User talk:Nepaheshgar/NameAAA

This stub was written for the article history of the name Azerbaijan. Basically there was a conflict about history with this regard and how and when the current republic of Azerbaijan obtained the name Azerbaijan. The article was created so that all differing POV's are pushed into one article in order to stop edit warring over 10s of articles with this regard. Overall, we should respect the members of each country on how they want to call themselves. So as an Iranian I respect the term "Republic of Azerbaijan"(Caucasian Azerbaijan) but I do not like the political term "South Azerbaijan" for the correct term Iranian Azerbaijan, which was created in the 20th century. I fixed up the article based on primary sources here making it NPOV as possible. That is I allowed scholars to do the talking and wiki-users not to put their own differing opinion. This actually conformed with Wikipedia's policy. This is the latest version which is NPOV and correct. [[7]]

My overall view on the matter is that the name Azerbaijan was very rarely (almost never) used for the north of Araxes (with the exception of perhaps some bordering areas like Naxchivan) and indeed three important Caucasian sources like Mirza Jamal, Mirza Adigozal Beg (three people who actually lived in Caucusia and were of Azeri origin) which I did not bring to the article use Azerbaijan only for the south of Aras. About the naming of the country, Swietchowski says: "For all the built-in pitfalls in Russian administrative reforms, it was also apparent that these reforms enhanced its internal consolidation of Azerbaijan in at least two important respects: the dismantling of Khanates weakened deeply rooted local particularisms, and the formation of the two guberniaas of Eastern Transcaucasia resulted in territorial block that the “Shirvanis” or “Arranis” would regard as the core of their homeland. Even the term Azerbaijan, although seldom used for the territory north of Araxes, began to appear in the works of European scholars or journalists." On the other hand Barthold/Diakonov say: "Shirvan is not used that way, to encompass the territory of the now day Azerbaijan Republic. Shirvan is "not that big" with the main city of Shemakha, cities like Ganja and others were never part of Shirvan, and whenever it is necessary to choose a name that will encompass all regions of the republic of Azerbaijan, the name Aran 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 questions rises as to which Azerbaijan is being talked about." And Minorsky says: "Historically the territory of the republic corresponds to the Albania of the classical authors (Strabo, xi, 4; Ptolemy, v, 11), or in Armenian Alvan-k, and in Arabic Arran. The part of the republic lying north of the Kur (Kura) formed the kingdom of Sharwan (later Shirwan). After the collapse of the Imperial Russian army Baku was protectively occupied by the Allies (General Dunsterville, 17 August-14 September 1918) on behalf of Russia . The Turkish troops under Nuri Pasha occupied Baku on 15 September 1918 and reorganized the former province under the name of Azarbayd̲j̲ān—as it was explained, in view of the similarity of its Turkish-speaking population with the Turkish-speaking population of the Persian province of Ādharbaydjān". Dr. George Bourtounian (he was not mentioned due to the current NK conflict which hopefully oneday will be resolved peacefully):"Although Azerbaijan was a geographical entity in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the term was only used to identify the province in northwest Persia. The Safavids, at one time, for revenue purposes, included some of the lands north of the Arax river as part of the province of Azerbaijan. This practice gradually fell out of use after the fall of Safavids. To Mirza Jamal and Mirza Adigozal Beg, as well as other eighteen century and ninteenth-century authors, Azerbaijan referred to the region located south of the Arax river". Indeed European maps of the era show only one Azerbaijan. An interesting exception was recently brought by a source from British Consular named "Keith Abbot". But here are my criticism of Abbot's source.

