The nameAzerbaijan derives fromOld Persian*Ātṛpāta (whence GreekAtropates),[16] the name of aPersian[17][18][19]satrap (governor) ofMedea in theAchaemenid Empire, who ruled a region found in modern Iranian Azerbaijan which was calledĀtṛpātakāna (Atropatene). The name*Ātṛpāta is believed to be derived from the Old Persian roots meaning "protected by fire."[16] The name is also mentioned in theAvestan Frawardin Yasht:âterepâtahe ashaonô fravashîm ýazamaide which translates literally to: "We worship theFravashi of the holy Atare-pata."[20] According to theEncyclopaedia of Islam: "InMiddle Persian the name of the province was called Āturpātākān, older new-Persian Ādharbādhagān (آذربادگان/آذرآبادگان), Ādharbāyagān, at present Āzerbāydjān/Āzarbāydjān,GreekAtropatēnḗ (Ἀτροπατηνή),Byzantine GreekAdravigánon (ἈΑδραβιγάνων),ArmenianAtrpatakan (Ատրպատական),SyriacAdhorbāyghān."[21] The name Atropat in Middle Persian was transformed to Adharbad and is connected with Zoroastrianism. A famous Zoroastrian priest by the name Adarbad Mahraspandan is well known for his counsels.[22] Azerbaijan, due to its numerous fire-temples has also been quoted in a variety of historic sources as being the birthplace of the prophetZoroaster although modern scholars have not yet reached an agreement on the location of his birth.[23]
In the early 19th century,Qajar Iran was forced to cede toImperial Russia its Caucasian territories north of theAras River (modern-dayDagestan,Georgia,Armenia, and the Republic ofAzerbaijan), through the treaties ofGulistan (1813) andTurkmenchay (1828). Following the disintegration of the Russian Empire in 1917, as well as the short-livedTranscaucasian Democratic Federative Republic, in 1918, the leadingMusavat government adopted the name "Azerbaijan" for the newly establishedAzerbaijan Democratic Republic, which was proclaimed on May 27, 1918,[24] for political reasons,[25][26] even though the name of "Azerbaijan" had always been used to refer to the adjacent region of contemporary northwestern Iran.[6][7][8] Thus, until 1918, when the Musavat regime decided to name the newly independent state Azerbaijan, this designation had been used exclusively to identify the Iranian province of Azerbaijan.[7][8][15][27]
History
Antiquity
Early antiquity
The oldest kingdom known in Iranian Azerbaijan is that of theMannea who ruled a region south-east ofLake Urmia centered around modernSaqqez. The Manneans were a confederation of Iranian and non-Iranian groups. According to Ran Zadok:
it is unlikely that there was any ethnolinguistic unity in Mannea. Like other peoples of theIranian plateau, the Manneans were subjected to an ever-increasing Iranian (i.e., Indo-European) penetration.[28]
The Mannaeans were conquered and absorbed by an Iranian people called Matieni, and the country was calledMatiene, with Lake Urmia called Lake Matianus. Matiene was later conquered by the Medes and became a satrapy of the Median empire and then a sub-satrapy of the Median satrapy of the Persian Empire.
According toEncyclopædia Britannica, theMedes were an:
Indo-European people, related to the Persians, who entered northeastern Iran probably as early as the 17th century BC and settled in the plateau land that came to be known as Media.[29]
AfterAlexander the Great conqueredPersia, he appointed (328 BC) as governor the Persian generalAtropates, who eventually established an independent dynasty. The region, which came to be known asĀtṛpātakāna in Old Persian andAtropatene or Media Atropatene in Greek (after*Ātṛpāta/Atropates), was much disputed. In the 2nd century BC, it was liberated fromSeleucid domination byMithradates I of theArsacid dynasty.
Later, large parts of the region were conquered by or became vassals of theKingdom of Armenia which created the provinces ofNor Shirakan,Vaspurakan, andPaytakaran in this region and reached its greatest extent in the 1st century BC, underTigranes the Great. Vaspurakan, of which large parts were located in what is modern-day Iranian Azerbaijan, is described as the cradle ofArmenian civilization.[30]
In 226 AD, the region submitted to the first Sasanian emperor,Ardashir I and became a province of theSasanian Empire named Ādurbādagān (Middle Persian). Under the Sasanians, Azerbaijan was ruled by amarzubān, and, towards the end of the period, belonged to the family ofFarrokh Hormizd.
