Azerbaijani people
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2008-07-17T02:33:22Z
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{{featured article}}
{{otheruses4|the Azerbaijani ethnic group|an analysis of the population of the [[Azerbaijan|Republic of Azerbaijan]]|Demographics of Azerbaijan}}
{{Infobox Ethnic group
|group = Azerbaijanis<br/>''Azərbaycanlılar, Azərilər''<br/><big>آذربایجانلیلار ,آذریلر </big>
|population = approx. '''20.5 to 33 million'''
|image = [[Image:Azerigirls.JPG|290px]]
|region1 = {{flagcountry|Iran}}
|pop1 = 12 to 20.1 million
|ref1 = {{lower|<ref name="CIA Iran"> [https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ir.html#People "Iran: People"], ''CIA: The World Factbook'' (retrieved [[7 June]] [[2006]]).</ref><ref name="Amnesty International">[http://www.amnestyusa.org/news/document.do?id=ENGMDE130742006 "Iran"], ''Amnesty International report on Iran and Azerbaijanis'' (retrieved [[30 July]] [[2006]]).</ref><ref name="ISBNShaffer">"Borders and Brethren: Iran and the Challenge of Azerbaijani Identity" in ''The Azerbaijani Population'' by Brenda Shaffer, pp. 221–225. The MIT Press (2003), ISBN 0-262-19477-5 (retrieved [[10 June]] [[2006]]).</ref><ref name="Encyclopedia of Orient">[http://i-cias.com/e.o/iran_4.htm "Iran"] in the Encyclopedia Orient (retrieved [[18 Aug]] [[2006]]).</ref>}}
|region2 = {{flagcountry|Azerbaijan}}
|pop2 = 8,060,635
|ref2 = {{lower|<ref name="Azerbaijan in figures 2006">
[http://www.azstat.org/statinfo/demoqraphic/en/007.shtml#s7 "Population by ethnic groups"], ''The State Statistical Committee of Azerbaijan Republic'' (retrieved [[19 June]] [[2006]]).</ref><ref name="CIA Factbook Azerbaijan">
[https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/aj.html#People "Azerbaijan: ɹPeople"], ''CIA Factbook''. Azeri ethnic percentage of 90.6% used to calculate population derived from Azeri census (retrieved [[7 June]] [[2006]]).</ref>}}
|region3 = {{flagcountry|Turkey}}
|pop3 = 800,000
|ref3 = {{lower|<ref name="Encyclopedia Orient"> [http://i-cias.com/e.o/turkey_4.htm "Turkey: Religions & Peoples"], ''Encyclopedia of the Orient'' (retrieved [[7 June]] [[2006]])</ref>}}
|region4 = {{flagcountry|Russia}}
|pop4 = 622,000
|ref4 = {{lower|<ref name="Russian Census">[http://www.perepis2002.ru/content.html?id=11&docid=10715289081463 "Azerbaijanis in Russia"], ''2002 Russian Census'' (retrieved [[7 June]] [[2006]])</ref>}}
|region5 = {{flagcountry|Georgia}}
|pop5 = 284,761
|ref5 = {{lower|<ref>[http://www.statistics.ge/main.php?pform=14&plang=1 ''State Statistics Department of Georgia: 2002 census''] (retrieved [[16 July]] [[2006]])</ref>}}
|region6 =
|pop6 =
|ref6 =
|region7 = {{flagcountry|Kazakhstan}}
|pop7 = 80,000
|ref7 = {{lower|<ref name="Kazakh Demographics">[http://www.ide.go.jp/English/Publish/Mes/pdf/51_cap1_2.pdf "Ethnodemographic situation in Kazakhstan"] (1999 census) (retrieved [[7 June]] [[2006]]).</ref>}}
|region8 = {{flagcountry|Germany}}
|pop8 = 55,000
|ref8 =
|region9 = {{flagcountry|Ukraine}}
|pop9 = 46,000
|ref9 = {{lower|<ref name="Ukraine Census">[http://www.ukrcensus.gov.ua/eng/results/general/nationality "About number and composition population of Ukraine by data All-Ukrainian census of the population 2001"], ''Ukraine Census 2001'' (retrieved [[7 June]] 2006).</ref>}}
|region10 = {{flagcountry|Netherlands}}
|pop10 = 17,000
|ref10 = {{lower|<ref>[http://www.mfa.gov.az/az/foreign_policy/bilat/Azerbaycan-Niderland/01.shtml Azerbaijan Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Azerbaijan-Netherlands relations: Diaspora Info (October 2007)]. NB Of these, 7,000 are immigrants from Azerbaijan</ref>}}
|region11 ={{flagcountry|United States}}
|pop11 = 5,553
|ref11 = {{lower|<ref>[http://www.census.gov/population/socdemo/ancestry/ancestry_q_by_DAC_2000.xls First, Second, and Total Responses to the Ancestry Question by Detailed Ancestry Code: 2000]. This number includes both primary and secondary ancestry. (retrieved [[April 18]] [[2008]]).</ref>}}
|region12 = {{flagcountry|Canada}}
|pop12 = 3,465
|ref12 = {{lower|<ref>[[List of Canadians by ethnicity]] (following 2006 census). NB Canadian census on ancestry may not reflect current ethnic affiliation in Canada. (retrieved [[7 June]] [[2006]]). In the 2006 census, 1,480 people indicated 'Azeri'/'Azerbaijani' as a single responce and 1,985 - as part of multiple origins. </ref>}}
|region13 = {{flagcountry|Austria}}
|pop13 = 1,000
|ref13 ={{lower|<ref>[http://www.mfa.gov.az/az/foreign_policy/bilat/Azerbaycan-Avstriya/01.shtml Azerbaijan Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Azerbaijan-Austria relations: Diaspora Info (February 2008)]. NB Of these, about 70-75% are [[Iranian Azeris]], 15-20% are [[Azeris in Turkey|Turkish Azeris]] and 5-10% are Azeris originally from Azerbaijan and the former Soviet Union.</ref>}}
|region14 = {{flagcountry|Australia}}
|pop14 = 290
|ref14 = {{lower|<ref>[http://www.dfat.gov.au/geo/azerbaijan/azerbaijan_brief.html 2006 Australian Census]. NB According to the 2006 census, 290 people living in Australia identified themselves as of Azeri ancestry, although the Australian-Azeri community is estimated to be larger. (retrieved [[1 April]] [[2008]])</ref>}}
|region15 = {{flagcountry|Denmark}}
|pop15 = 116
|ref15 = {{lower|<ref>[http://www.statbank.dk/statbank5a/default.asp?w=1024 StatBank Denmark (2008)]. NB This number includes Danish citizens who declare Azerbaijan as their country of origin. It does not account for ethnic Azeris from Iran. (retrieved [[25 April]] [[2008]])</ref>}}
|region16 = other regions
|pop16 = 30,000
|ref16 =
|languages = [[Azerbaijani language|Azerbaijani]]
|religions = Predominantly [[Shiite Muslims]]; minorities practice [[Sunni Islam]], [[Christianity]], [[Bahá'í Faith]], and [[Zoroastrianism]]
|relate ethnic groups = [[Iranian peoples]], [[Caucasian peoples]], [[Turkic peoples]].