1) Abbott's letter is not official relative to British or Russian government. It is in a non-official magazine. Most importantly it states on the first-line: "The country known to the Persians as Azerbaijan is divided between them and Russia , the latter Power possessing about five-eighths of the whole". But he does not state which Persian sources state this. The Qajars did not have a "country" also known as Azerbaijan. Mamalek Khorasan, Fars, Araq, Azerbaijan simply meant land. I can almost 99% verify that there is no Persian or Persian language source that has considered some of these territories like Abkhazia as part of Azerbaijan. If anyone knows a Persian source that considers western territories of Georgia as Azerbaijan, I would appreciate it. 2) Keith Abbot basically was not a scientist/historian and his letter in a very out-dated issue of 1864 describing Atropatene is also wrong. Unfortunately he does not state the Persian source he is referring to. We should check actual official British data rather than a "Persian source" with this regard at that time. There is not a British map from that era that calls the territory beyond Aras as “Russian Azerbaijan” . Specially one that encompasses modern republics of Armenia, Azerbaijan and George. 3) Some of the Caucusia sources, for example Bakikhanov, Mirza ‘Alabedin Shirvani Mirza Jamal and Mirza Adigozal Beg are clear that native Caucasians considered Azerbaijan not as part of the Caucasia. 4) He includes Georgia and Armenia as Azerbaijan. There is not a single source that considers Georgia and Azerbaijan as the same. 5) He claims that "Russian Azerbaijan" is bigger than Persian Azerbaijan. This is unanimously disproved. 6) He says "The country included in these boundaries and, perhaps a large part, if not all, of Russian Azerbaijan recognized as Medea Atropotena in ancient geography". All historians concur that Atropotena did not include any portion of the Caucasus. It did not definitely have all of Georgia, Armenia and republic of Azerbaijan. 7) The Caucasus at the time was divided into governorates. in 1863, the territory of the present-day Republic of Azerbaijan was split up into the following governorates: Baku Governorate, Elisabethpol Governorate, Erivan Governorate. The Russians never used the term “Russian Azerbaijan” for Georgia, Armenia and republic of Azerbaijan. 8) Abbott says:”The Russian division is bounded to the north and northeast by the mountains of Caucasus, extending to the vicinity of Bakou on the Caspian. In the West, it has the provinces of Imeretia, Mingrelia, Gooriel and Ahiska (now belonging to Russia);" Megrelia is in northern Georgia: Mingrelia. Furthermore, Abbot makes several errors.. He claims Atropatene was equally shared between the Caucasus and Iran, where as no modern historian says this. This is false. He claims all of Armenia and large portions of Georgia as Azerbaijan, no other map has done that. The name Azerbaijani by itself is a ethnonym from the last century in the Caucusus. Even if Armenia had a large Azerbaijani speaking population, at that time they were not called Azerbaijani. He also claims that Russian Azerbaijan is bigger than Iranian Azerbaijan, we know this is not true as the Qajar had only 4 provinces in Iran and one of them was Azerbaijan.

So overall my take on the issue is that the name Azerbaijan for above the Aras river is new and perhaps it was chosen politically. I believe the name Arran in the Persian/Turkish language and Caucasian Albania in English would have been more appropriate. At the same time, I respect the right of any group to call their land whatever they want. Thankfully the admins have also said that all dispute with this regard is to go into that article and the correct terms in Wikipedia are republic of Azerbaijan and Iranian Azerbaijan. This is also a good way to diffuse artificial tension.

This is part of the sources I collected a while back which most or all of them were incorporated in [8].

Azerbaijan is the name used by the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Iranian region of Azerbaijan. This name is originated from pre-Islamic history of Persia, derived from Atropates, an Iranian satrap (governor). The article covers the etymology of this term and also territorial regions that utilized this name in the historical sense as well as in modern times. test 1 2 3

Etymology and usage

The name Azerbaijan itself is thought to be derived from Atropates, the Satrap (governor) of Media in the Achaemenid empire, who ruled a region found in modern Iranian Azarbaijan called Atropatene. Atropates name is believed to be derived from the Old Persian roots meaning "protected by fire." The name is also mentioned in the Avestan Frawardin Yasht: âterepâtahe ashaonô fravashîm ýazamaide which translates literally to: We worship the Fravashi of the holy Atare-pata.. َAccording to the Encyclopedia of Islam, the name of the province was pronounced as: In Middle Persian the name of the province was called Āturpātākān, older new-Persian Ādharbādhagān آذربادگان/آذرآبادگان, Ādharbāyagān, at present Āzerbāydjān/Āzarbāydjān, Greek ᾿Ατροπατήνη, Byzantine Greek ᾿Αδραβιγάνων, Armenian Atrapatakan,Syriac Ad̲h̲orbāyg̲h̲ān.

