1–4|doi=10.1080/00210868008701567}}</ref> Islamic ] institutions dominate nearly all aspects of society. The Azerbaijani language and its literature are banned in Iranian schools.<ref name="bbc"/><ref>{{Cite web|title = Iran's Persian Language Academy against teaching of ethnic groups' mother language in country|url = http://en.trend.az/iran/2235038.html|website = Trend|access-date = 2016-02-11|language = en-US}}</ref> There are signs of civil unrest due to the policies of the Iranian government in Iranian Azerbaijan and increased interaction with fellow Azerbaijanis in Azerbaijan and satellite broadcasts from Turkey and other ] have revived Azerbaijani nationalism.<ref>{{cite web|author=Koknar, Ali M.|date=6 June 2006|url=http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/templateC05.php?CID=2476|title=Iranian Azeris: A Giant Minority|publisher=The Washington Institute for Near East Policy|accessdate=1 February 2012}}</ref> In May 2006, Iranian Azerbaijan witnessed riots over publication of a ]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iranian.com/Satire/Cartoon/2006/June/soosks.html |title=Cartoon|publisher=Iranian Archives 1995–2007|date=2 June 2006|accessdate=29 January 2012}}</ref> that many Azerbaijanis found offensive.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F70910FE345A0C7A8EDDAC0894DE404482|author=Fathi, Nazila|date=29 May 2006|title=Ethnic Tensions Over Cartoon Set Off Riots in Northwest Iran|newspaper=The New York Times|accessdate=12 June 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5024550.stm|author=Collin, Matthew|date=28 May 2006|title=Iran Azeris protest over cartoon|publisher=BBC News|accessdate=29 January 2012}}</ref> The cartoon was drawn by ], an ethnic Azerbaijani, who was fired along with his editor as a result of the controversy.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.comicsreporter.com/index.php/cockroach_cartoonist_jailed_in_iran/ |title=Cockroach Cartoonist Jailed In Iran |newspaper=The Comics Reporter |date=24 May 2006 |accessdate=15 June 2006 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060602155849/http://www.comicsreporter.com/index.php/cockroach_cartoonist_jailed_in_iran/ |archivedate=2 June 2006 |deadurl=no |df=dmy }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5008420.stm |title=Iranian paper banned over cartoon |publisher=BBC |date=23 May 2006 |accessdate=15 June 2006 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060625225210/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5008420.stm |archivedate=25 June 2006 |deadurl=no |df=dmy }}</ref> One of the major incidents that happened recently was ] started in November 2015, after children's television programme ''Fitileha a''ired on 6 November on state TV that ridiculed and mocked the accent and language of Azeris and included offensive jokes.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Iran's Azeris protest over offensive TV show - BBC News|url = http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-34770537|website = BBC News|access-date = 2016-02-11|language = en-GB}}</ref> As a result, hundreds of ethnic Azeris have protested a program on state TV that contained what they consider an ethnic slur. Protestors chanted "stop racism against Azeri Turks", "long live Azerbaijan", and "end the Persian racism".<ref>{{Cite web|title = Iran's ethnic Azeris protest slur on TV program|url = http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2015/nov/09/irans-ethnic-azeris-protest-slur-on-tv-program/|website = The San Diego Union-Tribune|access-date = 2016-02-11}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title = Azeris Hold Protests In Iran Over Racial Slur|url = http://www.rferl.org/content/azeris-hold-protest-in-iran-over-racial-slur/27354275.html|newspaper = RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty|date = 2015-11-09|access-date = 2016-02-11|first = Frud|last = Bezhan}}</ref> Demonstrations were held in ], ], ], and ], as well as Tehran and ]. Police in Iran have clashed with protesting people, fired tear gas to disperse crowds, and many demonstrators were arrested. One of the protesters, Ali Akbar Murtaza, reportedly "died of injuries" in Urmia.