In 642,Piruz Khosrow, one of the Sasanian survivors during the battle of al-Qadisiyyah, fought against the Muslims atNahavand, which was a gateway to the provinces of Azerbaijan,Armenia andCaucasian Albania. The battle was fierce, but the Sasanian troops lost during the battle. This opened the gateway for the Muslims to enter Azerbaijan. The Muslims then invaded Azerbaijan and capturedIsfandiyar, the son ofFarrukhzad. Isfandiyar then promised, in return for his life, that he would agree to surrender his estates in Azerbaijan and aid the Muslims in defeating his brother, Bahram. Bahram was then defeated and sued for peace. A pact was drawn up according to which Azerbaijan was surrendered toCaliphUmar on usual terms of paying the annualjizya.
Muslims settled in Azerbaijan as they did in many parts of Iran, and would convert most of its people toIslam. According to theIranian Azerbaijani historianAhmad Kasravi, more Muslims settled in Azerbaijan compared to other provinces due to the province's plentiful and fertile pastures.
After confrontations with the localDaylamite andKurdish populations who had already established their own dynasties and emirates in different parts of Azerbaijan, theSeljuks dominated the region in the 11th and early 12th centuries, at which point the linguistic Turkicization of the native Iranian populations began (with the emergence ofAzerbaijani Turkic which would gradually replace theOld Azeri language). In 1122,Maragheh fell to theAhmadilis, a dynasty ofatabegs; in 1136, the rest of Azerbaijan fell to theEldiguzids, another dynasty of atabegs.
In the early 13th century, large parts of Azerbaijan were conquered by theKingdom of Georgia, at the time led byTamar the Great. Under the command of the brothers Zakaria and IvaneMkhargrdzeli, the Georgians conquered Ardabil and Tabriz in 1208, and Qazvin and Khoy in 1210.[34][35][36][37]
In 1231,Ögedei Khan conqueredMaragheh, where his nephewHulagu Khan (first of theHulaguids) would later establish the capital of theIlkhanate. The bookSafina-yi Tabriz describes the general state ofTabriz during the Ilkhanid period. After being conquered byTimur in the 14th century, Tabriz became an important provincial capital of theTimurid Empire. Later, Tabriz became the capital of theQara Qoyunlus. TheAq Qoyunlus afterwards controlled Azerbaijan.
It was out ofArdabil (ancient Artavilla) that theSafavid dynasty arose to renew the state of Persia and establish Shi'ism as the official religion of Iran. Around the same time, the population of what is now Azerbaijan and Iranwere converted to Shiism,[38] and both nations remain the only nations in the world with a significantly Shia majority, with Iran having the largest Shia population by percentage, with the Republic of Azerbaijan having the second-largest Shia population by percentage.[39][40]
After 1502, Azerbaijan became the chief bulwark and military base of the Safavids. It was the chief province from which the various Iranian empires would control theirCaucasian provinces, all the way up toDagestan in the early 19th century. In the meantime, between 1514 and 1603, the Ottomans sometimes occupied Tabriz and other parts of the province duringtheir numerous wars with their Safavid ideological and political archrivals. The Safavid control was restored by Shah Abbas but during the Afghan invasion (1722–8) the Ottomans recaptured Azerbaijan and other western provinces of Iran, untilNader Shah expelled them.
Following the death in 1747 ofNader Shah, founder of theAfsharid dynasty, several khanates (historically referred to asulkas ortumans in Persian) emerged in Azerbaijan at the same time as the neighboringkhanates of the Caucasus. At the beginning of the reign ofKarim Khan Zand, theAzad Khan Afghan unsuccessfully revolted in Azerbaijan and later the Dumbuli Kurds ofKhoy and other tribal chiefs ruled various parts of the territory. Azad Khan was defeated however byErekle II. With the advent of the Qajars, Azerbaijan became the traditional residence of the heirs-apparent. Even until then Azerbaijan remained the main area from where the high-ranked governors would control the various territories and khanates of Azerbaijan and the Caucasus while the main power stayed inTehran. Some of the khanates of Azerbaijan would be disestablished in the 19th century by the Qajars; other khanates would be allowed to remain by the Qajars into the 20th century, and would eventually be disestablished byReza Shah Pahlavi.