}}
{{Azeris}}
The '''Azerbaijanis'''<ref>({{IPA2|æzə(ɹ)baɪˈdʒɑːni}}; in [[Azerbaijani language|Azerbaijani]]: ''Azərbaycanlılar'', Azeris/''Azərilər'', Azeri Turks/''Azəri Türkləri''; [[Azerbaijani alphabet|Azeri Cyrillic]]: ''Азәриләр'') or '''Azarbaijanis'''</ref><ref name="Library of Congress Iran"> [http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+ir0017) "Iran"], ''US Library of Congress Country Studies'' (retrieved [[7 June]] [[2006]]). (in Iran; also Azaris, Turks/''Torks'')</ref> are an [[ethnic group]] mainly in the [[Azerbaijan|Republic of Azerbaijan]] and northwestern [[Iran]]. Commonly referred to as '''Azeris''' ([[Azerbaijani language|Azeri]]: '''<big> آذریلر </big>''' '''''Azәrilәr''''') or '''Āzarīs''' ([[Persian language|Persian]]: '''<big> آذری </big>'''), 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 peoples|Turkic]], [[Iranian peoples|Iranian]], and [[Peoples of the Caucasus|Caucasian]] elements.
Despite living on both sides of an international border, the Azeris form a single ethnic group.<ref name="Britannica Azerbaijani"> [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9011540?query=azeri&ct=eb "Azerbaijani"], ''Encyclopedia Britannica'' (retrieved [[7 June]] [[2006]]).</ref> However, northerners and southerners differ due to nearly two centuries of separate social evolution in [[Russia]]n/[[Soviet Union|Soviet]]-influenced Azerbaijan and [[Azarbaijan (Iran)|Iranian Azarbaijan]]. The [[Azerbaijani language]] unifies Azeris and is mutually intelligible with [[Turkmen language|Turkmen]] and [[Turkish language|Turkish]] (including the dialects spoken by the [[Iraqi Turkmen]] and by the [[Qashqai]]). All of these languages are traced to the Turkic [[Oghuz Turks|Oghuz]], who moved into the Caucasus from [[Central Asia]] in the 11th century. Following the [[Russo-Persian Wars|Russian-Persian Wars]] of the 18th and 19th centuries, [[Qajar dynasty|Persia]]n territories in the Caucasus (some merely under nominal control) were ceded to the [[Russian Empire]].<ref name="Encarta Azerbaijan">[http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761561983_6/Azerbaijan.html#s11 "Azerbaijan"], ''MSN Encarta'' (retrieved [[25 January]] [[2007]])</ref> This included parts of the current Republic of Azerbaijan. The treaties of [[Treaty of Gulistan|Gulistan]] in 1813 and [[Treaty of Turkmenchay|Turkmenchay]] in 1828 finalized the border between Russia and [[Persian Empire#Persia and Far West Eurasia (1722–1914)|Persia]] (today known as [[Iran]]).
As a result of this separate existence, the Azeris are mainly secular in the [[Republic of Azerbaijan]] and religious Muslims in [[Iranian Azerbaijan]]. Since [[Azerbaijan]]'s independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, there has been renewed interest in religion and cross-border ethnic ties <ref name="MERIA">[http://meria.idc.ac.il/journal/2002/issue4/jv6n4a7.html "Observations from Azerbaijan"], ''MERIA'' (retrieved [[17 July]] [[2007]])</ref>
==History==
{{main|History of Azerbaijan|History of Iran}}
Azerbaijan is believed to be named after ''[[Atropates]]'', a [[Medes|Median]] [[satrap]] (governor) who ruled in ''[[Atropatene]]'' (modern [[Azarbaijan (Iran)|Iranian Azarbaijan]]).<ref name="ISBN 2">''Historical Dictionary of Azerbaijan'' by Tadeusz Swietochowski and Brian C. Collins. The Scarecrow Press, Inc., Lanham, Maryland (1999), ISBN 0-8108-3550-9 (retrieved [[7 June]] [[2006]]).</ref> Atropates is derived from [[Old Persian]] roots meaning "protected by fire."<ref name="ISBN">''The Azerbaijani Turks: Power and Identity under Russian Rule'' by Audrey Altstadt. Hoover Institution Press (1992), ISBN 0-8179-9182-4 (retrieved [[7 June]] [[2006]]).</ref> [[Azerbaijan (disambiguation)|Azerbaijan]] has seen a host of inhabitants and invaders, including [[Caucasian Albania|Caucasians]], [[Medes]], [[Scythia]]ns, [[Persian Empire|Persians]], [[Armenians]], [[Ancient Greece|Greeks]], [[Roman Empire|Romans]], [[Khazars]], [[Caliph|Arabs]], [[Oghuz Turks|Oghuz]], [[Seljuk Turks|Seljuks]], [[Mongol Empire|Mongols]], and [[Russian Empire|Russians]].
In the 11th century A.D. with Seljukid conquests, [[Oghuz]] [[Turkic]] tribes started moving across the Iranian plateau into the Caucasus and Anatolia. The influx of the Oghuz and other Turkmen tribes was further accentuated by the Mongol invasions,<ref name="Bosworth">[http://www.iranica.com/newsite/articles/v2f5/v2f5a010.html Encyclopedia Iranica. C. E. Bosworth. Arran]</ref>. Here they divided into Ottomans, who were Sunni and settled, and Turkmens or Turcomans, who were nomads and in part Shiite (or rather, Alevi). The latter were to keep the name "Turkmen" or "Turcoman" for a long time: from 13th century onwards they gradually Turkified the Iranian-speaking populations of Azerbaijan, thus creating a new identity based on Shiism and the use of Turkic. These are the people today known as Azeris<ref>{{cite book |title=The new Central Asia |last=Roy |first=Olivier |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=-eMcn6Ik1v0C&pg=PA7&sig=njHz1tUfPk-uqSpdUzHIbL99wvg#PPA6,M1 |authorlink= |coauthors= |year=2007 |publisher=I.B. Tauris |location= |isbn=184511552X |pages=6 }}</ref>
===Ancient period===
[[Caucasian Albania]]ns are believed to be the earliest inhabitants of the region where modern day Republic of Azerbaijan is located.<ref name="ISBN 2">Historical Dictionary</ref> Early invaders included the [[Scythia]]ns in the ninth century BC.<ref name="Library of Congress Azerbaijan"> [http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/aztoc.html Azerbaijan], ''US Library of Congress Country Studies'' (retrieved [[7 June]] [[2006]]).</ref> Following the Scythians, the Medes came to dominate the area to the south of the [[Aras River|Aras]].<ref name="ISBN 2">p. 38</ref> The Medes forged a vast empire between 900-700 BC, which was integrated into the [[Achaemenids]] Empire around 550 BC. During this period, [[Zoroastrianism]] spread in the Caucasus and Atropatene. The Achaemenids in turn were defeated by [[Alexander the Great]] in 330 BC, but the Median satrap Atropates was allowed to remain in power. Following the decline of the [[Seleucid]]s in Persia in 247 BC, an [[Kingdom of Armenia|Armenian Kingdom]] exercised control over parts of Caucasian Albania between 190 BC to 387 AD.<ref name="Library of Congress Armenia"> [http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+am0014) "Armenia-Ancient Period"], ''US Library of Congress Country Studies'' (retrieved [[23 June]] [[2006]])</ref><ref name="Strabo Geography"> [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0198&layout=&loc=11.14.1 Strabo, "Geography"], ''Perseus Digital Library'', Tufts University (retrieved [[24 June]] [[2006]]).</ref> Caucasian Albanians established a kingdom in the first century BC and largely remained independent until the [[Sassanid Empire|Sassanids]] made the kingdom a [[vassal state]] in 252 AD.<ref name="ISBN 2">p. 38</ref> Caucasian Albania's ruler, King Urnayr, officially adopted [[Christianity]] as the state religion in the fourth century AD, and Albania would remain a Christian state until the 8th century.<ref name="Iranica"> [http://www.iranica.com/newsite/search/searchpdf.isc?ReqStrPDFPath=/home1/iranica/articles/v3_articles/azerbaijan/language_azerbaijan&OptStrLogFile=/home/iranica/public_html/logs/pdfdownload.html "Albania"], ''Encyclopedia Iranica'', p. 807 (retrieved [[15 June]] [[2006]]).</ref><ref name="Heyerdahl"> [http://www.azer.com/aiweb/categories/magazine/ai102_folder/102_articles/102_heyerdahl_alexidze.html "Voices of the Ancients: Heyerdahl Intrigued by Rare Caucasus Albanian Text" by Dr. Zaza Alexidze], ''Azerbaijan International'', Summer 2002 (retrieved [[7 June]] [[2006]]).</ref> Sassanid control ended with their defeat by Muslim [[Abbasid|Arabs]] in 642 AD.<ref name="Library of Congress Iran"> "Islamic Conquest", Library of Congress...</ref>
===Medieval period===
Muslim Arabs defeated the Sassanids and [[Byzantine Empire|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.<ref name="ISBN 2">p. 71</ref> Between the ninth and tenth centuries, Arab authors began to refer to the region between the [[Kura]] and Aras rivers as ''[[Arran (Azerbaijan)|Arran]]''.<ref name="ISBN 2">p. 20</ref> 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.<ref name="ISBN 3"> ''A History of Islamic Societies'' by Ira Lapidus, p. 48. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge (1988), ISBN 0-521-77933-2 (retrieved [[7 June]] [[2006]]).</ref> 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 [[Azarbaijan (Iran)|Iranian Azarbaijan]] from 816–837, led by a local [[Zoroastrian]] commoner named [[Babak Khorramdin|Bābak]].<ref name="ISBN 4"> ''The Prophet and the Age of the Caliphates'' by [[Hugh N. Kennedy|Hugh Kennedy]], p. 166. Longman Group, London (1992), ISBN 0-582-40525-4 (retrieved [[7 June]] [[2006]]).</ref> 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 people|Kurdish]] dynasties of [[Shaddadid]] and [[Rawadid]] ruled parts of Azerbaijan.