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Civil protests erupt in Iranian Azerbaijan: EADaily|url = https://en.eadaily.com/news/2015/11/10/civil-protests-erupt-in-iranian-azerbaijan|website = EADaily|access-date = 2016-02-11}}</ref> There were also protests held in front of Iranian embassies in ] and ].<ref>{{Cite web|title = Rage against Iran over ‘inherent racism toward Azeris|url = http://www.dailysabah.com/nation/2015/11/14/rage-against-iran-over-inherent-racism-toward-azeris|website = DailySabah|access-date = 2016-02-11}}</ref> The head of the country's state broadcaster ] Mohammad Sarafraz has apologized for airing the program, whose broadcast was later discontinued.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Iran's ethnic Azeris protest slur on TV program|url = http://www.sltrib.com/home/3156636-155/irans-ethnic-azeris-protest-slur-on|website = The Salt Lake Tribune|access-date = 2016-02-11|language = en-US|first = The Associated|last = Press}}</ref> | |||
| Despite sporadic problems, Azerbaijanis are an intrinsic community within Iran, and living conditions of Azerbaijanis in Iran closely resemble those of ]: | |||
| {{quote|The life styles of urban Azerbaijanis do not differ from those of Persians, and there is considerable intermarriage among the upper classes in cities of mixed populations. Similarly, customs among Azerbaijani villagers do not appear to differ markedly from those of Persian villagers.<ref name="Library of Congress Iran"/>}} | |||
| {{quote|Azeris are famously active in commerce and in bazaars all over Iran their voluble voices can be heard. Older Azeri men wear the traditional wool hat, and their music & dances have become part of the mainstream culture. Azeris are well integrated, and many Azeri-Iranians are prominent in ], politics, and clerical world.<ref>{{cite book|author=Burke, Andrew|year=2004|title=Iran|publisher=Lonely Planet|pages=42–43|isbn=1-74059-425-8}}</ref>}} | |||
| There is significant cross-border trade between Azerbaijan and Iran, and Azerbaijanis from Azerbaijan go into Iran to buy goods that are cheaper, but the relationship was tense until recently.<ref name="bbc">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8515588.stm |title=Azerbaijan-Iran tensions increasing |publisher=BBC News |date=14 February 2010 |accessdate=2010-05-29}}</ref> However, ] have significantly improved since the ] administration took office. | |||
| ===Subgroups=== | |||
| {{See also|Azerbaijani ethnic groups}}There are several Azerbaijani ethnic groups, each of which has particularities in the economy, culture and everyday life. Some Azerbaijani ethnic groups continued in the last quarter of the 19th century. | |||
| Major Azerbaijani ethnic groups: | |||
| * ]<sup>]]</sup> | |||
| * ] <sup>]]]]</sup> | |||
| * ] <sup>]]</sup> | |||
| * ] <sup>]]]]</sup> | |||
| * ] <sup>]]</sup> | |||
| * ] <sup>]]</sup> | |||
| * ] <sup>]]]]</sup> | |||
| * ] <sup>]]]]</sup> | |||
| * ] <sup>]]]]]]]]</sup> | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] <sup>]]</sup> | |||
| * ] | |||
| ===Diaspora=== | |||
| {{See also|Azerbaijani diaspora}} | |||
| ===Women=== | |||
| {{See also|Women in Azerbaijan|Women in Iran}} | |||
| ] | |||
| In Azerbaijan, women were granted the right to vote in 1917.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rochester.edu/SBA/suffragetimeline.html |title=US Suffrage Movement Timeline, 1792 to present |publisher=Susan B. Anthony Center for Women's Leadership |year=2006 |accessdate=1 February 2012 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130723040530/http://www.rochester.edu/SBA/suffragetimeline.html |archivedate=23 July 2013 |df= }}</ref> Women have attained Western-style equality in major cities such as ], although in rural areas more reactionary views remain.