Qajar Azerbaijan
The founder of theQajar dynasty,Agha Mohammad Khan, marched into Azerbaijan in the spring of 1791, as part of his reconquest of Iran and of the adjacentCaucasus in several swift campaigns (such as theBattle of Krtsanisi whereby Georgia was harshly re-subjugated in 1795). However, the reassertion of Iranian hegemony over the Caucasus (comprising modern-dayGeorgia,Armenia, theRepublic of Azerbaijan, andDagestan) would not last long. Iran would eventually and irrevocably lose all of the Caucasus region to the neighbouringRussian Empire by 1828, an event which would have a crucial impact on modern-day Iranian Azerbaijan.[b]
Shortly after the reconquest of Georgia, Agha Mohammad Shah was assassinated while preparing a second expedition in 1797 inShusha.[41] In 1799 the Russians marched intoTbilisi,[42] which would mark the beginning of the end of the Iranian-ruled domains in the Caucasus.[14] Agha Mohammad Khan's death and the penetration of Russian troops into the Iranian possession of Tbilisi led directly to the first of theRusso-Persian Wars to involve the Qajars: theRusso-Persian War (1804–1813),[41] and the most devastating and humiliating one. By the end of the war in 1813 and the resultingTreaty of Gulistan, Qajar Iran was forced to cede Georgia, most of the modern-day Republic of Azerbaijan, and Dagestan to Russia. The only Caucasian territories remaining in Iranian hands were what is nowArmenia, theNakhichevan Khanate, and theTalysh Khanate. The next war, theRusso-Persian War (1826–1828), resulted in an even more humiliating defeat, with Iran being forced to cede the remaining Caucasian regions,[14] as well as having Russian troops temporarily occupying Tabriz and Iranian Azerbaijan. As Iran was unwilling to allow the Russians to gain possession over its Caucasian territories in theNorth Caucasus andSouth Caucasus, the millennia-old ancient ties between Iran and the Caucasus region were only severed by the superior Russian force of Russia through these 19th-century wars.[41]
Those regions to the north of theAras River, which included the territory of the contemporary republic of Azerbaijan, eastern Georgia, Dagestan, and Armenia, and which Iran had just lost to Russia, had been part of Iran for centuries.[14][41][13][14][43][44][45][46][47] From then on, the border between Iran and Russia was set at the Aras River, which is currently the border between Iran and Armenia and between Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan.
Onset of important Russian influence
Following 1828, the Russians were very influential in Northern Iran including Iranian Azerbaijan,Gilan,Mazandaran,Qazvin, and many other places all the way up toIsfahan fell into the Russian sphere of influence. The Russians would remain highly influent until 1946. Russian armies would be stationed in many regions of Iranian Azerbaijan, Russian schools would be founded, and many Russianswould settle in the region, but less than in Gilan and Mazandaran. Also, Azerbaijan would see the large influx of the so-calledWhite émigrés fleeing to Iran following theBolshevik revolution in Russia (see below). Iranian nationalism would also be partly the product of Azerbaijani intellectuals.[48][49]
After 1905, the representatives of Azerbaijan were very active in theIranian Constitutional Revolution as a result of this Russian influence. TheAnglo-Russian Convention of 1907 formalized the division of Qajar Iran between Russian influence in the north, including Iranian Azerbaijan, and British influence in the south.
TheSiege of Tabriz (1908–1909) was a significant event during the Constitutional Revolution in Iran. The siege marked a pivotal moment in the struggle between constitutionalists seeking a parliamentary system and those loyal to the ruling Qajars. Battles took place in the city of Tabriz and the province of Azerbaijan between the constitutionalist forces and the forces ofMohammad Ali Shah Qajar. In mid-April 1909, Russia and Britain reached an understanding whereby Russian troops would enter Iranian territory and lift the siege of Tabriz. The Russian army subsequentlyoccupied Tabriz and would occupy it again in 1912–1914 and 1915–1918, followed by Ottoman forces in 1914–1915 and 1918–1919; Bolshevik forces occupied Iranian Azerbaijan and other parts of Iran in 1920–1921.[50]
Contemporary era
Early Pahlavi period
In 1937, underReza Shah Pahlavi, founder of thePahlavi dynasty, Azerbaijan was renamedOstân-e Shomâl-e Gharb (Persian:استان شمال غرب,lit. 'the Northwestern Province'). Shortly after, Azerbaijan was divided into an eastern and western part which were renamedOstân-e Sevom (Persian:استان سوم,lit. 'the Third Province') andOstân-e Chahârom (Persian:استان چهارم,lit. 'the Fourth Province') respectively.
Soviet invasion and Azerbaijan People's Government
In 1941, Soviet forces occupied the region. From November 1945 to November 1946, a very short-lived and autonomousSoviet-supported state was created,[51] which was dissolved after the reunification of Iranian Azerbaijan with Iran in November of the same year.
