ABOUT the TOPONYM AZERBAIJAN an Azerbaijani Historic Cultural Reserve
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A-PDFProperty Split DEMO of : Purchasehistory from www.A-PDF.com to remove the watermark Firdovsiya AkhmAdoVA Doctor of History ABOUT THE TOPONYM AZERBAIJAN An Azerbaijani Historic Cultural Reserve THE NervoUS attitUdes to THE word coMBINatioN NortH AZerBaiJAN WHicH EXists todaY SHOUld BE EXplaiNed IN PUrelY political terMS: INterested parties are UsiNG it DUriNG specific MOMENts IN order to artificiallY create A NON-EXisteNT ‘proBleM’. WHat is THE reasoN THat specific powers perceive THis defiNitioN as far froM UNAMBIGUOUS? AND WHat kiND of powers are THEY? he phrase North Azerbaijan status in the first half of the 19th cen- 1804-1813 and 1828-1829, led to refers to a part of a whole tury, when the Khanates of North the provisional liquidation of the Tand logically presupposes the Azerbaijan were conquered by the Azerbaijani statehood which had existence of a South Azerbaijan. Russian Empire. From that time, existed before that time in the form Because the territory to which both the southern part of the country, of 20 independent Khanates. terms refer is not today within the which remained within the Iranian It is necessary to note that the structure of a single state ‘problems’ State, was named Iranian or Persian Gajar Shah dynasty of Turkic origin of different types arise. Azerbaijan and the northern part, (1779-1925), ruled during that period The definitions North which was included in the Russian in the Iranian State. From this time Azerbaijan and South Azerbaijan Empire, became known as Caucasian Azerbaijan was destined to exist in are not only used with geographi- or Russian Azerbaijan in different the form of different administrative cal but also very often with politi- sources, maps and documents. The territorial units within the structure cised historical meaning. Caucasian Gulustan and Turkmanchay Peace of two empires. South Azerbaijan, es- Azerbaijan and Persian Azerbaijan Treaties, signed between the Iranian pecially its capital Tabriz played, and are their analogues but with some State and the Russian Empire fol- continues to play, a quite important differences which received political lowing the Russian-Iranian wars of role in internal and foreign policy as 32 www.irs-az.com Map of Caucasian and Persian Azerbaijan, 1920 well as the economic life of the Iranian In 1977 a third Southern Azerbaijani of Azerbaijan: from Derbent in State. The official residence of the ostan was created – Zanjan, with its the north (now within the Russian heirs to the Gajar throne was located centre in the city of the same name. Federation) to Hamadan in the here. South Azerbaijan was consid- After the Khomeini Revolution of south (now within Iran) and from ered valiahd-nashin (the Residence 1979 further administrative territo- the Caspian Sea in the east to Asia of the Heirs) and Tabriz was named rial subdivision took place: today Minor in the west. dar-us-saltane (the Royal Residence). South Azerbaijan is divided into The state of Atropatene (4th cen- Accordingly, Tabriz performed the Eastern and Western Azerbaijan, tury BC to 3rd century AD) existed role of a second capital of the Iranian the Ardabil, Zanjan, Hamadan and in the southern lands of Azerbaijan State and served for some time as host Gazvin Ostans and Save and Astara (south of the Araz River) (2) and to foreign diplomatic missions. Thus, magals (regions). The whole of the Albania (3rd century BC to 7th cen- after the signing of the Turkmanchay territory of South Azerbaijan is 280 tury AD) in the northern lands of Peace Treaty of 1828 the Ambassador thousand square kilometres and Azerbaijan (north of the Araz River). Plenipotentiary of the Russian Empire North Azerbaijan is 130 thousand (3) These independent states from to the Iranian State and also the resi- square kilometres. Thus, the area of time to time suffered invasions by dences of the Consulates General of historic Azerbaijan is 410 thousand different tribes and by the great the Russian and Ottoman Empires square kilometres.(1) powers of antiquity and the Early were found in this city. The modern sovereign Republic Middle Ages and at times formed Before 1938 South Azerbaijan of Azerbaijan corresponds to North part of them. Thus, in the 6th centu- was one of four provinces (ostans) of Azerbaijan and to a considerable ex- ry, when Azerbaijan was part of the the Iranian State. Later, as a result of tent with the territory of Caucasian Sassanid State (224-651), its head administrative reform it was divided Albania but it does not include Shahanshah Khosrov I Anushiravan into two ostans: Eastern Azerbaijan, all Azerbaijani lands. The historic (531-579) carried out administra- with its centre in Tabriz, and Western homeland of the Azerbaijanis, tive reforms which resulted in the Azerbaijan, with its centre in Urmiya. where they are native, is the