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Azerbaijani people

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Peoples


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   Azerbaijanis
   (Azərbaycanlılar آذربایجانلیلار)
   Total population c. 20.5 to 33 million
   Regions with significant populations Iran:
     12-23.5 million

   Azerbaijan:
      7,643,378
   Turkey:
      800,000.
   Russia:
      622,000 (2002 census).
   Georgia:
      284,761 (2002 census)
   United States:
      280,000
   Kazakhstan:
      80,000 (1999 census)
   Germany:
      55,000
   Ukraine:
      46,000 (2001 census)
   Canada:
      1,445.
   Other:
      30,000
   Language Azerbaijani
   Religion Predominately Muslim, Few adherents of Christianity, Judaism,
   Zoroastrianism and others.
   Related ethnic groups Turkic people, peoples of the Caucasus, and
   Iranic peoples

   The Azerbaijanis are an ethnic group mainly found in northwestern Iran
   and the Republic of Azerbaijan. Commonly referred to as Azeris ( Azeri:
   آذریلر/Azәrilәr) or Āzarīs ( Persian: آذری), they also live in a wider
   area from the Caucasus to the Iranian plateau. The Azeris are typically
   Muslim and have a mixed cultural heritage of Turkic, Iranian, and
   Caucasian elements.

   Despite living on both sides of an international border, the Azeris
   form a single group. However, northerners and southerners differ due to
   nearly two centuries of separate social evolution in
   Russian/Soviet-influenced Azerbaijan and Iranian Azarbaijan. The
   Azerbaijani language unifies Azeris and is mutually intelligible with
   Turkmen and Turkish (including the dialects spoken by the Turkomans of
   Iraq and by the Qashqai). All of these languages are traced to the
   Turkic Oghuz, who moved into the Caucasus from Central Asia in the 11th
   century. Following the Russian-Persian Wars of the 18th and 19th
   centuries, Persian territories in the Caucasus (some merely under
   nominal control) were ceded to the Russian Empire. This included parts
   of the current Republic of Azerbaijan. The treaties of Golestan in 1813
   and Turkmanchai in 1828 finalized the border between Russia and Persia
   (Iran).

   As a result of this separate existence, the Azeris are mainly
   secularists in Azerbaijan and religious Muslims in Iranian Azarbaijan.
   Since Azerbaijan's independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, there
   has been renewed interest in religion and cross-border ethnic ties.

History

   Azerbaijan is believed to be named after Atropates, a Median satrap
   (governor) who ruled in Atropatene (modern Iranian Azarbaijan).
   Atropates is derived from Old Persian roots meaning "protected by
   fire." Azerbaijan has seen a host of inhabitants and invaders,
   including Caucasians, Medes, Scythians, Persians, Armenians, Greeks,
   Romans, Khazars, Arabs, Oghuz, Seljuks, Mongols, and Russians.

Ancient period

   Caucasian Albanians are believed to be the earliest inhabitants of
   Azerbaijan. Early invaders included the Scythians in the ninth century
   BCE. Following the Scythians, the Medes came to dominate the area to
   the south of the Aras. The Medes forged a vast empire between 900-700
   BCE, which was overthrown by the Achaemenids around 550 BCE. During
   this period, Zoroastrianism spread in Azerbaijan. The Achaemenids in
   turn were defeated by Alexander the Great in 330 BCE, but the Median
   satrap Atropates was allowed to remain in power. Following the decline
   of the Seleucids in Persia in 247 BCE, an Armenian Kingdom exercised
   control over parts of Azerbaijan between 190 BCE to 428 CE. Caucasian
   Albanians established a kingdom in the 1st century BCE and largely
   remained independent until the Sassanids made the kingdom a vassal
   state in 252 CE. Caucasian Albania's ruler, King Urnayr, officially
   adopted Christianity as the state religion in the 4th century CE, and
   Albania would remain a Christian state until the 8th century. Sassanid
   control ended with their defeat by Muslim Arabs in 642 CE.