Late Pahlavi and post-Revolutionary period
In 1961, the Third Province was renamed East Azerbaijan, and the Fourth Province was renamed West Azerbaijan.
Iranian Azerbaijan is generally considered the north-west portion of Iran comprising the provinces ofEast Azerbaijan,West Azerbaijan, andArdabil.[52] It shares borders with theRepublic of Azerbaijan,[53] Armenia, Turkey, and Iraq. There are 17 rivers and two lakes in the region. Cotton, nuts, textiles, tea, machinery, and electrical equipment are the main industries. The northern,alpine region, which includesLake Urmia, is mountainous, with deep valleys and fertile lowlands.
Sabalan is an inactivestratovolcano inArdabil province of northwesternIran. It is the third highest mountain in Iran and has a permanentcrater lake formed at its summit. Sabalan has aski resort (Alvares) and different tourist areas such as theSarein spa. The mountain is known for its extensive views, including the Shirvan gorge, where few climbers ever venture.[citation needed] Elevation of Sabalan is 4,811 m (15,784 ft).[54]
Sahand is a massive, heavily erodedstratovolcano in northwesternIran. At 3,707 m (12,162 ft), it is the highest mountain in the Iranian province ofEast Azerbaijan.
Eynali is a small mountain range in north ofTabriz,Iran. The range has a couple of peaks including Eynali (1,800 m or 5,910 ft), Halileh (1,850 m or 6,070 ft), Pakeh-chin (1,945 m or 6,381 ft), Bahlul (1,985 m or 6,512 ft) and the highest one Dand (2,378 m or 7,802 ft).[55]
Gori Lake is a small fresh to brackishlake in the uplands ofEast Azerbaijan Province. Together with the adjacent reed marshes it is an important breeding area forwaterfowl. A 1.2 km2 (0.46 sq mi) site was designated as aRamsar Convention wetland protection site on 23 June 1975.
Neor Lake is located in a hilly area south of the province of Ardabil, on the Ardabil–Khalkhal road.
TheMughan plain is a plain located between Iran and the southern part of theRepublic of Azerbaijan. The highest density of irrigation canals is in the section of the Mughan plain which lies in the Republic of Azerbaijan. It is located on the bank of theAras river extending to Iran.[60]
Industry and mining of Iranian Azerbaijan in North-west
The economy in Iranian Azerbaijan is based on Heavy industries, food industries, agriculture, and handicraft. The biggest economic hub is Tabriz which contains the majority of heavy industries and food industries. Iranian Azerbaijan has two free trade zones designated to promote international trade:Aras Free Zone and Maku Free Zone. The agriculture industry in Iranian Azerbaijan is relatively better than many other parts of the country because of comparatively higher precipitation. Handicrafts are mostly a seasonal industry mostly in rural areas during wintertime when the agriculture season is finished. There are 500 important production and industrial unit in this area.[72] in October 2016, 500 Regional economic giant was introduced in 5 areas and 19 groups.[73]
Free trade zones and exhibition centers
Tabriz International Exhibition Center: which is a complex with vast exhibition infrastructures, is located in the eastern part ofTabriz. It holds over forty commerce exhibitions on a yearly schedule. The most famous fair is TEXPO, which is a general trade fair.
Aras Free Zone: is situated inEast Azerbaijan province, in the north-west ofIran, adjacent toNakhchivan Autonomous Republic,Armenia and the Republic ofAzerbaijan.[74] Existence of thegreenhouse town in the AFTZ, which has been built upon cooperation of Agricultural Jihad Ministry, has paved the ground for presence of investors in the arena of plantinghydroponic products.[74] The 500-megawatt combined cyclepower plant project which is currently underway in AFTZ as a joint investment venture with foreign parties.[74]
Maku Free Zone: is situated inWest Azerbaijan province, in the north-west ofIran, adjacent toTurkey.
Heavy industries
Industries include machine tools, vehicle factories, oil refineries, petrochemical complexes, food processing, cement, textiles, electric equipment, and sugar milling. Oil and gas pipelines run through the region. Wool, carpets, and metalware are also produced. In some factories and major companies in Azerbaijan include:
Iran Tractor Manufacturing Company (ITMCO), a producer oftractor, diesel engines, and other auto parts, and provider of industrial services with its headquarter and main site inTabriz.[75]ITMCO has manufacturing sites in several countries and it exports different products to ten countries.[75] The company isISO 9001 audited, and has received several awards of quality and exporting.[75]ITMCO is listed as one of Iran's 100 fortune brands.