<ref name="Library of Congress Azerbaijan"/> Violence against women, including rape, is rarely reported, especially in rural areas, not unlike other parts of the former Soviet Union.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.onlinewomeninpolitics.org/womensit/az-w-sit.pdf |title=Women's rights in Azerbaijan |publisher=OneWomen |accessdate=1 February 2012 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120118153642/http://www.onlinewomeninpolitics.org/womensit/az-w-sit.pdf |archivedate=18 January 2012 |df= }}</ref> In Azerbaijan, the veil was abandoned during the Soviet period.<ref>{{cite book|author=Heyat, Farideh|year=2002|title=Azeri Women in Transition: Women in Soviet and Post-Soviet Azerbaijan|publisher=RoutledgeCurzon|isbn=0-7007-1662-9|pages=80–113}}</ref> Women are under-represented in elective office but have attained high positions in parliament. An Azerbaijani woman is the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in Azerbaijan, and two others are Justices of the Constitutional Court. In the 2010 election, women constituted 16% of all MPs (twenty seats in total) in the ].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.day.az/politics/237289.html |title=2010 Parliamentary Election Results |publisher=Day.az |date=7 November 2010 |accessdate=8 November 2010 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101110054208/http://news.day.az/politics/237289.html |archivedate=10 November 2010 |deadurl=no |df=dmy }}</ref> ] is available on demand in the Republic of Azerbaijan.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3LALpdV0DPoC&pg=PA41|title=Abortion Policies: a Global Review|publisher=United Nations|year=2001|isbn=92-1-151351-0|volume=1|page=41}}</ref> The human rights ] since 2002, Elmira Suleymanova, is a woman. | |||
| In Iran, a groundswell of grassroots movements have sought gender equality since the 1980s.<ref name="Library of Congress Iran"/> Protests in defiance of government bans are dispersed through violence, as on 12 June 2006 when female demonstrators in Haft Tir Square in Tehran were beaten.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/5073328.stm|title=Iran police beat women activists|author=Harrison, Frances|publisher=BBC|date=12 June 2006|accessdate=1 February 2012}}</ref> Past Iranian leaders, such as the reformer ex-president ] promised women greater rights, but the ] of Iran opposes changes that they interpret as contrary to Islamic doctrine. In the 2004 legislative elections, nine women were elected to parliament (]), eight of whom were conservatives.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.onlinewomeninpolitics.org/archives/04_0608_iran_wip.htm |title=Women's Gains at Risk in Iran's New Parliament |publisher=] |author=Sadr, Shadi |date=9 June 2004 |accessdate=1 February 2012 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120119031658/http://www.onlinewomeninpolitics.org/archives/04_0608_iran_wip.htm |archivedate=19 January 2012 |df= }}</ref> The social fate of Azerbaijani women largely mirrors that of other women in Iran.{{Citation needed|date=April 2016}} | |||
| ==Culture== | |||
| {{Main article|Culture of Azerbaijan|Culture of Iran}} | |||
| In many respects, Azerbaijanis are ]n and bi-cultural, as northern Azerbaijanis have absorbed Russo-Soviet and ] influences, whereas the Azerbaijanis of the south have remained within the ] and ] tradition. Modern Azerbaijani culture includes significant achievements in literature, art, music, and film. | |||
| ===Language and literature=== | |||
| {{Main article|Azerbaijani language|Azerbaijani literature}} | |||
| The Azerbaijanis speak ], a ] descended from the Western Oghuz Turkic language that became established in Azerbaijan in the 11th and 12th century CE. Early Oghuz was mainly an oral language, and the later compiled epics and heroic stories of ] probably derive from an oral tradition. The first accepted Oghuz Turkic text goes back to the 15th century. The first written, classical Azerbaijani literature arose after the Mongol invasion.<ref>{{cite web|author1=Javadi, H. |author2=Burill, K. |url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/azerbaijan-x|title=Azeri Literature in Iran|publisher=Encyclopædia Iranica|date=18 August 2011|accessdate=30 January 2012}}</ref> Some of the earliest Azerbaijani writings trace back to the poet ] (died 1417) and then decades later ] (1483–1556). ], Shah of ] wrote Azerbaijani poetry under the pen name ''Khatâ'i''. | |||