Medieval period

   Image:Selçuklu kartalı.jpg
   The Seljuk coat of arms: a double headed eagle

   Muslim Arabs defeated the Sassanids and Byzantines as they marched into
   the Caucasus region. The Arabs made Caucasian Albania a vassal state
   after the Christian resistance, led by Prince Javanshir, surrendered in
   667. Between the 9th and 10th centuries, Arab authors began to refer to
   the region between the Kura and Aras rivers as Arran. During this time,
   Arabs from Basra and Kufa came to Azerbaijan and seized lands that
   indigenous peoples had abandoned; the Arabs became a land-owning elite.
   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 Tabriz and Maraghah. This influx sparked a major
   rebellion in Iranian Azarbaijan from 816–837, led by a local commoner
   named Bābak. However, despite pockets of continued resistance, the
   majority of the inhabitants of Azerbaijan converted to Islam. Later on,
   in the 10th and 11th centuries, Kurdish dynasties of Shaddadid and
   Rawadid ruled parts of Azerbaijan.

   In the middle of the 11th century, the Seljuq dynasty overthrew Arab
   rule and established an empire that encompassed most of Southwest Asia.
   The Seljuk period marked the influx of Oghuz nomads into the region
   and, thus, the beginning of the turkification of Azerbaijan as the West
   Oghuz Turkic language supplanted earlier Caucasian and Iranian ones.

   However, Iranian cultural influence survived, as evidenced by the works
   of then contemporary writers such as Persian poet Nezāmī Ganjavī. The
   emerging Turkic identity was chronicled in epic poems or dastans, the
   oldest being the Book of Dede Korkut, which relate allegorical tales
   about the early Turks in the Caucasus and Asia Minor. Turkic dominion
   was interrupted by the Mongols in 1227 and later the Mongols and
   Tamerlane ruled the region until 1405. Turkic rule returned with the
   Sunni Qara Qoyunlū (Black Sheep Turkmen) and Aq Qoyunlū (White Sheep
   Turkmen), who dominated Azerbaijan until the Shi'a Safavids took power
   in 1501.

Modern period

   Early 20th century fruit market in Urmia, Persia
   Enlarge
   Early 20th century fruit market in Urmia, Persia

   The Safavids, who rose from Iranian Azerbaijan, established a the
   modern multi-ethnic Iranian state, which lasted until 1722. Noted for
   achievements in state building, architecture, and the sciences, the
   Safavid state crumbled due to internal decay and external pressures
   from the Russians and Afghans. The Safavids encouraged and spread Shi'a
   Islam which is an important part of the national identity of Iranian
   Azerbaijani people as well as many Azerbaijanis from the Republic of
   Azerbaijan. The Safavids encouraged the arts and culture and Shah Abbas
   the Great created an intellectual atmosphere which according to some
   scholars was a new Golden Age of Persia. He reformed the government and
   the military, and responded to the needs of the common people.

   After the Safavid state came brief Ottoman rule followed by the
   conquest of Nadir Shah Afshar, a chieftain from Khorasan who reduced
   the power of the Shi'a. The brief reign of Karim Khan came next,
   followed by the Qajars, who ruled Azerbaijan and Iran starting in 1779.
   Russia loomed as a threat to Persian holdings in the Caucasus in this
   period. The Russo-Persian Wars began in the 18th century and ended in
   the early 19th century with the Gulistan Treaty of 1813 and the
   Turkmanchai Treaty in 1828, which officially gave the Caucasian portion
   of Qajar Iran to the Russian Empire..

   Iranian Azerbaijan's role in the Iranian constitutional revolution
   cannot be underestimated. The greatest figures of the democracy seeking
   revolution Sattar Khan and Bagher Khan were both from Iranian
   Azerbaijan. The Constitutional Revolution of 1906-11 shook the Qajar
   dynasty, whose kings had virtually sold the country to the tobacco and
   oil interests of the British Empire and has lost territory to the
   Russian empire. A parliament (Majlis) came into existence by the
   efforts of the constitutionalists. It was accompanied in some regions
   by a peasant revolt against tax collectors and landlords, the only
   indigenous mainstay of the monarchy. Pro-democracy newspapers appeared,
   and Iranian intellectuals began to relish the modernist breezes blowing
   from Paris and Petrograd. The Qajar Shah and his British advisers
   crushed the Constitutional Revolution, but the demise of the dynasty
   could not be long postponed. The last Shah of the Qajar dynasty was
   soon removed by a military coup led by Reza Khan, an officer of an old
   Cossack regiment, which had been created by Czarist Russia and
   officered by Russians to protect the Qajar ruler and Russian interests.
   In the quest of imposing national homogeneity on the country where half
   of the population consisted of ethnic minorities, Reza Shah issued in
   quick succession bans on the use of Azerbaijani language on the
   premises of schools, in theatrical performances, religious ceremonies,
   and, finally, in the publication of books.