Goldstone Tires, operating under thebrand Goldstone Tires is an Iranian manufacturer oftire for automobiles, commercial trucks, light trucks, SUVs, race cars, airplanes, and heavy earth-mover machinery inArdabil. Artawheel Tire is currently the largest non-government owned tire manufacturer in Iran by market share.[76] The company currently has agreements withIran Khodro Tabriz to develop tires for thePeugeot 206 models.[77]
Mashin Sazi Tabriz (MST) is a manufacturer of industrial machinery and tools inTabriz. The major products of the factory are turning machines, milling machines, drilling machines, grinding machines, and tools.
Rakhsh Khodro Diesel is an Iraniantruck manufacturer established in 2005 and located inTabriz. This company is a strategic partner ofKamaz of Russia,JAC andJinbei of China andMaz-Man of Belarus, and produces Kamaz trucks, JAC light trucks, and its own designed minibus. Its headquarters is inTabriz.
Amico is an Iranian truck manufacturer established in 1989 and located in Jolfa near Tabriz. This company produces light and heavy diesel vehicles.[78]
Iran Khodro Tabriz, whose headquarters is in Tehran, is the leading Iranian vehicle manufacturer; it has the country's largest car factory in Tehran and five other vehicle factories. The company's original name was "Iran National".[79] Until 2014, Iran Khodro Tabriz had a capacity of 520,000 vehicles,[80] building 150Samand Arisan cars per day instead of the Bardo Pick-up Paykan.[81] The site also produces 100IKCO Samands per day.[82]
Other major petrochemical companies, oil refineries and industries include Machine works Company of Tabriz, Iranian Diesel Engine Manufacturing (IDEM), Tabriz Oil Refinery, Tabriz Petrochemical, and Copper Mine Songon.
Ardabil rug andArdabil carpet originate fromArdabil. Ardabil has a long and illustrious history of Azerbaijani carpet weaving. The reign of the Safavid dynasty in the 16th and 17th centuries represented the peak of Azerbaijani carpet making in the region.
Karadagh rug or Karaja rug is handmade in or near the village of Qarājeh (Karaja), in the Qareh Dāgh (Karadagh) region just south of theAzerbaijan border, northeast of Tabrīz. The best-known pattern shows three geometric medallions that are somewhat similar to those in Caucasian carpets. The central one has a latch-hooked contour and differs in colour from the others, which are eight-pointed stars.[86]
More than fifty percent of entire Iranian food exports are carried from Iranian Azerbaijan.[87] The major hub for the food industry in the region is Tabriz which includes theShirin Asal, Aydin, Shoniz, Anata, Baraka and Chichak manufacturers.[citation needed] Outside of Tabriz Minoo Industrial Group inKhorramdarreh is another nationally recognized food manufacturer.[88]
Agriculture
The principle crops of the region are grains, fruits, cotton, rice, nuts, and tobacco.
According to the population census of 2012, the four provinces ofEast Azerbaijan (2012 pop. 3,724,620),West Azerbaijan (2012 pop. 3,080,576),Zanjan (2012 pop. 1,015,734), andArdabil (2012 pop. 1,248,488) have a combined population of 9 million people.[121]
Sasanian kingBahram Gur is a great favourite in Persian tradition and poetry. Depiction of Nezami's "Bahram and the Indian Princess in the Black Pavilion"Khamse ("Quintet"), mid-16th centurySafavid era.
Many poets that came from Azerbaijan wrote poetry in bothPersian andAzerbaijani. Renowned poets inAzerbaijani language areNasimi,Shah Ismail I (who was known with the pen-name Khatai),Fuzuli,Nasimi, andJahan Shah were probably born outside what is now Iranian Azerbaijan.Azerbaijani was the dominant language of the Turkish ruling dynasties of the area, such asAk Koyunlu,[129]Kara Koyunlu,[130] and was later used in theSafavid court, until Isfahan became the capital,[131] and by religious, military and state dignitaries.[132][133] In the 16th century, Azerbaijani literature further flourished with the development ofAshik (Azerbaijani:Aşıq) poetic genre of bards. During the same period, under the pen-name of Khatāī (Arabic:خطائی forsinner),[134]Shah Ismail I wrote about 1,400 verses in Azerbaijani,[135] which were later published as hisDivan. A unique literary style known asqoshma (Azerbaijani:qoşma forimprovisation) was introduced in this period, and developed by Shah Ismail and later by his son and successor, ShahTahmasp andTahmasp I.[129] In the span of the 17th century, 18th and 19th century, Fizuli's unique genres as wellAshik poetry were taken up by prominent poets and writers such asQovsi Tabrizi,Shah Abbas Sani,Khasta Qasim,Mirza Fatali Akhundov,Seyid Abulgasim Nabati,Ali Mojuz and others.
