This region should not be confused with modern-day Albania in south-eastern Europe. This article is about the country in southern Europe For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Albania topics.

Caucasian Albania (in Armenian: Աղվանք = Aghvank^[1][2], in Azerbaijani: Qafqaz Albaniyası, in Parthian: Ardhan, in Persian: Arran ^[3], in Arabic: Al Ran ^[1][3], in Greek: Ἀλβανία = Albanía^[2]) was an ancient kingdom that existed on the territory of present-day Republic of Azerbaijan and southern Dagestan. The Armenian language (hy հայերեն լեզու hajɛɹɛn lɛzu —, conventional short form) is an Indo-European language spoken by the Armenian The Parthian language, also known as Arsacid Pahlavi, is a now-extinct ancient Northwestern Iranian language spoken in Parthia, a region of northeastern Middle Persian is the Middle Iranian language/ethnolect of Southwestern Iran that during Sassanid times (224-654 CE became a Prestige dialect Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly Azerbaijan ( English; Azərbaycan officially the Republic of Azerbaijan (Azərbaycan Respublikası is the largest and most populous country in the South The Republic of Dagestan dæɡɪˈstɑːn (IntEng ˈdeɪɡəstæn (AmEng (Респу́блика Дагеста́н Дагъистанлъул ДжумхIурият Daɣistanłul The name "Albania" is Greek and Latin, and denotes "mountainous land";^[2] the contemporaneous native name for the country is unknown. Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. ^[4]

Contents 1 Ancient population of Caucasian Albania 2 Cities and regions 3 Early history 4 The Sasanian domination 5 Arab and Seljuk domination 6 Religion 7 Alphabet and language 8 See also 9 Footnotes 10 References 11 External links

Ancient population of Caucasian Albania

Caucasian Albanians were one of the Ibero-Caucasian peoples, the ancient and indigenous population of modern southern Dagestan and Azerbaijan. The Northeast Caucasian languages, also called East Caucasian, Caspian, Nakho-Dagestanian, or Dagestanian, are a family of Languages The Republic of Dagestan dæɡɪˈstɑːn (IntEng ˈdeɪɡəstæn (AmEng (Респу́блика Дагеста́н Дагъистанлъул ДжумхIурият Daɣistanłul Ancient chronicles provide the names of some tribes that populated Caucasian Albania, including the regions of Artsakh and Utik. For the republic see Artsakh Republic Artsakh (Արցախ was the tenth nahang (province of the Kingdom of Armenia Utik (Ուտիք also known as Uti, Utiq, or Outi, or Otena in Latin sources was a historic province of the Kingdom of Armenia and These were Utians, Mycians, Caspians, Gargarians, Sakasenians, Gelians, Sodians, Lupenians, Balas[ak]anians, Parsians and Parrasians. The Udis (also referred to as Udins or Udz) are an ethnic group native to the Caucasus. "Caspians" (Greek kaspioi, Aramaic kspy,Persian کاسپین) is a Greek Ethnonym applied by Strabo to ancient people ^[4] According to Robert H. Hewsen, these tribes were "certainly not of Armenian origin", and "although certain Iranian peoples must have settled here during the long period of Persian and Median rule, most of the natives were not even Indo-Europeans". Robert H Hewsen is Professor Emeritus of History at Rowan University in Glassboro New Jersey and is an expert on the ancient history of South Caucasus ^[4] Strabo wrote of the Caucasian Albanians in the first century BC:

“

At the present time, indeed, one king rules all the tribes, but formerly the several tribes were ruled separately by kings of their own according to their several languages. Strabo ( Greek: Στράβων 63/64 BC – ca AD 24 was a Greek historian, geographer and philosopher. They have twenty-six languages, because they have no easy means of intercourse with one another [5]

”