   With the dethronment of Reza Shah in September 1941, Russian troops
   captured Tabriz and northwestern Persia for military and strategic
   reasons. Azerbaijan People's Government, a client state set up by the
   order of Stalin himself, under leadership of Sayyid Jafar Pishevari was
   proclaimed in Tabriz However, under pressure by the Western countries,
   the Soviet army was soon withdrawn, and the Iranian government regained
   control over Iranian Azerbaijan by the end of 1946.

   According to Professor. Gary R. Hess:


   Azerbaijani people

     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
    dominination 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.


   Azerbaijani people

   While the Azeris in Iran largely integrated into modern Iranian
   society, the northern Azeris lived through the transition from the
   Russian Empire to brief independence from 1918-1920 and then
   incorporation into the Soviet Union despite pleas by Woodrow Wilson for
   their independence at the Treaty of Versailles conference. The Republic
   of Azerbaijan achieved independence in 1991, but became embroiled in a
   war over the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia.

Origins

   In many references, Azerbaijanis are designated as a Turkic people, due
   to their Turkic language and partial descent from the Oghuz. However,
   there is a debate regarding the ethnic origins of the Azeris. The
   debate has to do with modern nationalism and historic claims over Azeri
   territory. The debate involves three viewpoints: whether the Azeris are
   of a Turkic background from Central Asia, are an Iranian people who
   simply changed their language following Turkic invasions, or are
   indigenous to the Caucasus and have adopted the Azerbaijani language,
   Persian culture, and Islam. Thus, determining whether a Turkic,
   Iranian, or Caucasian background defines the Azeris has much to do with
   the historical views of Azeribaijan's neighbors.
   Azeris in downtown Baku, Azerbaijan
   Enlarge
   Azeris in downtown Baku, Azerbaijan

   According to the Encyclopædia of Islam:


   Azerbaijani people

    [as consequence of Oghuz Turkic domination in the Caucasus, beginning
     the 12th century] the Iranian population of Ādharbāyjān and the
         adjacent parts of Transcaucasia became Turkophone while the
    characteristic features of Ādharbāyjānī Turkish, such as Persian
        intonations and disregard of the vocalic harmony, reflect the
              non-Turkish origin of the Turkicised population.


   Azerbaijani people

   The Encyclopædia Britannica states that Azeris:


   Azerbaijani people

      are of mixed ethnic origin, the oldest element deriving from the
    indigenous population of eastern Transcaucasia and possibly from the
   Medians of northern Persia. This population was Persianized during the
  period of the Sasanian dynasty of Iran (3rd–7th century AD), but, after
     the region's conquest by the Seljuq Turks in the 11th century, the
        inhabitants were Turkicized, and further Turkicization of the
                population occurred in the ensuing centuries.


   Azerbaijani people

   This view supports initial genetic studies conducted in the Republic of
   Azerbaijan that link the modern Azeris primarily to their neighbors in
   the Caucasus and, to a lesser extent, northwestern Iran. Further
   studies with Azeris in Iran may help determine to what extent the
   modern Azeris are related to Caucasian peoples (notably the Albanians
   and Armenians) and Iranians (primarily the Medes).

Turkic theory

   Sattar Khan (1868-1914) was a major revolutionary figure in the late
   Qajar period in Iran.
   Enlarge
   Sattar Khan (1868-1914) was a major revolutionary figure in the late
   Qajar period in Iran.

   The Turkic origin theory is based upon the Azerbaijani language and
   favored by those who believe that centuries of heavy Turkic settlement
   shaped Azerbaijan's Turkic identity. The Turkic theory does not alter
   the general view of the Azeris as a Turkic people, but discusses to
   what extent Turkic groups changed the demographics of the Eastern
   Caucasus and Iranian Azarbaijan.

   Although, "Turkic penetration probably began in the Hunnic era and its
   aftermath," there is little evidence to indicate, "permanent
   settlements". The earliest major Turkic incursion began with Mahmud of
   Ghazni (971-1040) and accelerated during the Seljuk period. The
   migration of Oghuz Turks from present day Turkmenistan, which is
   attested by linguistic similarity, remained high through the Mongol
   period, as many troops under the Ilkhans were Turkic. By the Safavid
   period, the turkification of Azerbaijan continued with the influence of
   the Kizilbash. 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.

   The Book of Dede Korkut could be a document that supports a substantial
   Oghuz migration into Azerbaijan. UNESCO recently celebrated the 1300th
   anniversary of this epic work. Despite its purported age, most
   academics believe that the Book of Dede Korkut originated after the
   Oghuz entered the Caucasus, with its written text having been compiled
   in the 15th century. Most academics view this migration as the most
   likely source of a Turkic background, but one that most likely involved
   the turkification of predominantly indigenous peoples.