In the middle of the eleventh century, the [[Seljuk Turks|Seljuq]] dynasty overthrew Arab rule and established an empire that encompassed most of [[Southwest Asia]]. The Seljuk period marked the influx of [[Oghuz Turks|Oghuz]] nomads into the region and, thus, the beginning of the [[cultural assimilation|turkification]] of Azerbaijan as the West Oghuz Turkic language supplanted earlier Caucasian and Iranian ones.<ref name="Library of Congress Azerbaijan">"Azerbaijan: Early History", Library of Congress...</ref><ref name="Britannica Oghuz"> [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-80002?query=kacha&ct= Turkic Languages: Classification] - Encyclopedia Britannica (retrieved [[8 June]] [[2006]])</ref>
However, Iranian cultural influence survived extensively, as evidenced by the works of then contemporary writers such as [[Persian language|Persian]] poet [[Nezami|Nezāmī Ganjavī]]. The emerging Turkic identity was chronicled in epic poems or ''dastans'', the oldest being the ''[[Book of Dede Korkut]]'', which relate [[allegory|allegorical]] tales about the early Turks in the Caucasus and [[Asia Minor]].<ref name="ISBN 2">p.45</ref> Turkic dominion was interrupted by the [[Mongol Empire|Mongols]] in 1227 and later the Mongols and [[Tamerlane]] ruled the region until 1405. Turkic rule returned with the [[Sunni]] [[Kara Koyunlu|Qara Qoyunlū]] (Black Sheep Turkmen) and [[Aq Qoyunlu|Aq Qoyunlū]] (White Sheep Turkmen), who dominated Azerbaijan until the [[Shi'a Islam|Shi'a]] [[Safavid dynasty|Safavids]] took power in 1501.<ref name="ISBN 3">p. 285</ref><ref name="ISBN 2">p.113</ref>
===Modern period===
[[Image:Urmiyye market.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Early twentieth century fruit market in [[Urmia]], Persia.]]
The [[Safavids]], who rose from Iranian Azerbaijan and lasted until 1722, established the modern Iranian state.<ref name="UCalgary"> [http://www.ucalgary.ca/applied_history/tutor/islam/empires/safavid/ The Safavid Empire], University of Calgary (retrieved [[8 June]] [[2006]]).</ref><ref name="Washington State"> [http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/SHIA/SAFAVID.HTM Shi'a: The Safavids], Washington State University (retrieved [[8 June]] [[2006]]).</ref><ref name="IranChamberSafavids"> [http://www.iranchamber.com/history/safavids/safavids.php Safavid Empire 1502–1736], Iran Chamber (retrieved [[19 June]] [[2006]]).</ref> 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 [[Hotaki|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 north of the Aras. 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''.<ref name="Sammis">Kathy Sammis, ''Focus on World History: The First Global Age and the Age of Revolution'', pg 39.</ref> He reformed the government and the military, and responded to the needs of the common people.<ref name="Sammis"/>
[[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] rule followed the brief Safavid state, before conquest by [[Nadir Shah Afshar]], a chieftain from [[Khorasan]] who reduced the power of the Shi'a.<ref name="ISBN 3">p. 300</ref> The brief reign of [[Karim Khan]] came next, followed by the [[Qajar dynasty|Qajars]], who ruled Azerbaijan and Iran starting in 1779.<ref name="ISBN 2">p. 106</ref> Russia loomed as a threat to Persian holdings in the Caucasus in this period. The [[Russo-Persian Wars]] began in the eighteenth century and ended in the early nineteenth century with the [[Treaty of Gulistan|Gulistan Treaty]] of 1813 and the [[Treaty of Turkmenchay|Turkmenchay Treaty]] in 1828, which officially gave the Caucasian portion of Qajar Iran to the Russian Empire.<ref name="ISBN">Alstadt</ref>
Iranian Azerbaijan's role in the Iranian constitutional revolution cannot be underestimated. The greatest figures of the democracy seeking revolution [[Sattar Khan]]<ref>[http://www.iranchamber.com/history/sattarkhan/sattar_khan.php Sattar Khan]</ref> 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 had 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.<ref>Tadeusz Swietochowski, ''Russia and Azerbaijan: A Borderland in Transition'' (ISBN 0-231-07068-3)</ref>
With the dethronement 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<ref>[http://www.wilsoncenter.org/index.cfm?topic_id=1409&fuseaction=va2.browse&sort=Collection&item=1945%2D46%20Iranian%20Crisis Cold War International History Project 1945–46 Iranian Crisis]</ref> 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:
{{cquote|On December 11, an Iranian force entered Tabriz and the Peeshavari government quickly collapsed. Indeed the Iranians were enthusiastically welcomed by the people of Azerbaijan, who strongly preferred domination by Tehran rather than Moscow. The Soviet willingness to forego its influence in (Iranian) Azerbaijan probably resulted from several factors, including the realization that the sentiment for autonomy had been exaggerated and that oil concessions remained the more desirable long-term Soviet Objective.<ref>Gary. R. Hess Political Science Quarterly, Vol. 89, No. 1 (March 1974) [http://www.azargoshnasp.net/recent_history/atoor/theiraniancriris194546.pdf]</ref>}}
While the Azeris in Iran largely integrated into modern Iranian society, the northern Azeris lived through the transition from the Russian Empire to brief [[Azerbaijan Democratic Republic|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==
[[Image:Azeri 1.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Azerbaijanis in downtown [[Baku]], [[Azerbaijan]].]]