An influential piece of post-World War II Azerbaijani poetry,Heydar Babaya Salam (Greetings to Heydar Baba) was written by Azeri poetMohammad Hossein Shahriar. This poem, published inTabriz in 1954 and written in colloquial Azerbaijani, became popular amongIranians and the people ofAzerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic. InHeydar Babaya Salam, Shahriar expressed his identity as an Iranian attached to his homeland, language, and culture. Heydar Baba is a hill near Khoshknab, the native village of the poet.
گزیده هر چه در ایران بزرگان زآذربایگان و ری و گرگان All the nobles and greats of Iran, Choose from Azerbaijan,Ray, andGorgan. —Vis o Ramin
از آنجا بتدبیر آزادگان بیامد سوی آذرآبادگان From there the wise and the free, set off to Azerbaijan —Nizami
به یک ماه در آذرآبادگان ببودند شاهان و آزادگان For a month's time, The Kings and The Free, Would choose in Azerbaijan to be —Ferdowsi
Monuments
The Iranian provinces of Azerbaijan, both West and East, possess a large number of monuments from all periods of history,[136] including UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Takht-e Soleymān: literally the Throne of Solomon, in earlier ancient periods known asShiz orAdur Gushnasp,[141] literally the Fire of the Warrior Kings) is an archaeological site inWest Azerbaijan. It lies midway betweenUrmia andHamadan, very near the present-day town ofTakab.
Dome of Soltaniyeh: located nearZanjan, 240 kilometres (150 mi) to the north-west ofTehran, used to be the capital of MongolIlkhanid rulers ofPersia in the 14th century. Its name translates as The Imperial. In 2005, UNESCO listed Soltaniyeh as one of the World Heritage Sites. The road from Zanjan to Soltaniyeh extends until it reaches to theKatale khor cave.
Azeri style is a style (sabk) of architecture when categorizingIranian architecture development in Azerbaijan history. Landmarks of this style of architecture span from the late 13th century (Ilkhanate) to the appearance of theSafavid dynasty in the 16th century CE.[142]
Ashik is a mystic bard, balladeer, or troubadour who accompanied his song be it a hikaye or a shorter original composition with a long-necked lute. The modern Azerbaijani ashiq is a professional musician who usually serves an apprenticeship, masters playing saz, and builds up a varied but individual repertoire of Turkic folk songs.[143] andThe Coffeehouse of Ashiks is a coffeehouse in cities of Azerbaijan where ashiks performTurkish hikaye.[144] In cities, towns, and villages of Iranian Azerbaijan ashiks entertain audiences in coffeehouses.[145]
Azerbaijan Cultural and Literature Foundation
Azerbaijan Cultural and Literature Foundation, was founded for the purpose of research, study and promote the study of the culture, art, language, literature, and history of Azerbaijan in four provinces (East Azerbaijan,West Azerbaijan,Ardabil, andZanjan) of Azerbaijan region.[146]
Transportation
Air
Iranian Azerbaijan is connected to other parts of Iran and the world via several air routes. There are seven civil airports in the region and the biggest Airport in the region isTabriz International Airport located in north-west of Tabriz. The other Airports are:
Azerbaijan is connected to the rest of Iranian railways through a line that connects Tabriz toTehran. This line continues from Tabriz toJolfa city in the north of East Azerbaijan province and is connected to the railways ofNakhichevan. Tabriz–Jolfa railway is one of the oldest railways in Iran that was built between 1912 and 1916. This railway line is the only part of Iranian railways that has an electric line. Tabriz also connected to Turkey through Tabriz-Razi railways which were built 1960–1961.The most important railways station in Azerbaijan isTabriz Railway Station which was founded in West ofTabriz in 1917; the current railway building of Tabriz railway station was built during the secondPahlavi era by Iranian architectHeydar Ghiaï-Chamlou. The first railroad arriving at Tabriz had been built byRussians. The railway started fromJolfa, a city on the border of Iran and the modernRepublic of Azerbaijan.