whole creation of four vicariates or kusts www.irs-az.com 33 Property of history (parts). The northern kust was been completely or partially in- named Azerbaijan. (4) It included cluded into the structure of a sin- all the historic lands of Azerbaijan. gle state. Among such states are (5) A text from the 6th century, writ- the ancient State of Manna (9-7th ten in Pahlavi (Medieval Persian) centuries BC) created by ances- survives on the walls of ancient tors of the Azerbaijanis, the me- Derbent, one of the most im- dieval Azerbaijani Atabey (1136- portant cities of Azerbaijan and 1225), Hulagid (1256-1353) and of Southern Dagestan: ‘Barznish, Agh-Goyunlu (1378-1508) States amargar (Financial supervisor of) and the most significant among Adurbadagan’. (6) This important them is the Safavid Empire (1501- source testifies to the fact that 1736), in the structure of which the when referring to Azerbaijan all Azerbaijani lands were included in the historical lands were meant. their entirety. (8) During that pe- In 9-10th century Arab sources riod Azerbaijan was divided into Azerbaijan is repeatedly referred to four administrative territorial units as an administrative territorial unit – Beylarbeyliy: Tabriz, Chuhur-Saad, in the Sassanid period. Thus, a map Garabagh and Shirvan. (9) From of the Caspian created by the 10th foreign states which possessed century Arab author Ibn Khaukal this land we will mention the names the coastal territory from Achamenid and Sassanid Empires, Derbent in the north to Gilan in the Arab Caliphate and the Seljuk the south as Azerbaijan. The Arab and Mongol powers. (10) Caliphate was divided into provinc- The creator and first ruler of es, one of which was also referred the Afsharid State, Nadir Shah to as Azerbaijan by the 12-13th cen- (1736-1747), changed the Safavid tury Arab writer Ibn al-Asir. administrative territorial division However, under the influence of Azerbaijan by joining the afore- of the current political situation mentioned beylarbeyliys and creat- some researchers ignore these ing the new unit Azerbaijan with its sources and even try to falsify centre in Tabriz. From the middle of them. Specifically, A. P. Novoseltsev, the 18th century to the first third of when translating the geographical the 19th century 20 independent names marked on the map by Ibn khanates existed on Azerbaijani Khaukal from Arabic into Russian, lands. This period is considered by for unknown reasons, did not the American Caucasus scholar T. provide an explanation for these Svetohovski as one of the periods words ‘Azerbaijan, stretching from of Azerbaijani independence. (11) Derbent to Gilan’ which are given in It is appropriate to mention the Arabic text. (7) This map, pub- the following historical fact to lished on the cover of the book by those who today do not accept A. P. Novoseltsev, is a very impor- the term North Azerbaijan: in 1828 tant historical source which refutes the Russian Empire created the the conjectures of those who are Armenian region on the lands of the Pekhlevi inscriptions of Derbent against the use of the definition Azerbaijani Iravan and Nakhchivan Azerbaijan as referring to the terri- Khanates which it had liquidated. tory of all the historic lands. This is the same historic Azerbaijani It is known that both parts of lands as the Chuhur-Saad beylar- Azerbaijan have more than once beyliy. The Armenian region, creat- 34 www.irs-az.com ed in an artificial way, was needed to tion Azerbaijan appeared in the about Iravan, Yelizavetpol and Baku form a mass organised resettlement beginning of the 20th century: it is Provinces and other uyezds and ok- of Armenians from the Ottoman and natural that all attempts at national rugs of Transcaucasia.’ (17) Persian Empires in order to increase revival of this country, at that time Iran was very uneasy about the the Christian element of the popu- divided between Russia and Iran, declaration on 28th of May 1918 lation here which could be relied met with opposition from them. The of the Independent Democratic on to carry out imperial policy. The period when ‘Azerbaijani autonomy Republic of Azerbaijan (DRA) which Republic of Armenia is located here entered the international scene for the first time in history turned the today and it covers 298000 square as an already formed political pro- toponym Azerbaijan into the official kilometres of Azerbaijani lands. gramme’ (M. A. Rasul-zade) coincid- name of the northern part of the It is would be useful also to ask ed with the collapse of the Russian country. (For information: after the those who zealously cares about Empire in 1917, during which circles collapse of Yugoslavia and the dec- correct usage of the names of states aiming for great power and also laration in 1992 of the Independent in accordance with their territorial hostile to the idea of Azerbaijani Republic of Macedonia Greece insis- and historical origin why they do autonomy joined closely together.