In many references, Azerbaijanis are designated as a [[Turkic peoples|Turkic people]], due to their [[Turkic languages|Turkic language]].<ref name="Britannica Turkic"> [http://www.britannica.com/ebi/article-197117 "Azerbaijan: People"], ''Encyclopedia Britannica'' (retrieved [[11 June]] [[2006]])</ref><ref name="ISBN 5"> ''An Introduction to the History of the Turkic Peoples'' by Peter B. Golden. Otto Harrasowitz (1992), ISBN 3-447-03274-X (retrieved [[8 June]] [[2006]]).</ref><ref name="Americana"> "Turkic Peoples", ''Encyclopedia Americana'', volume 27, page 276. Grolier Inc., New York (1998) ISBN 0-7172-0130-9 (retrieved [[8 June]] [[2006]]).</ref> However, modern-day Azerbaijanis are believed to be primarily the descendants of the [[Caucasian Albania|Caucasian]] and [[Iranian peoples|Iranic]] peoples who lived in the areas of the Caucasus and northern Iran, respectively, prior to [[Turkification]]. Various historians including [[Vladimir Minorsky]] explain how largely Iranian and Caucasian populations became Turkish-speaking:
{{cquote|''In the beginning of the 5th/11th century the Ghuzz hordes, first in smaller parties, and then in considerable numbers, under the Seljuqids occupied Azarbaijan. In consequence, the Iranian population of Azarbaijan 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."<ref> Minorsky, V.; Minorsky, V. "( Azarbaijan).'' Encyclopaedia of Islam. Edited by: P. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel and W.P. Heinrichs. Brill</ref>}}
Thus, centuries of Turkic migration and turkification of the region helped to formulate the modern Azerbaijani ethnic group.
===Turkification===
{{main|Oghuz languages}}
[[Image:Sattar Khan.jpg|thumb|150px|[[Sattar Khan]] (1868-1914) was a major revolutionary figure in the late [[Qajar dynasty|Qajar]] period in Iran.]]
Although, "Turkic penetration probably began in the [[Huns|Hunnic]] era and its aftermath," there is little evidence to indicate, "permanent settlements".<ref name="ISBN 5">pp. 385-386</ref> The earliest major Turkic incursion began with [[Mahmud of Ghazni]] and accelerated during the [[Seljuk Turks|Seljuk]] period.<ref name="ISBN 5">pp. 385-386</ref> 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 [[Ilkhan]]s were Turkic. By the [[Safavid dynasty|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.<ref name="IranicaPage238"> [http://www.iranica.com/newsite/search/searchpdf.isc?ReqStrPDFPath=/home1/iranica/articles/v3_articles/azerbaijan/language_azerbaijan&OptStrLogFile=/home/iranica/public_html/logs/pdfdownload.html "The spread of Turkish in Azerbaijan"], ''Encyclopedia Iranica'', (retrieved [[11 June]] [[2006]]).</ref>
Most academics view this migration as the most likely source of a Turkic background, but one that most likely involved the ''linguistic'' Turkification of predominantly non-Turkic-speaking indigenous peoples and assimilation of small bands of Turkic tribes.<ref name="ISBN 2">Dictionary</ref><ref name="ISBN">Altstadt</ref>
There are cultural connections between Azeris and the wider [[Oghuz]] Turk populace; the epic literary work the book of [[Dede Korkut]] is a treasured heritage shared through [[Turkmenistan]], [[Azerbaijan]], [[Turkey]] and the Azeri's of [[Iran]]. In addition to this, the epic of Koroglu is important in Azeri cultre, and some cultural items such as Alpamysh and mythology of the wolf [[Ashina]] may also have something in common with Azerbaijan's culture today {{Fact|date=May 2008}}. The musical tradition of [[Ashik]]/Ozan/Bakshy is popular in Azerbaijan as is the folk music including Türkü style mirroring Turkish folk music.
===Iranian origin===
{{main|Iranian origin of the Azerbaijanis}}
[[Image:Nizami monument.jpg|thumb|150px|left|Statue of [[Nezami|Nezami Ganjavi]], a twelfth-century writer and philosopher, in [[Baku]], [[Azerbaijan]]. Nezami is a major literary figure to both Azeris and Persians.]]
The Iranian origins of the Azeris likely derive from ancient Iranic tribes, such as the [[Medes]] in Iranian Azarbaijan, and [[Scythian]] invaders who arrived during the eighth century BCE. It is believed that the Medes mixed with an indigenous population, the Caucasian [[Mannai]], a [[Northeast Caucasian languages|Northeast Caucasian]] group related to the [[Urartian]]s.<ref name="Mannai">[http://oke.grolier.com/InfoOffset=30818&FFC=F&OEMTag=RV&MajorVersion=11&EAID=0308950-00.ea "Ancient Persia"], ''Encyclopedia Americana'' (retrieved [[8 June]] [[2006]]).</ref> Ancient written accounts, such as one written by Arab historian Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn al-Husayn al-Masudi(896-956), attest to an Iranian presence in the region:
{{cquote|''The Persians are a people whose borders are the Mahat Mountains and Azarbaijan up to Armenia and Aran, and Bayleqan and Darband, and Ray and Tabaristan and Masqat and Shabaran and Jorjan and Abarshahr, and that is Nishabur, and Herat and Marv and other places in land of Khorasan, and Sejistan and Kerman and Fars and Ahvaz...All these lands were once one kingdom with one sovereign and one language...although the language differed slightly. The language, however, is one, in that its letters are written the same way and used the same way in composition. There are, then, different languages such as Pahlavi, Dari, Azari, as well as other Persian languages.''}}<ref> (Al Mas'udi, Kitab al-Tanbih wa-l-Ishraf, De Goeje, M.J. (ed.), Leiden, Brill, 1894, pp. 77-8)</ref>
Scholars see cultural similarities between modern Persians and Azeris as evidence of an ancient Iranian influence.<ref name="Columbia Encyclopedia">[http://www.bartleby.com/65/az/Azerbaij.html "Azerbaijan"], ''Columbia Encyclopedia'' (retrieved [[8 June]] [[2006]]).</ref> 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 Empire]]s added to the Iranian character of the area.<ref name="UCalgaryFireTemples">[http://www.iras.ucalgary.ca/~volk/sylvia/FireTemple.htm "Various Fire-Temples"], ''University of Calgary'' (retrieved [[8 June]] [[2006]]).</ref> 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 figures of [[Persian literature]], 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 language|Persian]]. The claim is mentioned by other medieval historians, such as [[Al-Muqaddasi]].<ref>[[Al-Muqaddasi]], ''Ahsan al-Taqāsīm'', p. 259 & 378, ''"... the Azerbaijani language is not pretty [...] but their Persian is intelligible, and in articulation it is very similar to the Persian of Khorasan ..."'', tenth century, Persia (retrieved [[18 June]] [[2006]]).</ref><ref name="IranicaPage238"/> Other common Perso-Azeribaijani features include Iranian place names such as [[Tabriz]]<ref name="Tabriz">[http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/SUS_TAV/TABRIZ.html "Tabriz"] (retrieved [[8 June]] [[2006]]).</ref> and the name Azerbaijan itself.
Various sources such as [[Encyclopaedia Iranica]] explain how, "The Turkish speakers of Azerbaijan (q.v.) are mainly descended from the earlier Iranian speakers, several pockets of whom still exist in the region."<ref>[Encyclopaedia Iranica http://www.iranica. com/newsite/ articles/ v13f3/v13f3004a. html]</ref> The modern presence of the Iranian [[Talysh people|Talysh]] and [[Tats]] in Azerbaijan is further evidence of the former Iranian character of the region.<ref name="Talysh">[http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=tly "Report for Talysh"], ''Ethnologue'' (retrieved [[8 June]] [[2006]]).</ref><ref name="Tats">[http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=ttt "Report for Tats"], ''Ethnologue'' (retrieved [[8 June]] [[2006]]).</ref> As a precursor to these modern groups, the [[Ancient Azari language|ancient Azaris]] are also hypothesized as ancestors of the modern Azerbaijanis.