Tabriz Metro opened on 28 August 2015 with 7 km length and 6 stations.[147] It will encompass 5 lines (4 lines are underground subway and 1 line is planned to connectTabriz to Sahand) and the total planned length is 75 kilometres (47 mi). Line 1 is the first line under construction that connects Shah-Golu in the southeast to Laleh district in the southwest after passing through the city center of Tabriz.[148]
Tabriz Urban Railway Organization (TURO), El-Gölü Station
Tabriz Railway Station
Roads
A network of Iranian national roads connects cities and populated areas of Azerbaijan to each other and to other parts of Iran. The only freeway in Azerbaijan isFreeway 2 (Iran) which connects Tabriz to Tehran and it is planned to construct the rest of the freeway up to the Iran-Turkey border atBazargan. Other roads and highways includeRoad 32 (Iran) which connects Tehran to Tabriz and continues to the Iran-Turkey border at Bazargan. Here is a list and map of roads that pass through Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijani language is not taught in Iranian schools; but for the first time at the level of academic education since 2016, Azerbaijani language and literature launched in Azerbaijan forTabriz University.[149]
^Since the late 17th/early 18th century, the Russians had been actively pursuing an expansionist policy towards its neighbouring empires to its south, namely the Ottoman Empire and the successive Iranian kingdoms. Two of theRusso-Persian Wars had already been fought, in 1651–1653 and in 1722–1723.
^"Zandjan".The Encyclopaedia of Islam. Vol. XI. Leiden: Brill. 2002. p. 446.The mediaeval geographers mostly placed Zandjan in Djibal province, usually linking it with Abhar [q.v] or Awhar some 80 km/50 miles to its south-east, but they usually stated that it was on the frontier with Adharbaydjan, and some authorities attributed it to Daylam or to Rayy.
^abcRezvani 2014, p. 356: "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."
^Croissant 1998, p. 61: "During the Soviet-era historical revisionism and myth-building intended to denounce imperialism, the notion of a "northern" and "southern" Azerbaijan was created and propagated throughout USSR. It was charged that the "two Azerbaijanis" once united were separated artificially by a conspiracy between imperial Russia and Iran".
^Ethnic Conflict and International Security, Edited by Michael E. Brown, Princeton University Press, 1993
^Fragner 2001, p. 24: "Under Soviet auspices and in accordance with Soviet nationalism, historical Azerbaijan proper was reinterpreted as 'Southern Azerbaijan', with demands for liberation and, eventually, for 're'-unification with Northern (Soviet) Azerbaijan – a breathtaking manipulation. No need to point to concrete Soviet political activities in this direction, as in 1945–46 etc. The really interesting point is that in the independent former Soviet republics this typically Soviet ideological pattern has long outlasted the Soviet Union."
^Minahan, James (1998).Miniature Empires: A Historical Dictionary of the Newly Independent States. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 20.ISBN978-0-313-30610-5.
^Yilmaz 2015, p. 21: "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 [Transcaucasian] Tatar, which they rightfully considered to be a Russian colonial definition. [...] Neighboring Iran did not welcome the DRA's adoption of the name of "Azerbaijan" for the country because it could also refer to Iranian Azerbaijan and implied a territorial claim."
^Barthold, Vasily (1963).Sochineniya, vol II/1. Moscow. p. 706.[...] whenever it is necessary to choose a name that will encompass all regions of the Republic of Azerbaijan, nameArran can be chosen. But the term Azerbaijan was chosen because when the Azerbaijan republic was created, it was assumed that this and the Persian Azerbaijan 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 arises as to which Azerbaijan is talked about.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^Fragner 2001: "In the post Islamic sense, Arran andShirvan are often distinguished, while in the pre-Islamic era, Arran or the westernCaucasian Albania roughly corresponds to the modern territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan. In theSoviet era, in a breathtaking manipulation, historical Azerbaijan (northwesternIran) was reinterpreted as "South Azerbaijan" in order for the Soviets to lay territorial claim on historical Azerbaijan proper which is located in modern-day northwestern Iran.
^Hewsen 1987: "So spirited was the Armenian defense, however, that the Persians suffered enormous losses as well. Their victory was pyrrhic and the king, faced with troubles elsewhere, was forced, at least for the time being, to allow the Armenians to worship as they chose."
^Pattie 1997, p. 40: "The Armenian defeat in the Battle of Avarayr in 451 proved a pyrrhic victory for the Persians. Though the Armenians lost their commander, Vartan Mamikonian, and most of their soldiers, Persian losses were proportionately heavy, and Armenia was allowed to remain Christian."