Iranian theory

   Statue of Nezami Ganjavi, a 12th century writer and philosopher, in
   Baku, Azerbaijan. Nezami is a major literary figure to both Azeris and
   Persians.
   Enlarge
   Statue of Nezami Ganjavi, a 12th century writer and philosopher, in
   Baku, Azerbaijan. Nezami is a major literary figure to both Azeris and
   Persians.

   The Iranian origin theory, favoured by some notable scholars and
   sources, is based upon the ancient presence of Iranic tribes, such as
   the Medes, in Iranian Azarbaijan, and Scythian invasions during the
   eighth century BCE. It is believed that the Medes mixed with an
   indigenous population, the Caucasian Mannai, a Northeast Caucasian
   group related to the Urartians.

   Scholars see cultural similarities between modern Persians and Azeris
   as evidence of an ancient Iranian influence. Archaeological evidence
   indicates that the Iranian religion of Zoroastrianism was prominent
   throughout the Caucasus before Christianity and Islam and that the
   influence of various Persian Empires added to the Iranian character of
   the area. It has also been hypothesized that the population of Iranian
   Azarbaijan was predominantly Persian-speaking before the Oghuz arrived.
   This claim is supported by the many Azerbaijani literary figures, such
   as Qatran Tabrizi, Shams Tabrizi, Nezami, and Khaghani, who wrote in
   Persian prior to and during the Oghuz migration, as well as by Strabo,
   Al-Istakhri, and Al-Masudi, who all describe the language of the region
   as Persian. The claim is mentioned by other medieval historians, such
   as Al-Muqaddasi. Other common Perso-Azeribaijani features include
   Iranian place names such as Tabriz and Baku.

   The modern presence of the Iranian Talysh and Tats in Azerbaijan is
   further evidence of the former Iranian character of the region. As a
   precursor to these modern groups, the ancient Azaris are hypothesized
   as the main ancestors of the modern Azerbaijanis. However, ancient
   historians, including Herodotus, Polybius and Strabo, mention the
   region as a mixed one, with Iranian and non-Iranian groups, such as the
   Utii, a Caucasian group that still exists in Azerbaijan.

Caucasian theory

   Haji Zeynalabdin Taghiyev (1838-1924), a leading Azeri industrialist
   and philanthropist
   Enlarge
   Haji Zeynalabdin Taghiyev (1838-1924), a leading Azeri industrialist
   and philanthropist

   There is evidence that, despite repeated invasions and migrations,
   aboriginal Caucasians may have been culturally assimilated, first by
   Iranians and later by the Oghuz. Audrey Alstadt notes in The
   Azerbaijani Turks that many Azeris in the Republic of Azerbaijan regard
   both the Oghuz and the Caucasian Albanians as their ancestors.
   Considerable information has been learned about the Caucasian Albanians
   including their language, history, early conversion to Christianity,
   and close ties to the Armenians. Many academics believe that the Udi
   language, still spoken in Azerbaijan, is a remnant of the Albanians'
   language.

   This Caucasian influence extended further south into Iranian
   Azarbaijan. During the 1st millennium BCE, another Caucasian people,
   the Mannaeans (Mannai) populated much of Iranian Azarbaijan. Weakened
   by conflicts with the Assyrians, the Mannaeans are believed to have
   been conquered and assimilated by the Medes by 590 BCE.

   The extent to which cultural assimilation took place is unclear. By
   examining the historical record, archaeological finds, and, in recent
   years, genealogical DNA testing, a team of researchers has put forth
   the view that indigenous peoples were often assimilated rather than
   being killed or driven out. In the case of the Azeris, this would mean
   that the majority today are descendents of the earliest settlers of the
   Caucasus. However, this view would require strong genetic evidence that
   peoples in the Caucasus are related despite their linguistic and
   cultural differences.