| {{Quotation|Today I have come to the world as a Master. Know truly that I am Haydar's son.<br /> | |||
| I am ], ], ], and ]. I am ]'s son (]) and Alexander.<br /> | |||
| The mystery of I am the truth is hidden in this my heart. I am the Absolute Truth and what I say is Truth.<br /> | |||
| I belong to the religion of the "Adherent of the Ali" and on the Shah's path I am a guide to every one who says: "I am a Muslim." My sign is the "Crown of Happiness".<br /> | |||
| I am the signet-ring on ]'s finger. ] is made of light, Ali of Mystery.<br /> | |||
| I am a pearl in the sea of Absolute Reality. | |||
| I am Khatai, the Shah's slave full of shortcomings. At thy gate I am the smallest and the last .}} | |||
| Modern Azerbaijani literature continued with a traditional emphasis upon ], as conveyed in the writings of ], ], and many others.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.azer.com/aiweb/categories/magazine/41_folder/41_articles/41_editorial.html |title=Contemporary Literature |work=Azerbaijan International |author=Blair, Betty |date=Spring 1996 |accessdate=10 June 2006 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060616054608/http://azer.com/aiweb/categories/magazine/41_folder/41_articles/41_editorial.html |archivedate=16 June 2006 |deadurl=no |df=dmy }}</ref> | |||
| Azerbaijanis are generally bilingual, often fluent in either Russian (in Azerbaijan) or ] (in Iran). As of 1996, around 38% of Azerbaijan's roughly 8,000,000 population spoke Russian fluently.<ref>{{cite book|author=Suny, Ronald G.|year=1996|title=Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia|publisher=DIANE Publishing|isbn=0-7881-2813-2|page=105}}</ref> An independent telephone survey in Iran in 2009 reported that 20% of respondents could understand Azerbaijani, the most spoken minority language in Iran, and all respondents could understand Persian.<ref name="tft">{{cite web|url=http://www.terrorfreetomorrow.org/upimagestft/TFT%20Iran%20Survey%20Report%200609.pdf |author=Terror Free Tomorrow |title=Results of a New Nationwide Public Opinion Survey of Iran before the June 12, 2009 Presidential Elections |date=May 2009 |publisher=] |quote=21.6% of 70,495,782 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130723044939/http://www.terrorfreetomorrow.org/upimagestft/TFT%20Iran%20Survey%20Report%200609.pdf |archivedate=23 July 2013 |df=dmy }}</ref> | |||
| ===Religion=== | |||
| {{Main article|Religion in Azerbaijan|Islam in Azerbaijan|Islam in Iran}} | |||
| The majority of Azerbaijanis are ] ]. Religious minorities include ]s (mainly ] just like other Muslims in the surrounding North Caucasus),<ref>{{ru icon}} ]. ''Radicalisation of Islamic Movements in Central Asia and the North Caucasus: A Comparative Political Analysis''. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130316050837/http://do.gendocs.ru/docs/index-36795.html |date=16 March 2013 }}. СКНЦ ВШ ЮФУ: Moscow, 2010.</ref><ref>{{cite book|authors=]; Sheen, Juliet|year=1997|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MFUZkWWgOtMC&dq|title=Freedom of Religion and Belief|publisher=Routledge|isbn=0-415-15978-4|page=273}}</ref> ],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.azerbaijan.az/_GeneralInfo/_TraditionReligion/_traditionReligion_e.html|title=Azerbaijan - Religion In Azerbaijan|publisher=|accessdate=18 March 2015}}</ref> ],<ref name="jewishvirtuallibrary.org" /> and ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bahai.az|title=Azərbaycan Bəhai İcmasının Rəsmi Vebsaytı|website=Azərbaycan Bəhai İcmasının Rəsmi Vebsaytı}}</ref> An unknown number of Azerbaijanis in the Republic of Azerbaijan have no religious affiliation. Many describe themselves as ]s.