^L. Baker, Patricia; Smith, Hilary; Oleynik, Maria (2014).Iran. London, United Kingdom: Bradt Travel Guides. p. 158.ISBN978-1841624020.Archived from the original on 3 September 2020. Retrieved19 September 2017.
^Salia, Kalistrat (1983).History of the Georgian nation. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin. p. 181.Archived from the original on 3 September 2020. Retrieved19 September 2017.
^For more information see: Ali Morshedizad, Roshanfekrane Azari va Hoviyate Melli va Ghomi (Azari Intellectuals and Their Attitude to National and Ethnic Identity (Tehran: Nashr-e Markaz publishing co., 1380)
^Jessup, John E. (1989).A Chronology of Conflict and Resolution, 1945–1985. New York: Greenwood Press.ISBN0-313-24308-5.[page needed]
^ab"Azerbaijan".Encyclopædia Britannica. 6 October 2019.Archived from the original on 20 April 2020. Retrieved6 October 2019. (excerpt:"geographic region that comprises the extreme northwestern portion of Iran. It is bounded on the north by the Aras River, which separates it from independent Azerbaijan and Armenia; on the east by the Iranian region of Gīlān and the Caspian Sea; on the south by the Iranian regions of Zanjān and Kordestān; and on the west by Iraq and Turkey. Azerbaijan is about 40,000 square miles (100,000 square km) in area.")
^Jacoby, Heinrich (1952).How to know Oriental carpets and rugs. Allen & Unwin. p. 15.Persian carpets: Tabriz, Ramadan, ...
^Jacobsen, Charles W. (2007).Facts about Oriental Rugs. READ BOOKS. p. 2.ISBN978-1-4067-0467-9."Different weaves...Persian rugs..Bakhtiari..Kashan..Lorestan..Shiraz..Tabriz..
^Library of Congress, Library of Congress – Federal Research Division."Ethnic Groups and Languages of Iran"(PDF).Archived(PDF) from the original on 30 January 2012. Retrieved2 December 2009. 16% estimated in 2012
^Minorsky, V. "Jihān-Shāh Qara-Qoyunlu and His Poetry (Turkmenica, 9)",Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, Vol. 16, No. 2 (1954), p. 277
^Cyril Glassé (ed.),The New Encyclopedia of Islam, Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, revised ed., 2003,ISBN0-7591-0190-6, p. 392: "Shah Abbas moved his capital fromQazvin toIsfahan. His reign marked the peak of the Safavid dynasty's achievement in art, diplomacy, and commerce. It was probably around this time that the court, which originally spoke a Turkic language, began to use Persian"
^Safa 1986, p. 950: "In day-to-day affairs, the language chiefly used at the Safavid court and by the great military and political officers, as well as the religious dignitaries, was Turkish, not Persian; and the last class of persons wrote their religious works mainly in Arabic. Those who wrote in Persian were either lacking in proper tuition in this tongue or wrote outside Iran and hence at a distance from centers where Persian was the accepted vernacular, endued with that vitality and susceptibility to skill in its use which a language can have only in places where it truly belongs."
^Minorsky, Vladimir (1942). "The Poetry of Shah Ismail".Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.10 (4): 1053.doi:10.1017/S0041977X00090182.S2CID159929872.
Fragner, Bert G. (2001). "'Soviet Nationalism': An Ideological Legacy to the Independent Republics of Central Asia". In Van Schendel, Willem (ed.).Identity Politics in Central Asia and the Muslim World: Nationalism, Ethnicity and Labour in the Twentieth Century. London: I.B. Tauris. pp. 13–32.
Pattie, Susan Paul (1997).Faith in History: Armenians Rebuilding Community. Smithsonian Institution Press.ISBN1560986298.
Rezvani, Babak (2014).Ethno-territorial conflict and coexistence in the caucasus, Central Asia and Fereydan: academisch proefschrift. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press.ISBN978-9048519286.
Safa, Zabiollah (1986). "Persian Literature in the Safavid Period".The Cambridge History of Iran. Vol. 6: The Timurid and Safavid Periods. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 948–965.ISBN0-521-20094-6.
Tapper, Richard (2000)."MOḠĀN".Encyclopædia Iranica.
Yilmaz, Harun (2015).National Identities in Soviet Historiography: The Rise of Nations Under Stalin. Routledge.ISBN978-1317596646.
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