===Caucasian origin===
{{main article|Caucasian origin of the Azerbaijanis}}
[[Image:132 610 taghiyev.jpg|thumb|150px|right|[[Haji Zeynalabdin Taghiyev]] (1838-1924), a leading Azeri industrialist and philanthropist.]]
According to Encyclopedia Britannica about Azeris in the Republic of Azerbaijan:
{{cquote|''The Azerbaijani are of mixed ethnic origin, the oldest element deriving from the indigenous population of eastern Transcaucasia and possibly from the Medians of northern Persia.''<ref>Azerbaijani." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2007. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 5 Apr. 2007 <http://search.eb.com/eb/article-9011540>.</ref>}}
The Caucasian origin mostly applies to the Azeris of the Caucasus, most of whom are now inhabitants of the Republic of Azerbaijan. There is evidence that, despite repeated invasions and migrations, aboriginal [[Caucasian Albania|Caucasian]]s may have been culturally assimilated, first by [[Ancient Iranian peoples|Iranians]] and later by the Oghuz. 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.<ref name="Udi">[http://www.lrz-muenchen.de/~wschulze/Udigen1.htm "The Udi Language"], ''University of Munich'', Wolfgang Schulze 2001/2 (retrieved [[19 June]] [[2006]]).</ref><ref name="Heyerdahl">Rare Caucasus Albanian Text</ref>
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.<ref name="Mannai2">[http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9050573 "Mannai"], ''Encyclopedia Britannica'' (retrieved [[19 June]] [[2006]]).</ref>
===Genetics===
Some new genetic studies suggest that recent erosion of human population structure might not be as important as previously thought, and overall genetic structure of human populations may not change with the immigration events and thus in the Azerbaijani case; the Azeris of Azerbaijan republic most of all genetically resemble other Caucasian people like Armenians <ref>[http://www.eva.mpg.de/genetics/pdf/Y-paper.pdf Testing hypotheses of language replacement in the Caucasus]</ref> and people in the Azarbaijan region of Iran to other Iranians <ref>[http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1808191 Is urbanisation scrambling the genetic structure of human populations?]</ref>.
====Studies conducted at [[Cambridge University]]====
A recent study of the genetic landscape of Iran was completed by a team of [[Cambridge University|Cambridge]] geneticists led by Dr. Maziar Ashrafian Bonab (an Iranian Azarbaijani).<ref name="Dr. Bonab page">[http://www.gen.cam.ac.uk/Research/balloux.htm "Maziar Ashrafian Bonab"], ''Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge'' (retrieved [[9 June]] [[2006]]).</ref> Bonab remarked that his group had done extensive DNA testing on different language groups, including [[Indo-European languages|Indo-European]] and non Indo-European speakers, in Iran.<ref name="Iran Cambridge Genetic Study">[http://www.isna.ir/Main/NewsView.aspx?ID=News-727489&Lang=P "Cambridge Genetic Study of Iran"], ''ISNA (Iranian Students News Agency)'', 06-12-2006, news-code: 8503-06068 (retrieved [[9 June]] [[2006]]).</ref> 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.
====Studies conducted in the Caucasus====
A 2003 study found that: "[[Human Y-chromosome DNA haplogroup|Y-chromosome haplogroups]] indicate that Indo-European-speaking Armenians and Turkic-speaking Azerbaijanians (of the Republic of Azerbaijan) are genetically more closely related to their geographic neighbors in the Caucasus than to their linguistic neighbors elsewhere."<ref name="Human Genes 2003">ibid.</ref> 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 H (Y-DNA)|Haplogroup H12]]), notably the [[Turkmen people|Turkmen]], that is higher than that of their neighbors, the [[Georgians]] and [[Armenians]].<ref name="Human Genes 2002">[http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/AJHG/journal/issues/v71n3/023927/023927.html "A Genetic Landscape Reshaped by Recent Events: Y-Chromosomal Insights into Central Asia"], ''American Journal of Human Genetics'', 71:466-482, 2002 (retrieved [[9 June]] [[2006]]).</ref> [[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.<ref name="University of Chicago">[http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/AJHG/journal/issues/v74n5/40813/40813.html "Where West Meets East: The Complex mtDNA Landscape of the Southwest and Central Asian Corridor"], ''American Journal of Human Genetics'', 74:827-845, 2004 (retrieved [[9 June]] [[2006]]).</ref> The conclusion from the testing shows that the Caucasian 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-chromosome]]s indicates that Caucasian populations are genetically intermediate between Europeans and Near Easterners, but that they are more closely related to Near Easterners overall.<ref name="Human Genes 2003">ibid.</ref> Another study, conducted in 2003 by the ''Russian Journal of Genetics'', links Iranians in Azerbaijan (the [[Talysh people|Talysh]] and [[Tats]]) with Turkic Azerbaijanis of the Republic:
{{cquote|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 closer to Azerbaijanis than to Iranian-speaking populations inhabiting other world regions.<ref name="Talysh & Tat Genes"> [http://www.ingentaconnect.com/search/article?title=azerbaijanis+in+iran&title_type=tka&year_from=1998&year_to=2005&database=1&pageSize=20&index=2 "Genetic Structure of Iranian-Speaking Populations from Azerbaijan Inferred from the Frequencies of Immunological and Biochemical Gene Markers"], ''Russian Journal of Genetics'', Volume 39, Number 11, November 2003, pp. 1334-1342(9) (retrieved [[9 June]] [[2006]]).</ref>}}
===Ethnonym===
Historically the Turkic speakers<ref>[http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9011540/Azerbaijani Azerbaijani article], Encyclopaedia Britannica Online.</ref> 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 [[Tatar]]s, called Azeris Aderbeijani/Azerbaijani or Caucasian Tatars to distinguish them from other Turkic people, also called Tatars by Russians.<ref>{{ru icon}} [http://www.demoscope.ru/weekly/2005/0187/perep04.php Demoscope Weekly], alphabetical list of people living in the Russian Empire (1895).</ref> Russian [[Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary]] also refers to Azerbaijanis as Aderbeijans in some articles.<ref>{{ru icon}} [http://www.cultinfo.ru/fulltext/1/001/007/103/103729.htm Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary. "Turks".] St. Petersburg, Russia, 1890-1907</ref> According to the article Turko-Tatars of the above encyclopedia,
{{cquote|''some scholars (Yadrintsev, Kharuzin, [[Ernest Chantre|Chantre]]) 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 race) Aderbaijans.''<ref>{{ru icon}} [http://www.cultinfo.ru/fulltext/1/001/007/103/103731.htm Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary. "Turko-Tatars".] St. Petersburg, Russia, 1890-1907.</ref>}}
==Demographics and society==
{{main|Demographics of Azerbaijan|Demographics of Iran}}
[[Image:Azeri 1900.PNG|thumb|150x|Azeri female wearing traditional clothing, 1900]]
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 [[Azarbaijan (Iran)|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 sizable communities in [[Turkey]], [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]], [[Russia]], [[United States|USA]], [[Canada]], [[Germany]] and other countries.<ref name="Ethnologue North">[http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=azj "Azerbaijani, North: A language of Azerbaijan"], ''Ethnologue report'' (retrieved [[24 June]] [[2006]]).</ref>