<ref name="Library of Congress Azerbaijan"/> There is a small number of ] ] among Muslim Azerbaijanis.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.riadagestan.ru/news/2007/06/06/28600/|title=External factors of radicalization of Islam in the Caucasus|publisher=RIA Dagestan|language=Russian|date=6 June 2007|accessdate=30 January 2012|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120218044618/http://www.riadagestan.ru/news/2007/06/06/28600/|archivedate=18 February 2012|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Christian Azerbaijanis number around 5,000 people in the Republic of Azerbaijan and consist mostly of recent converts.<ref name="Day.az"/><ref name="Tehran Radio"/> Some Azerbaijanis from rural regions retain pre-Islamic ] or ]-influenced<ref>Barbara West. . Infobase Publishing, 2009, {{ISBN|1438119135}}; p. 72.</ref> beliefs, such as the sanctity of certain sites and the veneration of fire, certain trees and rocks.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.azerbembassy.org.cn/eng/culture.html |title=Azerbaijan: Culture and Art |publisher=Embassy of the Azerbaijan Republic in the People's Republic of China |accessdate=30 January 2012 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120216124122/http://www.azerbembassy.org.cn/eng/culture.html |archivedate=16 February 2012 |df=dmy }}</ref> In Azerbaijan, traditions from other religions are often celebrated in addition to ], including ] and ]. After the fall of the ], Azerbaijanis have increasingly returned to their Islamic heritage as recent reports indicate that many Azerbaijani youth are being drawn to Islam.<ref>{{cite web|author=Amirova, Leyla|url=http://www.isn.ethz.ch/Digital-Library/Articles/Detail//?ots591=4888CAA0-B3DB-1461-98B9-E20E7B9C13D4&lng=en&id=53700|title=Azerbaijan young increasingly drawn to Islam|publisher=Center for Security Studies (CSS), ETH Zurich, Switzerland|date=28 August 2007|accessdate=30 January 2012}}</ref> | |||
| ===Performing arts=== | |||
| {{See also|Music of Azerbaijan|Music of Iran}} | |||
| ] won the ].]] | |||
| Azerbaijanis express themselves in a variety of artistic ways including dance, music, and film. Azerbaijani folk dances are ancient and similar to that of their neighbors in the Caucasus and Iran. The group dance is a common form found from ] to the ]. In the group dance the performers come together in a semi-circular or circular formation as, "The leader of these dances often executes special figures as well as signaling and changes in the foot patterns, movements, or direction in which the group is moving, often by gesturing with his or her hand, in which a kerchief is held."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stanford.edu/group/psa/events/1998-99/avaz/about.utf8.html|title=Avaz|publisher=Stanford University Persian Student Association|accessdate=11 June 2006}}</ref> Solitary dances are performed by both men and women and involve subtle hand motions in addition to sequenced steps. ], a dance shared by all Caucasus-derived or Caucasus-influenced ethnic groups, is also popular amongst Azerbaijanis. | |||
| Azerbaijani musical tradition can be traced back to singing ]s called '']s'', a vocation that survives. Modern Ashiqs play the ] (]) and sing ''dastans'' (historical ]s).<ref>{{cite book|author=Perry, John R.|year=2011|contribution=Cultural currents in the Turco-Persian world of Safavid and post-Safavid times|editor=Mitchell, Colin P.|title=New Perspectives on Safavid Iran: Empire and Society|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=0-203-85463-2|page=90}}</ref> Other musical instruments include the '']'' (another type of lute), '']'' (a wind instrument), '']'' (fiddle), and the '']'' (drums). Azerbaijani classical music, called '']'', is often an emotional singing performance. Composers ], ] and ] created a hybrid style that combines Western ] with ''mugham''. Other Azerbaijanis, notably ] and ], mixed ] with ''mugham''. Some Azerbaijani musicians have received international acclaim, including ] (who could sing in over eight languages), ] (a pop star from the Soviet era), ], and more recently ]. | |||