The Mannaeans maintained one of the earliest states recorded as being established in the area as far as the Kura from ca. The Mannaeans (country name usually Mannea; Akkadian: Mannai, possibly Biblical Minni, מנּי were an ancient people of unknown origin 800 BC, and they were rivals of Urartu and Assyria, but later fell under the rule of Urartu until their destruction and eventual assimilation by the Medes under Cyaxares in 616 BC. Urartu ( Assyrian: Urarṭu Urartian: Biainili Ուրարտու was an Iron Age kingdom in Eastern Anatolia ( Transcaucasia) rising Early history The most Neolithic site in Assyria is at Tell Hassuna, the center of the Hassuna culture Cyaxares, Hvakhshathra, or Kayxosrew (𐎢𐎺𐎧𐏁𐎫𐎼 Uvaxštra, Greek Κυαξαρης; r Events and trends 619 BC — Alyattes becomes king of Lydia. 619 BC — Death of Zhou xiang wang, King of the Zhou In ancient times, they were mixed with the Persian people who settled in the area during the Achaemenid, Parthian and Sassanid periods. layout and formatting it should ensure no clashes with the top of the infobox The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenid Persian Empire ( haχɒmaneʃijɒn (558–330 BC was the first of the Persian Empires to rule over significant portions of Parthia ( Middle Persian: اشکانیان Ashkâniân) was an Iranian civilization situated in the northeastern part of modern Iran The Sassanid Empire or Sassanian Dynasty or Sassanian Dynasty (ساسانیان) is the name used for the third Iranian dynasty and the second Persian empire

This article is part of the series on: History of Azerbaijan

Early History

Ancient History

Caucasian Albania

First Persian Empire and Alexander's conquests

Roman-Parthian rivalry and Sassanian conquest

Medieval History

Islamic Period

Seljuk dynasty

Atabegs of Azerbaijan

Mongol and Ilkhanid rule

Qara Qoyunlu

Aq Qoyunlu

Shirvanshah

Classical History

Safavid dynasty

Khanates

Qajar dynasty

Russian Rule

Early Independence

Azerbaijan Democratic Republic

March Days

Soviet Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic

Black January

Modern Azerbaijan

Republic of Azerbaijan This box: view • talk • edit

Cities and regions

Strabo had no knowledge of any city in Albania, although in the first century AD Pliny^[6] mentions the initial capital of the kingdom which was pronounced in many different ways including Kabalaka, Shabala, Tabala, and present-day Qabala. This article is about the history of Azerbaijan. For the history of Iranian Azerbaijan, please see the History of Iran Azerbaijan or This article is about the history of Azerbaijan. For the history of Iranian Azerbaijan, please see the History of Iran Azerbaijan or This article is about the history of Azerbaijan. For the history of Iranian Azerbaijan, please see the History of Iran Azerbaijan or This article is about the history of Azerbaijan. For the history of Iranian Azerbaijan, please see the History of Iran Azerbaijan or This article is about the history of Azerbaijan. For the history of Iranian Azerbaijan, please see the History of Iran Azerbaijan or This article is about the history of Azerbaijan. For the history of Iranian Azerbaijan, please see the History of Iran Azerbaijan or The Atabegs of Azerbaijan rose from the ashes of the vast Seljuk Empire in the beginning of the 12th century This article is about the history of Azerbaijan. For the history of Iranian Azerbaijan, please see the History of Iran Azerbaijan or The Kara Koyunlu or Qara Qoyunlu, also called the Black Sheep Turkomans ( Turkmen: Garagoýunly; Azeri: Qaraqoyunlu The Ak Koyunlu or Aq Qoyunlu, also called the White Sheep Turkomans ( Turkmen: Akgoýunly, Azeri: Ağqoyunlu, The Safavids ( صفوی) were an Iranian ref>Helen Chapin Metz This article is about the history of Azerbaijan. For the history of Iranian Azerbaijan, please see the History of Iran Azerbaijan or The Qajar dynasty (also known as Ghajar or Kadjar ( ( - or دودمان قاجار) is a common term to describe Iran (then known as Persia) under This article is about the history of Azerbaijan. For the history of Iranian Azerbaijan, please see the History of Iran Azerbaijan or The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic ( ADR; Azərbaycan Xalq Cümhuriyyəti was the first Democratic and Secular Republic in the Muslim world The March Days or March Events refer to an inter-ethnic warfare during the Russian Civil War, which resulted in the massacre of 3000 to 12000 Azerbaijanis This article is about the former Soviet republic for other similar uses see Azerbaijan (disambiguation. Black January ( Azeri: Qara Yanvar) also known as Black Saturday or the January Massacre was a crackdown of Azeri protest demonstrations This article is about the history of Azerbaijan. For the history of Iranian Azerbaijan, please see the History of Iran Azerbaijan or Gaius or Caius Plinius Secundus, ( AD 23 – August 25, AD 79 better known as Pliny the Elder, was an ancient Author Later the capital moved to the south to Partaw (present-day Barda). Barda (Bərdə also Bärdä) is the capital city of Barda Rayon, Azerbaijan.