Genetics

   Though the population of Azerbaijan is culturally diverse, genetic
   testing has revealed common genetic markers that support an
   autochthonous background for most Azeris. A 2003 study found that: "
   Y-chromosome haplogroups indicate that Indo-European-speaking Armenians
   and Turkic-speaking Azerbaijanians are genetically more closely related
   to their geographic neighbors in the Caucasus than to their linguistic
   neighbors elsewhere." The authors of this study suggest that this
   indicates a language replacement of indigenous Caucasian peoples. There
   is evidence of limited genetic admixture derived from Central Asians
   (specifically Haplogroup H12), notably the Turkmen, that is higher than
   that of their neighbors, the Georgians and Armenians. MtDNA analysis
   indicates that the main relationship with Iranians is through a larger
   West Eurasian group that is secondary to that of the Caucasus,
   according to a study that did not include Azeris, but Georgians who
   have clustered with Azeris in other studies. The conclusion from the
   testing shows that the Azeris are a mixed population with
   relationships, in order of greatest similarity, with the Caucasus,
   Iranians and Near Easterners, Europeans, and Turkmen. Other genetic
   analysis of mtDNA and Y-chromosomes indicates that Caucasian
   populations are genetically intermediate between Europeans and Near
   Easterners, but that they are more closely related to Near Easterners
   overall. Another study, conducted in 2003 by the Russian Journal of
   Genetics, compared Iranians in Azerbaijan (the Talysh and Tats) with
   Turkic Azerbaijanis and found that,


   Azerbaijani people

      the genetic structure of the populations examined with the other
    Iranian-speaking populations (Persians and Kurds from Iran, Ossetins,
    and Tajiks) and Azerbaijanis showed that Iranian-speaking populations
          from Azerbaijan were more close to Azerbaijanis, than to
        Iranian-speaking populations inhabiting other world regions.


   Azerbaijani people

   The conclusion from this study further supports the view that groups
   within close geographic proximity to the Azeris are genetically similar
   despite linguistic differences. A recent study of the genetic landscape
   of Iran was completed by a team of Cambridge geneticists led by Dr.
   Maziar Ashrafian Bonab (an Iranian Azarbaijani). Bonab remarked that
   his group had done extensive DNA testing on different language groups,
   including Indo-European and non Indo-European speakers, in Iran. The
   study found that the Azerbaijanis of Iran do not have a similar FSt and
   other genetic markers found in Anatolian and European Turks. However,
   the genetic Fst and other genetic traits like MRca and mtDNA of Iranian
   Azeris were identical to Persians in Iran. These studies suffer from
   some drawbacks, including a lack of specific comparative studies
   between Azeribaijanis from Iran and Azerbaijan.

Ethnonym

   Historically the Turkic people of Iranian Azerbaijan and the Caucasus
   called themselves or were referred to by others as Turks and religious
   identification prevailed over ethnic identification. When
   Transacaucasia became part of the Russian empire, Russian authorities,
   who traditionally called all Turkic people Tatars, called Azeris
   Aderbeijani/Azerbaijani or Caucasian Tatars to distinguish them from
   other Turkic people, also called Tatars by Russians. Russian Brockhaus
   and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary also refers to Azerbaijanis as
   Aderbeijans in some articles. According to the article Turko-Tatars of
   the above encyclopedia, “some scholars (Yadrintsev, Kharuzin, Shantr)
   suggested to change the terminology of some Turko-Tatar people, who
   somatically don’t have much in common with Turks, for instance, to call
   Aderbaijani Tatars (Iranians by type) Aderbaijans”. The modern ethnonym
   Azerbaijani/Azeri in its present form was accepted in 1930s.

Demographics and society

   There are an estimated 24 to 33 million Azerbaijanis in the world, but
   census figures are difficult to verify. The vast majority live in
   Azerbaijan and Iranian Azarbaijan. Between 16 and 23 million Azeris
   live in Iran, mainly in the northwestern provinces. Approximately 7.6
   million Azeris are found in the Republic of Azerbaijan. A diaspora,
   possibly numbering in the millions, is found in neighboring countries
   and around the world. There are sizeable communities in Turkey,
   Georgia, Russia, USA, Canada, Germany and other countries.

   While population estimates in Azerbaijan are considered reliable due to
   regular censuses taken, the figures for Iran remain questionable. Since
   the early 20th century, successive Iranian governments have avoided
   publishing statistics on ethnic groups. Unofficial population estimates
   of Azeris in Iran range from 20-24%. However, many Iran scholars, such
   as Nikki Keddie, Patricia J. Higgins, Shahrough Akhavi, Ali Reza
   Sheikholeslami, and others, claim that Azeris may comprise as much as
   one third of Iran's population.

