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Azerbaijan (Iran)

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This article is about the region in contemporary Iran; for other uses, see Azerbaijan (disambiguation).

Iranian Azerbaijan or Iranian Azarbaijan (Persian: آذربایجان ایران; Āzārbāijān-e Irān), (Azeri: اذربایجان,c.34,280 sq mi (88,785 sq km), is a region in the northwest of Iran. Iranian Azerbaijan is the officially recognized and legally accepted name.

Geography

Iranian Azerbaijan has an area of 176,512 square kilometers and a population of about 16 million (estimates vary) the Azerbaijanis make up the majority of the population. Iranian Azerbaijan is famous for its great natural beauty. There are 17 rivers and two lakes in the region. Cotton, nuts, textiles, tea, machinery and electrical equpiments are main industries. The region, which includes Lake Urmia, is mountainous, with deep valleys and fertile lowlands.

Economy

Grains, fruits, cotton, rice, nuts, and tobacco are grown. Wool, carpets, and metalware are produced. Industries include food processing, cement, textiles, electric equipment, and sugar milling. An oil pipeline runs through the region.

People

The majority of the people of Azarbaijan are Azeris, who are Shi'a Muslims. There are also Armenians, Assyrians, Kurds, Jews, and Persians. Iranian Azerbaijan is divided into the provinces of East Azarbaijan (1996 pop. 3,325,540), West Azarbaijan (1996 pop. 2,496,320), Ardebil. (1996 pop. 1,168,011), and Zanjan. The chief cities include Tabriz (the capital of East Azarbaijan), Urmia (the capital of West Azarbaijan), Ardebil (the capital of Ardabil), Maragheh, Marand, Zanjan, and Khoy (Khvoy). The region is bounded in the north by Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan (and is also known as Aran, from which it is separated by the Aras River) and in the West by Turkey and Iraq.

History and Culture

In ancient times, before the Aryan migration to Iranian Plateau, Azarbaijan was dominated by the kings of Van and Urartu (in present day Armenia). By the 8th century BC, it had been settled by Medes, and it later formed the province of Media Minor in the Persian Empire. After Alexander the Great conquered Persia, he appointed (328 BC) as governor the Persian general Atropates, who eventually established an independent dynasty. Later, the region, which came to be called Atropatene or Media Atropatene, was much disputed. In the 2nd century BC, it was liberated from Seleucid domination by Mithradates I of Arsacid dynasty, and c. AD 226 it became part of the Sassanid Empire of Ardashir I. Shapur II enlarged Azarbaijan by adding territory in the north known as Arran or Aran (today known as the Republic of Azerbaijan).

Heraclius, the Byzantine emperor, briefly held the region in the 7th century, just before the Islamic Conquest of Iran; Arab invaders converted most of its people to Islam and made it part of the caliphate. The Persianized Seljuk Turks dominated the region in the 11th and 12th centuries, and the Mongols under Hulagu Khan established (13th century) their capital at Maragheh. After being conquered by Timur in the 14th century, Tabriz became an important provincial capital of the Timurid empire. It was out of Ardebil (Ancient Artavilla) that the Safavid dynasty arose (c. 1500) to renew the state of Persia. There was fierce fighting between the Ottoman Empire and Persia for Azarbaijan. After brief Ottoman control, Shah Abbas the Great, regained control of the region in 1603.

Azarbaijan hails from a rich culture from Azari traditions. Many local dances and folk music continue to survive among the various peoples of the provinces. As a longstanding province of Persia, Azarbaijan is mentioned favorably on many occasions in Persian literature by Iran's greatest authors and poets. Examples:

گزیده هر چه در ایران بزرگان
زآذربایگان و ری و گرگان

All the nobles and greats of Iran,
Choose from Azarbaijan, Ray, and Gorgan.
--Vis o Ramin

از آنجا بتدبیر آزادگان
بیامد سوی آذرآبادگان

From there the wise and the free,
set off to Azarbaijan
--Nizami

بیک ماه در آذرآبادگان
ببودند شاهان و آزادگان

For a month's time, The Kings and The Free,
Would choose in Azarbaijan to be
--Ferdowsi

Ethnic status in Iran

It is often claimed that Iranian Azeris (Azaris) are not allowed to freely speak their language, propagate their culture, or have their own ethnic media.

This is not fully accurate however: Iran's claimed government policy in the past 30 years has been one of pan-Islamism, which excludes ethnicities (including Persians) altogether from the equation as a variable. Persian language is thus merely used as the lingua franca of the country to keep the republic functioning, and the centralized authority model of government is one with a long precedent in Iran's past.

Furthermore, Article 15 of Iran's constitution reads:

"The use of regional and tribal languages in the press and mass media, as well as for teaching of their literature in schools, is allowed in addition to Persian."

Famous Azeris of Iran

Azeris (Azaris), more than any other minority of Iran, have participated in Iran's history and politics, and continue to do so. Some of the most famous Azeris of Iran involved on national levels are:

External links

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