While population estimates in Azerbaijan are considered reliable due to regular censuses taken, the figures for Iran remain questionable. Since the early twentieth century, successive Iranian governments have avoided publishing statistics on ethnic groups.<ref name="ISBN 6">''The State, Religion, and Ethnic Politics: Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan'' edited by Ali Banuazizi and Myron Weiner, Part II: Iran. Syracuse University Press, Syracuse, N.Y. (1988), ISBN 0-8156-2448-4 (retrieved [[9 June]] [[2006]]).</ref> Unofficial population estimates of Azeris in Iran range from 20–24%.<ref name="CIA Iran">ibid.</ref><ref name="Iran German embassy">[http://www.iranembassy.de/d-kultur/iran-blick/iran-blick.pdf "Ethnische Gruppen"], ''Iranian embassy in Germany'' (retrieved [[17 June]] [[2006]]).</ref> 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.<ref name="ISBN 6">Part II: Iran</ref><ref name="ISBN 7">Shahrough Akhavi, ''Religion and Politics in Contemporary Iran: Clergy-State Relations in the Pahlavi Period'', State University of New York (1980), ISBN 0-87395-456-4 (retrieved [[9 June]] [[2006]]).</ref><ref name="ISBN 8">Nikki Keddie, ''Modern Iran: Roots and Results of Revolution'', Yale University Press (2003), ISBN 0-300-09856-1 (retrieved [[9 June]] [[2006]]).</ref>
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 (country)|Georgia]], [[Kazakhstan]], [[Kyrgyzstan]], [[Russia]], [[Turkmenistan]], and [[Uzbekistan]] as of 1993.<ref name="Ethnologue North">[http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=azj Report for Azerbaijani, North], Ethnologue (retrieved [[9 June]] [[2006]])</ref> 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.<ref name="Peace Talks">[http://www.state.gov/secretary/former/powell/remarks/2001/1931.htm Peace Talks at Key West between Armenia and Azerbaijan], US State Department, April 3, 2001 (retrieved [[9 June]] [[2006]]).</ref> 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.<ref name="Ethnologue South">ibid.</ref>
===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%.<ref name="Azeri literacy">[http://hdr.undp.org/statistics/data/countries.cfm?c=AZE "Human Development Index, 12. Literacy and enrolment"], ''Human Development Reports'' (retrieved [[10 June]] [[2006]]).</ref> 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.<ref name="Azeri refugees">[http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/nation/200605/kt2006051017185211950.htm "Caspian Country Rich in Petroleum"], ''The Korea Times'' (retrieved [[10 June]] [[2006]])</ref> Azerbaijan has benefited from the oil industry, but high levels of corruption have prevented greater prosperity for the masses.<ref name="Azeri corruption">[http://www.bicusa.org/bicusa/issues/BTC_corruption_claim_COIWRP.pdf "Report on corruption in Azerbaijan oil industry prepared for EBRD & IFC investigation arms"], ''The Committee of Oil Industry Workers’ Rights Protection'', October 2003 (retrieved [[10 June]] [[2006]]).</ref> 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".<ref name="Ilham Aliyev">[http://frontpagemagazine.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=22529 "Azerbaijan: A New Muslim Ally for the U.S.?"], ''FrontPageMagazine.com'', May 22, 2006 (retrieved [[10 June]] [[2006]]).</ref><ref name="MotherJonesAzeriPolitics">[http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2004/07/07_407.html "The Crude Doctrine"], ''Mother Jones'', July/August, 2004 (retrieved [[11 June]] [[2006]]).</ref> Despite these problems, there is a renaissance in Azerbaijan as positive economic predictions and an active political opposition appear determined to improve the lives of average Azeris.<ref name="Opposition">[http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/civilsociety/articles/eav032805.shtml "Civil Society, Azerbaijan: Opposition parties prepare to vigorously contest parliamentary election"], Eurasia.net, 3/28/05 (retrieved [[10 June]] [[2006]]).</ref><ref name="Library of Congress Azerbaijan">The Cultural Renaissance</ref>
===Azeris in Iran===
{{main|Azeris in Iran}}
[[Image:Googoosh.jpg|thumb|100x|[[Googoosh]], an Iranian pop [[diva]] of Azeri ethnicity.]]
Azerbaijanis in Iran are mainly found in the northwest provinces: [[East Azerbaijan]], [[West Azerbaijan]], [[Ardabil Province|Ardabil]], [[Zanjan]], [[Kordestan]], [[Qazvin]], [[Hamedan]], and [[Markazi Province|Markazi]]. Many others live in [[Tehran]], [[Fars Province]], and other regions.<ref name="Library of Congress Iran">Azarbaijanis</ref> Generally, Azeris in Iran have been "a well integrated linguistic minority" according to academics such as anthropologist Patricia Higgins.<ref name="ISBN 6">pp.188–191</ref> In fact, until the [[Pahlavi dynasty|Pahlavi]] period in the twentieth century, "the identity of Iran was not exclusively Persian, but supra-ethnic", as much of the political leadership, starting from the eleventh century, had been Turkic.<ref name="ISBNShaffer">ibid.</ref> The Iranian and Turkic groups were integrated until twentieth century nationalism and communalism began to alter popular perception.<ref name="ISBNShaffer">Ibid.</ref> Despite friction, Azerbaijanis in Iran came to be well represented at all levels of, "political, military, and intellectual hierarchies, as well as the religious hierarchy."<ref name="ISBN 6">ibid.</ref>
Resentment came with Pahlavi policies that suppressed the use of the [[Azerbaijani language]] in local government, schools, and the press.<ref name="ISBNAbrahamian">Ervand Abrahamian, ''Iran between Two Revolutions'', Princeton University Press (1982), ISBN 0-691-10134-5 (retrieved [[10 June]] [[2006]]).</ref> 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.<ref name="Iranian Studies">David Menashri, "Shi'ite Leadership: In the Shadow of Conflicting Ideologies", ''Iranian Studies'', 13:1–4 (1980) (retrieved [[10 June]] [[2006]]).</ref> In May 2006 Iranian Azerbaijan witnessed riots over publication of a [[Iran newspaper cockroach cartoon controversy|cartoon]] <ref>[http://www.iranian.com/Satire/Cartoon/2006/June/soosks.html Iranian.com | Archive Pages<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> that many Azeris found offensive.<ref name="Ethnic tensions">[http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F70910FE345A0C7A8EDDAC0894DE404482 "Ethnic Tensions Over Cartoon Set Off Riots in Northwest Iran"], ''The New York Times'' (retrieved [[12 June]] [[2006]])</ref><ref name="Iran Azeris protest">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5024550.stm "Iran Azeris protest over cartoon"], [[BBC News]] (retrieved [[12 June]] [[2006]])</ref> The cartoon was drawn by [[Mana Neyestani]], an ethnic Azeri, who was fired along with his editor as a result of the controversy.<ref name="Cockroach cartoonist">[http://www.comicsreporter.com/index.php/cockroach_cartoonist_jailed_in_iran/ "Cockroach Cartoonist Jailed In Iran"], ''The Comics Reporter'', May 24, 2006 (retrieved [[15 June]] [[2006]])</ref><ref name="Iran paper cartoon ban">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5008420.stm "Iranian paper banned over cartoon"] , ''BBC News'', May 23, 2006 (retrieved [[15 June]] [[2006]]).</ref>
[[Image:Iran peoples.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Ethnic diversity of Iran.]]