| After the ] in Iran, Azerbaijani music took a different course. According to Iranian Azerbaijani singer ], "Historically in Iran, music faced strong opposition from the religious establishment, forcing it to go underground."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.azer.com/aiweb/categories/magazine/54_folder/54_articles/54_alizadeh.html|title=Hossein Alizadeh Personal Reflections on Playing Tar|work=Azerbaijan International|date=Winter 1997|accessdate=30 January 2012}}</ref> As a result, most Iranian Azerbaijani music is performed outside of Iran amongst exile communities. | |||
| Azerbaijani film and television is largely broadcast in Azerbaijan with limited outlets in Iran. Some Azerbaijanis have been prolific film-makers, such as ], who wrote '']'', winner of the Grand Prize at the ] and an ] for ] in 1994. Many Iranian Azerbaijanis have been prominent in the ], which has received critical praise since the 1980s. | |||
| ===Sports=== | |||
| {{See also|Azerbaijan national football team|Azerbaijan at the Olympics|List of Azerbaijani Olympic medalists}} | |||
| ].]] | |||
| ], the world's ] in international matches and the former captain of the ].]] | |||
| Sports have historically been an important part of Azerbaijani life. Horseback competitions were praised in the ] and by poets and writers such as ].<ref name="sport">{{cite web|url=http://azerbaijan.az/portal/Society/Sport/sport_e.html|title=Sport History in Azerbaijan|publisher=Heydar Aliyev Foundation|accessdate=3 February 2012}}</ref> Other ancient sports include ], ] and ]. | |||
| The Soviet legacy has in modern times propelled some Azerbaijanis to become accomplished athletes at the Olympic level.<ref name="sport"/> The Azerbaijani government supports the country's athletic legacy and encourages youth participation. ] is popular in both Azerbaijan and Iranian Azerbaijan. There are many prominent Azerbaijani football players such as ], the world's ] in international matches and the former captain of the ]. Azerbaijani athletes have particularly excelled in ], ], ], javelin throwing, ], ], and wrestling.<ref name="MinistrySports">{{cite web|author=Deck, Laurel |url=http://www.azer.com/aiweb/categories/magazine/44_folder/44_articles/44_sports.html |title=The Ministry of Youth and Sports |work=Azerbaijan International |date=Winter 1996 |accessdate=11 June 2006 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060508022556/http://www.azer.com/aiweb/categories/magazine/44_folder/44_articles/44_sports.html |archivedate=8 May 2006 |deadurl=no |df=dmy }}</ref> Weight lifters, such as Iran's ], world super heavyweight-lifting record holder and two-time Olympic champion in 2000 and 2004, or ] is a former ]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=8706021402|title=هادي ساعي مدال خود را تقديم به مردم آذربايجان كرد|publisher=|accessdate=18 March 2015}}</ref> ] athlete who became the most successful Iranian athlete in Olympic history and ], who won the European heavyweight title in 2006, have excelled at the international level. | |||
| ] is another popular pastime in Azerbaijan.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.azembassy.it/browse.php?lang=eng&page=0005 |title=Tourism and sport |publisher=Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Italy |accessdate=3 February 2012 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120217104040/http://www.azembassy.it/browse.php?lang=eng&page=0005 |archivedate=17 February 2012 |df=dmy }}</ref> The country has produced many notable players, such as ], ] and ], both highly ranked internationally. | |||
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| ==See also== | |||
| {{Portal|Azerbaijan|Iranian Azerbaijan|Iran}} | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| ==References== | |||
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| ==External links== | |||
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