   A large expatriate community of Azerbaijanis is found outside
   Azerbaijan and Iran. According to Ethnologue, there were over 1 million
   Azerbaijani-speakers of the north dialect in southern Dagestan,
   Armenia, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia,
   Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan as of 1993. Other sources, such as
   national censuses, confirm the presence of Azeris throughout the former
   Soviet Union. The Ethnologue figures are outdated in the case of
   Armenia, where conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh has affected the
   population of Azeris. Ethnologue further reports that an additional 1
   million South Azeris live outside Iran, but these figures most likely
   are a reference to the Iraqi Turkmen, a distinct though related Turkic
   people.

Azeris in Azerbaijan

   By far the largest ethnic group in Azerbaijan (over 90%), the Azeris
   generally tend to dominate most aspects of the country. Unlike most of
   their ethnic brethren in Iran, the majority of Azeris are secularized
   from decades of official Soviet atheism. The literacy rate is high,
   another Soviet legacy, and is estimated at 98.8%. Whereas most urban
   Azeris are educated, education remains comparatively lower in rural
   areas. A similar disparity exists with healthcare.

   Azeri society has been deeply impacted by the war with Armenia over
   Nagorno-Karabakh, which has displaced nearly 1 million Azeris and put
   strains upon the economy. Azerbaijan has benefited from the oil
   industry, but high levels of corruption have prevented greater
   prosperity for the masses. Many Azeris have grown frustrated over the
   political process in Azerbaijan as the election of current President
   Ilham Aliyev has been described as "marred by allegations of corruption
   and brutal crackdowns on his political opposition". 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 Azeris.

Azeris in Iran

   Azerbaijanis in Iran are mainly found in the northwest provinces: East
   Azerbaijan, West Azerbaijan, Ardebil, Zanjan, and Markazi. Many others
   live in Tehran, Fars Province, and other regions. Generally, Azeris in
   Iran have been, "a well integrated linguistic minority", according to
   academics such as anthropologist Patricia Higgins. In fact, until the
   Pahlavi period in the 20th century, "the identity of Iran was not
   exclusively Persian, but supra-ethnic", as much of the political
   leadership, starting from the 11th century, had been Turkic. The
   Iranian and Turkic groups were integrated until 20th century
   nationalism and communalism began to alter popular perception. 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."

   Resentment came with Pahlavi policies that suppressed the use of the
   Azerbaijani language in local government, schools, and the press.
   However with the advent of the Iranian Revolution 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 Azeri nationalist faction led by Ayatollah
   Kazem Shariatmadari, who advocated greater regional autonomy and wanted
   the constitution to be revised to include secularists and opposition
   parties; this was denied. Azeri nationalism has oscillated since the
   Islamic revolution and recently escalated into riots over the
   publication in May 2006 of a cartoon that many Azeris found offensive.
   The cartoon was drawn by Mana Neyestani, an ethnic Azeri, who was fired
   along with his editor as a result of the controversy.

   Despite sporadic problems, Azeris are an intrinsic community within
   Iran. Currently, the living conditions of Azeris in Iran closely
   resemble that of Persians:


   Azerbaijani people

      The life styles of urban Azarbaijanis do not differ from those of
      Persians, and there is considerable intermarriage among the upper
      classes in cities of mixed populations. Similarly, customs among
    Azarbaijani villagers do not appear to differ markedly from those of
                             Persian villagers.


   Azerbaijani people

   Andrew Burke writes:


   Azerbaijani people

     Azari are famously active in commerce and in bazaars all over Iran
   their voluble voices can be heard. Older Azari men wear the traditional
   wool hat and their music and dances have become part of the mainstream
       culture. Azaris are well integrated and many Azari Iranians are
         prominent in Farsi literature, politics and clerical world.


   Azerbaijani people

   Azeris in Iran are in high positions of authority with the Ayatollah
   Ali Khamenei currently sitting as the Supreme Leader. Azeris in Iran
   remain quite conservative in comparison to most Azeris in the Republic
   of Azerbaijan. Nonetheless, since the Republic of Azerbaijan's
   independence in 1991, there has been renewed interest and contact
   between Azeris on both sides of the border.