Despite sporadic problems, Azeris are an intrinsic community within Iran. Currently, the living conditions of Azeris in Iran closely resemble that of [[Persians]]:
{{cquote|The life styles of urban Azerbaijanis do not differ from those of Persians, and there is considerable intermarriage among the upper classes in cities of mixed populations. Similarly, customs among Azerbaijani villagers do not appear to differ markedly from those of Persian villagers.<ref name="Library of Congress Iran">Azerbaijanis</ref>}}
Andrew Burke writes:
{{cquote|Azeris are famously active in commerce and in bazaars all over Iran their voluble voices can be heard. Older Azeri men wear the traditional wool hat, and their music & dances have become part of the mainstream culture. Azeris are well integrated, and many Azeri-Iranians are prominent in [[Persian literature]], politics, and clerical world.<ref>Burke, Andrew. ''Iran''. Lonely Planet, Nov 1, 2004, P 42–43. [[1740594258]]</ref>}}
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.
{{see also|Azeris in Georgia|Azeris in Armenia|Azeris in Russia|Azeris in Turkey}}
==Culture==
{{main|Culture of Azerbaijan|Culture of Iran}}
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-Persian Tradition|Turko-Iranian]] and [[Persianate society|Persianate]] tradition. Modern Azeri culture includes significant achievements in literature, art, music, and film.
===Language and literature===
[[Image:Fuzûlî.jpg|thumb|150px|left|[[Fuzûlî|Muhammad Fuzûlî]], sixteenth-century poet.]]
{{main|Azerbaijani language|Azerbaijani literature}}
The Azerbaijanis speak [[Azerbaijani language|Azerbaijani]] (sometimes called Azerbaijani Turkish or Azeri), a [[Turkic languages|Turkic language]] that is mutually intelligible with [[Turkish (language)|Turkish]] despite minor variations in accent, vocabulary and grammar. Other mutually intelligible Turkic languages include [[Turkmen language|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.<ref name="IranicaPage251">[http://www.iranica.com/newsite/search/searchpdf.isc?ReqStrPDFPath=/home1/iranica/articles/v3_articles/azerbaijan/azeri_literature_iran&OptStrLogFile=/home/iranica/public_html/logs/pdfdownload.html "x. Azeri Literature in Iran"], ''Encyclopedia Iranica'', (retrieved [[10 June]] [[2006]]).</ref> 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 [[Imadaddin Nasimi|Nasimi]] (died 1417) and then decades later [[Fuzûlî]] (1483–1556). [[Ismail I]], Shah of [[Safavid dynasty|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 [[Samad Vurgun]], [[Reza Baraheni]], [[Mohammad Hossein Shahriar|Shahriar]], and many others.<ref name="AzeriLit"> [http://www.azer.com/aiweb/categories/magazine/41_folder/41_articles/41_editorial.html "Contemporary Literature"], ''Azerbaijan International'', Spring 1996, (4.1) (retrieved [[10 June]] [[2006]]).</ref>
Azeris are generally bilingual, often fluent in either Russian (in Azerbaijan) or Persian (in Iran). Around 5,000,000 of Azerbaijan's roughly 8,000,000 population speaks Russian.<ref>{{ru icon}} [http://www.azeri.ru/Articles/articles_old/ruscongress.htm Global Congress of the Russian-Language Media Opened in Baku Friday]. ''Azeri.ru''</ref> Moreover, in 1999, around 2,700 Azeris in the Azerbaijan Republic (0.04% of the total Azeri population) reported Russian as their mothertongue.<ref>{{ru icon}} [http://demoscope.ru/weekly/2004/0183/analit05.php Ethnic Composition of Azerbaijan] by Arif Yunusov. ''Demoscope.ru''. 2004. Retrieved [[September 28]] [[2007]]</ref> An Iranian survey (2002) revealed that 90.0% of the sample household population in Iran is able to speak Persian, 4.6% can only understand it, and 5.4% can neither speak nor understand Persian. Azeri is the most spoken minority language in an Iranian household (23.3%). <ref>[http://www.ivry.cnrs.fr/iran/Archives/archiveRecherche/statistique/Tableaux-pdf/VersionAnglaise.pdf] SOCIO-ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS SURVEY OF IRANIAN HOUSEHOLDS (2002)(Amârgiri az vizhegihâ-ye ejtemâ’i eqtesadi-ye khânevâr. Tehran, Markaz-e amâr-e irân, 1382),CNRS, Université Paris III, INaLCO, EPHE,Paris,page 14.</ref>
===Religion===
{{main|Religion in Azerbaijan|Islam in Azerbaijan|Christianity in Azerbaijan|Islam in Iran}}
The majority of Azerbaijanis are [[Shi'a Islam|Shi'a Muslims]]. Religious minorities include [[Sunni Islam|Sunni Muslim]]s, [[Zoroastrianism in Azerbaijan|Zoroastrians]], [[Christianity|Christians]] and [[Bahá'í Faith|Bahá'ís]]. Azeris in the Republic of Azerbaijan have an unknown number showing any religious affiliation, since being in a secular country. Many describe themselves as [[cultural Muslim]]s.<ref name="Library of Congress Azerbaijan">Religion</ref><ref name="Azerbaijan Religion">[http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2001/5545.htm "Azerbaijan"], ''US State Department'', October 26, 2001 (retrieved [[9 June]] [[2006]]).</ref> Christian Azeris number around 5,000 people in the Republic of Azerbaijan and consist mostly of recent converts.<ref>[http://www.day.az/news/society/85160.html 5,000 Azeris adopted Christianity]. Day.az. Published and retrieved [[July 7]] [[2007]]</ref> Some Azeris from rural regions retain pre-Islamic [[animist]] beliefs, such as the sanctity of certain sites and the veneration of certain trees and rocks.<ref>[http://www.azerbembassy.org.cn/eng/culture.html Azerbaijan: Culture and Art]. Embassy of the Azerbaijan Republic in the People's Republic of China.</ref> In the Republic of Azerbaijan traditions from other religions are often celebrated in addition to [[Islamic holidays]], including [[Norouz]] and [[Christmas]]. After the fall of the [[Soviet Union]], Azerbaijanis have increasingly returned to their Islamic heritage as recent reports indicate that many Azerbaijani youth are being drawn to Islam.<ref>[http://www.isn.ethz.ch/news/sw/details.cfm?ID=18042 ISN Security Watch - Azerbaijan young increasingly drawn to Islam<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
===Performance art===
{{seealso|Music of Azerbaijan|Music of Iran}}
[[Image:Azeri 7.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Azeri musicians in performance.]]
[[Image:Azeri Cultural Concert Rotterdam.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Azeri dance]]
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 [[Balkans|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."<ref name="Azerbaijan Dance">[http://www.stanford.edu/group/psa/events/1998-99/avaz/about.utf8.html "Avaz"], ''Stanford University Persian Student Association'' (retrieved [[11 June]] [[2006]]).</ref> 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 [[bard]]s called ''[[Ashiq]]s'', a vocation that survives to this day. Modern Ashiqs play the [[saz]] ([[lute]]) and sing ''dastans'' (historical [[ballad]]s).<ref name="Guba">[http://azerbaijan.aznet.org/azerbaijan/guba_m.html "Guba"], ''Azerbaijan: The Land of the Arts'' (retrieved [[11 June]] [[2006]]).</ref> Other musical instruments include the [[Tar (lute)|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 [[European classical music|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 (grandson)|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."<ref name="Alizadeh">[http://www.azer.com/aiweb/categories/magazine/54_folder/54_articles/54_alizadeh.html "Hossein Alizadeh Personal Reflections on Playing Tar"], ''Azerbaijan International'', Winter 1997 (retrieved [[11 June]] [[2006]]).</ref> 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 Awards|Academy Award]] for [[Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film|Best Foreign Language Film]] in 1994. Many Iranian Azeris have been prominent in the [[Cinema of Iran|cinematic tradition of Iran]], which has received critical praise since the 1980s.