Pre-Islamic Era

Strabo in Book 11

“ And then on the north by the Ocean as far as the mouth of the Caspian Sea; and then on the east by this same sea as far as the boundary between Albania and Armenia, where empty the rivers Cyrus and Araxes, the Araxes flowing through Armenia and the Cyrus through Iberia and Albania; and lastly, on the south by the tract of country which extends from the outlet of the Cyrus River to Colchis, which is about three thousand stadia from sea to sea, across the territory of the Albanians and the Iberians, and therefore is described as an isthmus. ”

Strabo in Book 11

“ The other part is Atropatian Media, which got its name from the commander Atropates, who prevented also this country, which was a part of Greater Media, from becoming subject to the Macedonians. Furthermore, after he was proclaimed king, he organized this country into a separate state by itself, and his succession of descendants is preserved to this day, and his successors have contracted marriages with the kings of the Armenians and Syrians and, in later times, with the kings of the Parthians. ”

Strabo in Book 11

“ Their royal summer palace is situated in a plain at Gazaca, and their winter palace in a fortress called Vera, which was besieged by Antony on his expedition against the Parthians. This fortress is distant from the Araxes, which forms the boundary between Armenia and Atropene, two thousand four hundred stadia, according to Dellius, the friend of Antony, who wrote an account of Antony's expedition against the Parthians, on which he accompanied Antony and was himself a commander. All regions of this country are fertile except the part towards the north, which is mountainous and rugged and cold, the abode of the mountaineers called Cadusii, Amardi, Tapyri, Cyrtii and other such peoples, who are migrants and predatory; for the Zagrus and Niphates fountains keep these tribes scattered; and the Cyrtii in Persis, and the Mardi (for the Amardi are also thus called), and those in Armenia who to this day are called by the same name, are of the same character. ”

Shapour's inscription also lists the provinces of Sassanid Iran. According to Encyclopedia Britannica which quotes Shapour's inscription:

“ The list of provinces given in the inscription of Ka'be-ye Zardusht defines the extent of the empire under Shapur, in clockwise geographic enumeration: (1) Persis (Fars), (2) Parthia, (3) Susiana (Khuzestan), (4) Maishan (Mesene), (5) Asuristan (southern Mesopotamia), (6) Adiabene, (7) Arabistan (northern Mesopotamia), (8) Atropatene (Azerbaijan), (9) Armenia, (10) Iberia (Georgia), (11) Machelonia, (12) Albania (eastern Caucasus), (13) Balasagan up to the Caucasus Mountains and the Gate of Albania (also known as Gate of the Alans), (14) Patishkhwagar (all of the Elburz Mountains), (15) Media, (16) Hyrcania (Gorgan), (17) Margiana (Merv), (18) Aria, (19) Abarshahr, (20) Carmania (Kerman), (21) Sakastan (Sistan), (22) Turan, (23) Mokran (Makran), (24) Paratan (Paradene), (25) India (probably restricted to the Indus River delta area), (26) Kushanshahr, until as far as Peshawar and until Kashgar and (the borders of) Sogdiana and Tashkent, and (27), on the farther side of the sea, Mazun (Oman). ”

Islamic Era

Ibn Muqaffa (d. 760) a Muslim or Zoroastrian scholar and translator of Persian background is quoted by Ibn Nadeem (d. 988) as incorporating the region of Azerbaijan into the Fahla:

“ And Fahlavi (Pahlavi language) pertains to the region of Fahla which is the region compromised of Esfahan, Ray, Hamadan, Mah Nahavand and Azerbaijan ”

Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn al-Husayn al-Masudi(896-956), the Arab historian states:

“ 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. ”