Culture

   In many respects, Azeris are Eurasian and bi-cultural, as northern
   Azeris have absorbed Russo-Soviet and Eastern European influences,
   whereas the Azeris of the south have remained within the Turko-Iranian
   tradition. Modern Azeri culture includes significant achievements in
   literature, art, music, and film.
   Muhammad Fuzûlî, 16th century poet
   Enlarge
   Muhammad Fuzûlî, 16th century poet

Language and literature

   The Azerbaijanis speak Azerbaijani (sometimes called Azerbaijani
   Turkish or Azeri), a Turkic language that is mutually intelligible with
   Turkish despite minor variations in accent, vocabulary and grammar.
   Other mutually intelligible Turkic languages include Turkmen and the
   Turkish spoken by the Turkomans of Iraq and the Qashqai. The
   Azerbaijani language is descended from the Western Oghuz Turkic
   language that became established in Azerbaijan in the 11th century CE.
   Early Oghuz was mainly an oral language. It began to develop as a
   literary language by the 13th century. Early oral Azerbaijani, derived
   from the Oghuz language, began with history recitations (dastans),
   including the Book of Dede Korkut and Koroglu, which contained Turkic
   mythology. Some of the earliest Azeri writings of the past are traced
   back to the poet Nesîmî (died 1417) and then decades later Fuzûlî
   (1483–1556). Ismail I, Shah of Safavid Persia wrote Azeri poetry under
   the pen name Khatâ'i. Modern Azeri literature continued with a
   traditional emphasis upon, humanism, as conveyed in the writings of
   Samed Vurgun, Reza Baraheni, Shahriar, and many others.

   In addition to their mother tongue, many Azerbaijanis are equally at
   home in Russian and/or Persian.

Religion

   The majority of Azerbaijanis are Shi'a Muslims. Religious minorities
   include Sunni Muslims, Jews, Zoroastrians, Christians and Bahá'ís.
   While only a small minority of Azeris in Iran are Sunni, between 25-40%
   of Azeris in the Republic of Azerbaijan identify as nominal Sunnis, and
   an unknown number show no religious affiliation. In the Republic of
   Azerbaijan traditions from other religions are often celebrated in
   addition to Islamic holidays, including Norouz and Christmas.

Performance art

   Performing Azeri musicians
   Enlarge
   Performing Azeri musicians

   Azeris express themselves in a variety of artistic ways including
   dance, music, and the media. Azeri folk dances are ancient and similar
   to that of their neighbours in the Caucasus and Iran. The group dance
   is a common form found from southeastern Europe to the Caspian Sea. 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." Solitary
   dances are performed by both men and women and involve subtle hand
   motions in addition to sequenced steps.

   Azeri musical tradition can be traced back to singing bards called
   Ashiqs, a vocation that survives to this day. Modern Ashiqs play the
   saz ( lute) and sing dastans (historical ballads). Other musical
   instruments include the tar (another type of lute), duduk (a wind
   instrument), Kamancha (fiddle), and the dhol (drums). Azeri classical
   music, called mugham, is often an emotional singing performance.
   Composers Uzeyir Hajibeyov, Gara Garayev and Fikret Amirov created a
   hybrid style that combines Western classical music with mugham. Other
   Azeris, notably Vagif Mustafa Zadeh and Aziza Mustafa Zadeh, mixed jazz
   with mugham. Some Azeri musicians have received international acclaim,
   including Rashid Behbudov (who could sing in over eight languages) and
   Muslim Magomayev (a pop star from the Soviet era).

   Meanwhile in Iran, Azeri music has taken a different course. According
   to Iranian Azeri singer Hossein Alizadeh, "Historically in Iran, music
   faced strong opposition from the religious establishment, forcing it to
   go underground." As a result, most Iranian Azeri music is performed
   outside of Iran amongst exile communities.

   Azeri film and television is largely broadcast in Azerbaijan with
   limited outlets in Iran. Some Azeris have been prolific film-makers,
   such as Rustam Ibragimbekov, who wrote Burnt by the Sun, winner of the
   Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival and an Academy Award for Best
   Foreign Language Film in 1994. Many Iranian Azeris have been prominent
   in the cinematic tradition of Iran, which has received critical praise
   since the 1980s.

Sports

   Chess player Teimour Radjabov
   Enlarge
   Chess player Teimour Radjabov

   Sports have historically been an important part of Azeri life. Numerous
   competitions were conducted on horseback and praised by poets and
   writers such as Gatran Tabrizi and Nezami Ganjavi. Other ancient sports
   include wrestling, javelin throwing and ox-wrestling.

   The Soviet legacy has in modern times propelled some Azeris to become
   accomplished atheletes at the Olympic level. The Azeri government
   supports the country's athletic legacy and encourages Azeri youth to
   take part. Football is very popular in both Azerbaijan and Iranian
   Azarbaijan. There are many prominent Azeri soccer players such as Ali
   Daei, the world's all-time leading goal scorer in international matches
   and the former captain of the Iran national soccer team. Azeri athletes
   have particularly excelled in weight lifting, gymnastics, shooting,
   javelin throwing, karate, boxing, and wrestling. Weight lifters, such
   as Nizami Pashayev, who won the European heavyweight title in 2006,
   have inspired a new generation of Azeris to compete at the
   international level.