===Sports===
{{See also|Azerbaijan national football team|Azerbaijan at the 2004 Summer Olympics}}
[[Image:Teimour Radjabov grandmaster.jpg|thumb|left|110px|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|Nezami Ganjavi]].<ref name="Olympics">[http://www.eurolympic.org/jahia/Jahia/cache/offonce/pid/310;jsessionid=1E655D7592184280F9DD0C81FF900935?language=fra "Azerbaijan"], ''Sports history of Azerbaijanis'' (retrieved [[24 June]] [[2006]]).</ref> Other ancient sports include wrestling, javelin throwing and ox-wrestling.
The Soviet legacy has in modern times propelled some Azeris to become accomplished athletes at the Olympic level.<ref name="Olympics">[http://www.eurolympic.org/jahia/Jahia/cache/offonce/pid/310;jsessionid=1E655D7592184280F9DD0C81FF900935?language=fra "Azerbaijan"], ''Eurolympic.org'' (retrieved [[12 June]] [[2006]]).</ref> The Azeri government supports the country's athletic legacy and encourages Azeri youth to take part. [[Football (soccer)|Football]] is very popular in both Azerbaijan and [[Azarbaijan (Iran)|Iranian Azarbaijan]]. There are many prominent Azeri soccer players such as [[Ali Daei]], the world's [[List of football (soccer) players with 30 or more international goals|all-time leading goal scorer]] in international matches and the former captain of the [[Team Melli|Iran national soccer team]]. Azeri athletes have particularly excelled in [[weight lifting]], [[gymnastics]], [[shooting]], [[javelin throwing]], [[karate]], [[boxing]], and [[wrestling]].<ref name="MinistrySports">[http://www.azer.com/aiweb/categories/magazine/44_folder/44_articles/44_sports.html "The Ministry of Youth and Sports"], ''Azerbaijan International'', Winter 1996 (retrieved [[11 June]] [[2006]]).</ref> Weight lifters, such as Iran's [[Hossein Reza Zadeh]], world’s super heavyweight lifting record holder and two times Olympic champion in 2000 and 2004 and [[Nizami Pashayev]], who won the European heavyweight title in 2006, have excelled 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.
==Institutions==
Azerbaijan and Iranian Azerbaijan have developed distinct institutions as a result of divergent socio-political evolution. Azerbaijan began the twentieth 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 twentieth 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:
{{cquote|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.<ref name="Azeri civil society"> [http://www.watsoninstitute.org/events_detail.cfm?id=559 "Civil Society, Democratization & Development in Azerbaijan"], ''The Watson Institute for International Studies, Brown University'', 4.28.05 (retrieved [[12 June]] [[2006]]).</ref>}}
Despite these problems Azerbaijan has an active political opposition that seeks more expansive democratic reforms.<ref name="Opposition">Opposition parties</ref> Azeris in Iran remain intertwined with the Islamic republic's [[theocracy|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.<ref name="Azeri nationalism">[http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/templateC05.php?CID=2476 "Iranian Azeris: A Giant Minority"], ''Policy Watch/Policy Peace, The Washington Institute for Near East Policy'' (retrieved [[7 June]] [[2006]]).</ref>
==Women==
[[Image:Az girl karabakh.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Late nineteenth to early twentieth-century Azeri girl from [[Shusha]].]]
{{see also|Women in Azerbaijan}}
{{see also|Women in Iran}}
Azeri females have historically struggled against a legacy of male domination but have made great strides since the twentieth century. In Azerbaijan, women were granted the right to vote in 1919.<ref>[http://www.rochester.edu/SBA/suffragetimeline.html "US Suffrage Movement Timeline, 1792 to present"], Susan B. Anthony Center for Women's Leadership (retrieved [[19 August]] [[2006]])</ref> Women have attained Western-style equality in major cities such as [[Baku]], although in rural areas more traditional views remain.<ref name="Azeriwomen">[http://www.onlinewomeninpolitics.org/azerbaijan/azermain.htm "Azerbaijan: Women"], ''OnlineWomen'' (retrieved [[12 June]] [[2006]])</ref><ref name="Library of Congress Azerbaijan">Azerbaijan-The Role of Women</ref> 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.<ref name="Azeriwomen2">[http://www.onlinewomeninpolitics.org/womensit/az-w-sit.pdf "Women's rights in Azerbaijan"], ''OneWomen'' (retrieved [[12 June]] [[2006]])</ref> Azeri women were forced to "give up the veil,"<ref name="ISBN 2">''Azeri Women in Transition: Women in Soviet and Post-Soviet Azerbaijan'' by Farideh Heyat, ISBN 0-7007-1662-9 (retrieved [[13 June]] [[2006]]).</ref> 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 (fifteen seats in total) in the [[National Assembly of Azerbaijan]].<ref>[http://www.gender-az.org/shablon_en.shtml?doc/en/library/publication/bul28en Gender Panorama: Elections to the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan appointed on November 6, 2005], Azerbaijan Gender Information Centre (retrieved [[3 September]], [[2006]].</ref> The Republic of Azerbaijan is also one of the few Muslim countries where [[abortion]] is available on demand.<ref name="Abortion Law in Azerbaijan">[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:AbortionLawsAroundtheWorld.png Abortion Laws Around the World] (retrieved [[25 June]] 2006) </ref>
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.<ref name="AmnestyIranwomen">[http://www.amnestyusa.org/news/document.do?id=ENGMDE130642006 Iran: "Amnesty International calls for action to end discrimination against women"], ''Amnesty International'' (retrieved [[12 June]] [[2006]]).</ref><ref name="Library of Congress Iran">The Sexes</ref> Regular protests take place in defiance of government bans and are often dispersed through violence, as in June 2006 when "[t]housands of women and male supporters came together on June 12 in Haft Tir Square in Tehran" and were dispersed through "brutal suppression".<ref name="Iran Women's Protest">[http://www.iranian.ws/iran_news/publish/article_16204.shtml "Iran: women's protest brutally attacked"], ''Iranian'', Jun 15, 2006 (retrieved [[12 June]] [[2006]])</ref> 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.<ref name="Gainsatrisk">[http://www.onlinewomeninpolitics.org/archives/04_0608_iran_wip.htm Iran: "Women's Gains at Risk in Iran's New Parliament"], ''Women's Enews'' (retrieved [[12 June]] [[2006]])</ref> The social fate of Azeri women largely mirrors that of other women in Iran.
==See also==
{{col-begin}}
{{col-break}}
* [[List of Azerbaijanis]]
* [[Azerbaijan]]
* [[Iranian Azeris]]
* [[Azeris in Georgia (country)|Azeris in Georgia]]
{{col-break}}
* [[Azeris in Armenia]]
* [[Azeris in Russia]]
* [[Azeris in Turkey]]
* [[Iranian origin of the Azerbaijanis]]
{{col-break}}
* [[Caucasian origin of the Azerbaijanis]]
* [[History of the name Azerbaijan]]
* [[Arranis]]
{{col-end}}
==External links==
* [http://www.azembassy.com/ Embassy of Azerbaijan, Washington DC]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/country_profiles/1235976.stm BBC News Europe Country Profile: Azerbaijan]
* [http://lexicorient.com/e.o/azerbaijan.htm Encyclopedia of the Orient: Azerbaijan]
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/azeri/ The BBC Azeri news site] written in Azeri language.
* [http://www.azeri.net/ Azeri.net] All About Azerbaijani
* [http://www.vetennamine.comVeten Namine- Independent Political Journal]
==Notes and references==
{{reflist|2}}
* ''Important note: population statistics for Azerbaijanis (including those without a notation) in foreign countries were derived from various census counts, the UN, the CIA Factbook, Ethnologue, and the Joshua Project.''
{{Ethnic groups in Iran}}
{{Turkic topics}}
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