Ahmad ibn Yaqubi (d. 897) in his work Al-Buldan (The Countries) writes

“ And whoever wants to travel to Azerbaijan, must leave Zanjan and travel four stages to reach the city of Ardabil. And Ardabil is the first city amongst the cities of Azerbaijan he will see. From Ardabil to Barzand region in Azerbaijan is three stages. And from Barzand to Warthan city in Azerbaijan, and from Warthan to Beylakan and from Beylakan till the city of Maragheh, which a city in the center of upper Azerbaijan, and the cities of Azerbaijan are: Ardabil, Barzand, Varthan, Barda', Shiz, Saraat, Marand, Tabriz, Miyaneh, Urmia, Khoy and Salmas. And the people of cities and regions of Azerbaijan are a mixture of Old Ajam(Persian Muslims) Azariyya and followers of Javidan. ”

Ahmad ibn Yaqubi (d. 897) in his work Al-Tarikh (The History) writes:

“ Khazars took positions of all the cities of Armenia and they had king by the title of Khaghan. He had a successor whose name was Yazid Balash and he ruled upon Aran, Jurzan, Basfurjan, Sisjan and this province was called the Fourth Armenia which Kobad the Iranian king had won in battle. ”

Ahmad ibn Yaqubi quoted by the Arabian historian Abul Fida has stated:

“ Armenia is divided into three parts. The first part encompasses QaliQala, Khilat, Shimshat and the territories in between them. The second part contains Jurzan, Tiflis and the city of Bab Al-lan. And the third part encompasses Barda which is the chief city in Aran, Bailakan and Darband. ”

Ibn Hawqal (943-977), the 10th century Arabian traveler writes:

“ The borders of Azerbaijan extent from Tarem to Zangan to Deinel and Howlan and to Shehrzour, to the river Dejleh (Tigris), and back to the borders of Armenia.

.. On one side of Derband is a great mountain called Adeib; on this they assemble every year, and make many fires, that they may confound and dispere their enemies from the borders of Azerbaijan, and Armenia, and Arran. .. Armenia is an extensive and fertile region, bounded by the sea and full of delightful situations: the towns are Misan, Khounah, Bervanan, Khoy, Selmas, Neshoui, Marend, abriz, Berzend, Derban, Moukan and Khaberan; and several smaller towns. .. Ardabil is the most considerable city in Azerbaijan. .. Maragheh is nearly the same size as Ardebil .. Deinel is a larger city than Ardabil, and the chief town of Armenia. The place of the governor is there, as at Barda, the capital of Aran. .. There is a lake in Azerbaijan called the lake of Urmia .. Throughout this country the Persian and Arabian languages are understood. The inhabitans of Ardebil use also the Armenian tongue; in the mountainous country belong to Berdaa, the people use a different dialect. In Azerbaijan, and Aran, and Armenia, gold and silver coins are current.

”

Muhammad ibn Ahmad Al-Muqaddasi (b. 945) lists the cities of Azerbaijan and Armenia and Aran:

“ Al-Ran constitues about one third of the region. it is like an island, between the lake and the River Al-Rass. The River Al-Malik (Kura) cuts through its lenght. Its capitarl is Bardha'a, and among its towns are Tiflis, Al-Qal'a, Khunan, Shamkur, Janza, Bardij, Al-Shamakhiya, Shirwan, Bakuh, Al-Sahabaran, Bab al-Abwab, Al-Abkhan(Abkhaz), Qabala, Shakki, Malazkird, Tabla. Arminiya is an important district. Its capital is Dabil, and among its towns are Bidlis, Khilat, Arjish, Barkari, Khuy, Salamas, Urmiya, Dakharraqan, Maragha, Ahar, Marand, Sanjan, Qaliqala, Qandariya, Qal'at, Yunus, Nurin. Azarbaijan: It's capital, and it is the metropolis of the region, is Ardabil. Among its towns are: Rasba, Tabriz, Jabirwan, Khunaj, Al-Miyanj, Al-Sarat, Barwa, Warthan, Muqan,Mimadh, Barzand. ”

Bala'mi(946-973), the 10th century Persian court chronicler of Samanids, translated an abridged version of Tabari's history into Persian and wrote his own additional comments. He states:

“ Fereydun divided his land amongst his three sons. The area of Turkestan and Khazar and Chinestan and the east were given to Tooj and he gave him the title Faghfur. The lands of Iraq, Basra, Baghdad, Waset, Persia, Sind, Hind and Yemen was given to Iraj and his territory was designated as Iranshahr. And the land of West, Rome, Siqlab, Azerbaijan and Aran and Karaj were all given to Salm and his title was Qaysar ”