   Chess is another popular pastime in Azerbaijan. The country has
   produced many notable players, such as Teimour Radjabov and Shakhriyar
   Mamedyarov, both highly ranked internationally, and Garry Kasparov,
   former World Chess Champion.

Institutions

   Kerim Kerimov (1917-2003) was a leading scientist and figure in the
   Soviet space program.
   Enlarge
   Kerim Kerimov (1917-2003) was a leading scientist and figure in the
   Soviet space program.

   Azerbaijan and Iranian Azerbaijan have developed distinct institutions
   as a result of divergent socio-political evolution. Azerbaijan began
   the 20th century with institutions based upon those of Russia and the
   Soviet Union, with strict state control over most aspects of society.
   Since, they have moved towards the adoption of Western social models as
   of the late 20th century. Since independence, relaxed state controls
   have allowed local civil society to develop. In contrast, in Iranian
   Azerbaijan Islamic theocratic institutions dominate nearly all aspects
   of society, with most political power in the hands of the Supreme
   Leader of Iran and the Council of Guardians. Yet both societies are in
   a state of change. In Azerbaijan there is a secular democratic system
   that is mired in political corruption and charges of election fraud.
   Azerbaijan's civil society is a work in progress:


   Azerbaijani people

   The lack of more 'modern' forms of self-organization and the experience
   of liberal democratic rule is the main reason why the building of civil
   society and the process of democratization in Azerbaijan takes place in
     a parallel rather than linear way. In the result, today Azerbaijan
   society may be characterized mostly as quasi civil and quasi democratic
   society the structures and institutions of which having signs of civil
        and democratic society from the standpoint of their level of
     development do not correspond to the modern criteria of the modern
                             democratic society.


   Azerbaijani people

   Despite these problems Azerbaijan has an active political opposition
   that seeks more expansive democratic reforms. Azeris in Iran remain
   intertwined with the Islamic republic's theocratic regime and lack any
   significant civil society of a secular nature that can pose a major
   challenge. There are signs of civil unrest due to the policies of the
   Iranian government in Iranian Azarbaijan and increased interaction with
   fellow Azeris in Azerbaijan and satellite broadcasts from Turkey have
   revived Azeri nationalism.

Women

   Azeri girl from Shusha (late 19th—early 20th century)
   Enlarge
   Azeri girl from Shusha (late 19th—early 20th century)

   Azeri females have historically struggled against a legacy of male
   domination but have made great strides since the 20th century. In
   Azerbaijan, women were granted the right to vote in 1919. Women have
   attained Western-style equality in major cities such as Baku, although
   in rural areas more traditional views remain. Some problems that are
   especially prevalent include violence against women, especially in
   rural areas. Crimes such as rape are severely punished in Azerbaijan,
   but rarely reported, not unlike other parts of the former Soviet Union.
   Azeri women were forced to "give up the veil," placing Azerbaijan in
   sharp contrast with Iranian Azarbajan. Women are underrepresented in
   elective office but have attained high positions in parliament. An
   Azeri woman is the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in Azerbaijan,
   and two others are Justices of the Constitutional Court. As of 6
   November 2005, women constituted 12% of all MPs (15 seats in total) in
   the National Assembly of Azerbaijan. The Republic of Azerbaijan is also
   one of the few Muslim countries where abortion is available on demand.

   In Iran, the continued unequal treatment of women has been met with
   increasingly vocal protests, including that of Shirin Ebadi, who won
   the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003 for her strong advocacy for women's
   rights. A groundswell of grassroots movements have emerged seeking
   gender equality since the 1980s. Regular protests take place in
   defiance of government bans and are often dispersed through violence,
   as in June 2006 when: "Thousands of women and male supporters came
   together on June 12 in Haft Tir Square in Tehran", and were dispersed
   through, "brutal suppression." Past Iranian leaders, such as Mohammad
   Khatami, promised women greater rights, but the government has opposed
   changes that they interpret as contrary to Islamic doctrine. As of
   2004, nine Azeri women have been elected to parliament ( Majlis) and
   while most are committed to social change, some represent conservative
   positions regarding gender issues. The social fate of Azeri women
   largely mirrors that of other women in Iran.

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