Shirvanis

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Shirvanis is a reference to the people, inhabiting the region of Shirvan in Azerbaijan. Historically Shirvan's population consisted of Caucasian speaking peoples such as Lezgi, Avars, Udis, Kriz, and Iranian speaking Tats. This population was slowly Turkified since the 11th century onward, yet some speakers of the Caucasian and Iranian languages still live in the distant villages of Shamakha, Shaki, Qabala, and Oguz.

The bulk of the population consisted of Turkic speakers with an admixture of Arabs and Persians.[1]

According to The Earth and its Inhabitants, published in 1891:

“ In their habits those of the lower Kura, Shirvan, and Baku approach nearer to the Persians than to the Turks. They seldom practice polygamy, and their women generally work freely with unveiled faces. On the whole they are remarkably tolerant, nor does the Shiah sect take advantage of its decide to ascendancy to persecute either the Sunnite Mohammedans or their Christian neighbors.[2] ”

At the same time, according to An Illustrated Description of the Russian Empire published in 1855, the population of Shirvan was mostly made up of Persians:

“ Shirvan was formerly a province of Persia…The inhabitants of this province are chiefly Mohammedan Persians.[3] ”

However, in Russian empire Shia Muslims in general were referred to as Persians. Russian Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary, published in 1890-1907, stated that the most numerous people in Baku governorate were “Azerbaijani Tatars, who are absolutely incorrectly called Persians. They are similar to Persians in many ways, but their language is Turko-Tatar”. [4]

To distinguish Turkic speakers of Iranian descent from other Turkic peoples, the Russians introduced the term Azerbaijani in the later half the 19th century. Russian Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary, published in 1890, states[5]:

“ some scholars (Yadrintsev, Kharuzin, 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.[6] ”

The term Shirvani/Shirvanli is still in use in Azerbaijan to designate the people of Shirvan region, as it was historically.[7]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ The Penny Cyclopædia of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge. 1833. “Georgia”.
  2. ^ The Earth and its Inhabitants by Elisee Reclus, Vol I Asiatic Russia, published in 1891, page 119
  3. ^ An Illustrated Description of the Russian Empire by Robert Sears, published in 1855, pages 289-290
  4. ^ (Russian) Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary. "Baku". St. Petersburg, Russia, 1890-1907
  5. ^ (Russian) Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary. "Turks". St. Petersburg, Russia, 1890-1907
  6. ^ (Russian) Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary. "Turko-Tatars". St. Petersburg, Russia, 1890-1907.
  7. ^ Tadeusz Swietochowski, Russia and Azerbaijan: A Borderland in Transition (New York: Columbia University Press, 1995. pg 10, 16