Bala'ami also states:

“ Azerbaijan’s border starts in Hamadan and passing through Abhar and Zanjan, ends in Darband of the Khazars. All of the citites in the middle of these (territories) are called Azerbaijan ”

Ibn Rusta, a 9th/10th century Persian explorer and geographer writes in his famous book al-A'laq Al-Nafisah: :

“ Iranshahr is divided amongst these regions: Khorasan, Sajestan, Kerman, Fars, Al-Ahwaz, Al-Jabal, Azerbaijan, Armaniya, Al-Mosul, Al-Jazira, Al-Sham and Surestan.

... The districts and cities of Azerbaijan are Ardabil, Marand, Bajarwan, Warthan, and Maraghah. .. The districts of Armenia are Arran, Jurzan, Nashavi, Khilat, Dabil, Seraj, Soghdabil, Arjish, Sisajan, and the city of Bab al-Abwab

”

Fakhr ad-din Asad Gorgani, a 11th century poet, who rhymed the pre-Islamic story of Vis o Ramin into new persian poetry, mentions Azerbaijan, Armenia and Aran:

“ The world was at the hand of heart-grabbing princess Viseh

But her choice was the land of Azerbaijan

And also the countries of Aran and Armenia

All these lands were at hand of that flower-bodies princess

”

Ibn al-Athir on the Mongol invasions(1163-1233):

“ ...whence they marched on the towns of Adharbayjan and Arraniyya, destroying them and slaying most of their inhabitants, of whom none escaped save a small remnant; and all this in less than a year; this is a thing whereof the like has not been heard. And when they had finished with Adharbayjan and Arraniyya, they passed on to Darband-i-Shirwan, and occupied its cities, none of which escaped save the fortress wherein was their King; ”

Zakariya ibn Muhammad Qazvini(1208/1209-1283/1284), the writer of Athar Al-Bilad wa Akhbar al-'ibad writes:

“ Azerbaijan is a wide region in the middle of Aran and Qahestan. ”

Yaqut al-Hamawi (d. 1229) in his Mu'jam al-Buldan:

“ According to Hamza 'Isfahan, Pahlavi (Middle Persian) ..is the language of the district of Fahlah. And Fahlah is composed of Esfahan, Ray, Hamadan, Mah Nahavand and Azerbaijan.

..

Arran is a Persian name and is a wide land with many cities and one of its cities is Janza which people there call Ganja. Barda' and Shamkur and Beylaghan are its other cities. Between Azerbaijan and Aran there is a river which is called Aras. The region to the North and West of this river, and whatever lies to the south is called Azerbaijan. ... Azar means fire in Pahlavi and Baykan means protector and holder. Thus the name means house of fire or protector of the fir. The boundary of Azerbaijan is from Barda' to the east to arzananjan to the west and from the north its boundaries are the lands of Deylam, Gilan and Tarom. And Azerbaijan is a wide and expansive land and its most famous city is Tabriz which is its center and most important city. Before that its center was Maragheh. Amongts its cities are Khoy, Salmas, Urmia, Ardabil, Marand, and others.

”

Hamdullah Mustawfi(1281-1349 A.D), Persian chronicler who worked for the Ilkhanid administration and was familiar with administrative affairs of his time writes: :

“ The distances from Tabriz to the various places in Adharbayjan are as follows; to Ujan 8 leagues; to Ardabil 30; to Ushnuyah 30; to Urmiyah 24; to Ahar 14; to Pishkin 18; to Khoi 20; to Salmas 18, but going round by Maraghah it is 26 leagues; to Sarav 20; to Maraghah 20; to Dih-Khwarqan 8; to Marand 15; and lastly to Nakhchivan 24 leagues.

... The Shirvan country extends from the bank of the Kur (Cyrus) river to Darband of the Gate of Gates. The revenues thereof during the days of the Khans of Shirvan amounted to one million dinars of the money of our time; but at present, all that is inscribed on the registers is 113,000 dinars. Further in the matter of the military fiefs there are many of these in the divers districts. ... The Arran province is the land Between the Rivers'’ namely from the bank of the Aras to the river Kur.

”

The 17th century Persian dictionary/quasi-encyclopedia Burhan Qati' under the words Aras and Aran gives two definitions

“ Aras: the name of a famous river which flows past Teflis and forms a boundary between Azerbaijan and Iran.

Aran: It is a province from/of (Persian: از ) Azerbaijan and Barda' and Ganja are parts of its territories

”

Modern (18th, 19th, and 20th centuries)

William Jones, a English Historian and translator of Mirza Muhammad Mahdi Khan Astrabadi's Tarikh-i Jahangusha-yi Naderi writes in the preface:

“ AZARBIGIAN*, or Media, ARRAN or Atropatia, and ARMENA, or Armenia, are considered by some Eastern Geographers as One Province or Kingdom, and we may, therefore, describe them together. They are bounded on the east by part of Cuhistan, and the Caspian provinces, on the west, by Rum, or the lower Asia; on the north they have Georgia and Circassia, on the south, a canton of Mesopotamia, and Curdistan, part of the ancient Assyria. The most remarkable cities of Azarbigian are; 1. ARDEBIL, considered as sacred by the Persians, for containing the tombs of Sefiaddin and Heider, the venerable ancestors of the Sefi family. 2. TABRIZ, commonly called Tauris, which, in the last century, was a large and beautiful city, but has been much impaired during the late disorders in Persia: it stands at the foot of a mountain, which the Greeks called Orontes, a word cor¬rupted, perhaps, from Orond; and a small river winds through its streets

..

The great cities of Arran and Armenia are, GANGIA, and ERIVAN, its Capital, a large but unpleasant town, without any fine edifice in it, or any other ornament than a number of gardens, and vineyards. Some Geographers, and among them the prince of Hamah, place in Armenia the cities which we consider as belonging to Georgia or Gurgistan; these are SHAMCUR, and TEFLIS, a city not large but tolerably elegant: it is washed on the eastern side by the river Ker or Cyrs, and defended on the other sides by strong and beautiful walls. .. SHIRVAN and DAGHESTAN or The country of rocks... The cities of Shirvan are, 1. BACU, a port on the Caspian lake, whence it is called the Sea of Bacu: 2. SHAMAKHI, a city well known to the Russians: and 3. DERBEND or the barrier, which stands at the foot of Mount Caucasus or Keitaf, and commands the Caspian: this place was called by the ancients Caspiæ portæ, by the Turks, Demir Capi, or, the gate of iron, and by the Arabs, Babelabwab or the important passage. It was anciently considered as the boundary of the Persian Empire, and an old king of Persia built to the north of it a vast wall, like that of China, which has been repaired at different times, in order to prevent the incursions of the Khozars, and other savage nations, who infested the rocks between the Caspian and Euxine seas

”

.

Keith Abbot, British Consular General in Persia in a memorandom writes:

“ The country known to the Persians as Azerbaijan is divided between them and Russia, the latter Power possessing about five-eighths of the whole, which may be roughly stated to cover an area of about 80,000 square miles, or about the size of Great Britain; 50,000 square miles are therefore about the extent of the division belonging to Russia, and 30,000 of that which remains to Persia.

The Russian division is bounded on the north and north-east by the mountains of Caucasus, extending to the vicinity of Bakou on the Caspian. On the west it has the provinces of Imeritia, Mingrelia, Gooriel, and Ahkhiska (now belonging to Russia); on the east it has the Caspian Sea, and on the south the boundary is marked by the course of the River Arrass (Araxes) to near the 46 th parallel of longitude, thence by a conventional line across the plains of Moghan to the district of Talish, and by the small stream of Astura which flows to the Caspian through the latter country. In this area are contained the following territorial divisions: - Georgia or Goorjistan, comprising Kakhetty, Kartaliny, Somelrhetty, Kasakh; the Mohammedan countries of Eriwan, Nakhshewan, Karabagh, Ghenja, Shirwan, Shekky, Shamachy, Bakou, Koobeh, Salian and a portion of Talish. Georgia is traversed by the River Koor (Cyrus), a stream of no commercial importance, since it is not navigable except by boats. .. The population of Russian Azerbaijan consists of mixed races... The country included in these boundaries and, perhaps a large part, if not all, of Russian Azerbaijan recognized as Medea Atropotena in ancient geography.

”

1890 - Russian Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary, states the following in the article called "Azerbeijan":

“ Azerbeijan, or Aderbeijan — fire land; 'Atrupatkan' in Pahlavi and 'Aderbadekan' in Armenian, is the north-westernmost province and the richest trade and industrial region of Persia. It borders Persian Kurdistan and Iraq of Adjam (Media) to the south, Turkish Kurdistan and Armenia to the west, Russian Armenia (Southern Transcaucasia), from which it is separated by the Aras River, to the north, Russian province of Tashil to the east and Persian province of Gilan near the Caspian sea. ”

1911 - Encyclopaedia Britannica, states the following in the article called "Azerbaijan":

“ AZERBAIJAN (also spelt ADERBIJAN; the Azerbadegan of medieval writers, the Athropatakan and Atropatene of the ancients), the north-western and most important province of Persia. It is separated from Russian territory on the N. by the river Aras (Araxes), while it has the Caspian Sea, Gilan and Khamseh (Zenjan) on the E., Kurdistan on the S., and Asiatic Turkey on the W. ”

European map makers also have drawn maps from this era.

Azerbaijan as the name of an independent republic

Main article: Azerbaijan

Tadsuez Swietchowski comments on the Czarist reforms:

“ For all the built-in pitfalls in Russian administrative reforms, it was also apparent that these reforms enhanced its internal consolidation of Azerbaijan in at least two important respects: the dismantling of Khanates weakened deeply rooted local particularisms, and the formation of the two guberniaas of Eastern Transcaucasia resulted in territorial block that the “Shirvanis” or “Arranis” would regard as the core of their homeland. Even the term Azerbaijan, although seldom used for the territory north of Araxes, began to appear in the works of European scholars or journalists. ”

With the collapse of Tsarist Russia in 1917, the Musavat Party met in Tbilisi on May 28, 1918 and proclaimed independence of their country with the name Azerbaijan Democratic Republic. Tadsuez Swietchowski also comments on the Iranian reaction:

“ Although the proclamation restricted its claim to the territory north of the Araxes, the use of the name Azerbaijan would soon bring objections from Iran. In Teheran, suspicions were aroused that the Republic of Azerbaijan served as an Ottoman device for detaching the Tabriz province from Iran. Likewise, the national revolutionary Jangali movement in Gilan, while welcoming the independence of every Muslim land as a "source of joy," asked in its newspaper if the choice of the name Azerbaijan implied the new republic's desire to join Iran. If so, they said, it should be stated clearly, otherwise Iranians would be opposed to calling that republic Azerbaijan. Consequently, to allay Iranian fears, the Azerbaijani government would accommodatingly use the term Caucasian Azerbaijan in its documents for circulation abroad. ”

Terminology Today

Today the name Azerbaijan denotes both the republic of Azerbaijan and unofficially, the north western provinces of Iran, which are East Azerbaijan, West Azerbaijan, Ardabil and Zanjan. During the soviet error, the name ‘’Southern Azerbaijan’’ was created and propagated throughout the USSR and the USSR officially supported separatism in East Azerbaijan province as separation of Kurdish regions under the name Mahabad Kurdish republic in West Azerbaijan province. Today, the nomenclature South Azerbaijan is used by some western sources as well as some groups advocating separatism of Iranian Azerbaijan. At the same time, the heavily Kurdish populated province of west Azerbaijan in Iran has also been called East Kurdistan(Rojhelat) by some Kurdish political groups and this nomenclature has also been used by some western sources.. Some Armenian political groups have also marked parts of Iranian Azerbaijan as greater Armenia and the term ‘’Greater Armenia’’ has been used by some academic sources to refer to portions of Iranian Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijani people

See also: Azerbaijani people

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