Early history

According to the Georgian chronicle “Juansher's Concise History of the Georgians”, Armenians, Georgians and Albanians had one father named Togarmah (Torgom), who was a descendant of Japheth, son of Noah. Georgia ( საქართველო, Sakartvelo) is a Transcontinental country in the Caucasus region situated at the dividing line between Togarmah ( Armenian: Thorgom, Թորգոմ Georgian: Thargamos, თარგამოს third son of Gomer, and grandson of Japheth (ˈdʒeɪfɪθ Hebrew. יפת Greek Ιάφεθ, Iapheth, Latin Iafeth or Iapetus Arabic يافث Noah (or Noe, Noach;; Nūḥ; Arabic: نوح; "Rest") was according to the Bible, the tenth and last of Torgom divided his land among his sons, and gave to one of them, by the name of Bartos, the "territory from the Berdahoj river to the region of the Kur river to the sea where the conjoined Erasx (Aras) and Kur rivers enter it". According to this legend, Bartos built the city Partaw in his own name. ^[7]

According to the local tradition, Aran was the legendary ancestor and eponym of the Albanians. Arran ( also known as Aran, Ardhan (in Parthian) Al-Ran (in Arabic) including the highland and lowland Karabakh) Thus, referring to the events in the beginning of the second century BC, he mentions that "… as leader of [savage tribes to the north], by [Armenian king] Vagharshak's order, was appointed someone from the family of Sisakan, one of the descendants of Yafet, named Aran, who inherited the plains and mountains of the country of Aghvank beginning from the river Yeraskh (Araks) up to the castle of Hnarakert (on river Kura)," after whom "this country was called Aghvank" (I. Japheth (ˈdʒeɪfɪθ Hebrew. יפת Greek Ιάφεθ, Iapheth, Latin Iafeth or Iapetus Arabic يافث Hnarakert or Hunarakert (meaning "City of Huns quot is an antique castle which was located in the Kazakh region of Azerbaijan. 4). Medieval historian Moses of Kalankatuyk explained the name Alvank as a derivation from the word Alu which was the nickname of Caucasian Albania's first king Aran and referred to his lenient personality. Movses Kaghankatvatsi (Մովսես Կաղանկատվացի also referred to as Movses Daskhurantsi (Մովսես Դասխուրանցի was the indigenous Armenian ^[8] The Armenian historian Moses of Chorene, who is considered "the father of Armenian history", also confirmed that the Sisakan family inherited the area "from the river Yeraskh (Araks) up to the castle called Hnarakert," and the region was named Aghvank after them in the early 2nd century BC (History of Armenia, II. Hnarakert or Hunarakert (meaning "City of Huns quot is an antique castle which was located in the Kazakh region of Azerbaijan. The 2nd century is the period from 101 to 200 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian / Common Era. 8). However it is uncertain whether Aran and Sisak were real or imaginary persons. ^[9]

The kingdom of Caucasian Albania was founded in the late fourth or early third century BC. Albanians are mentioned for the first time in 331 BC at the Battle of Gaugamela as participants from the satrapy of Media. The Battle of Gaugamela (ˌgɔːgəˈmiːlə (Γαυγάμηλα took place in 331 BC between Alexander the Great of Macedonia and Darius III ^[6]

Parts of Caucasian Albania, including Utik on the right bank of the Kura river were conquered by the Armenians, in the first century BC. Utik (Ուտիք also known as Uti, Utiq, or Outi, or Otena in Latin sources was a historic province of the Kingdom of Armenia and Armenia (Հայաստան transliterated: Hayastan,) officially the Republic of Armenia (Հայաստանի Հանրապետություն Hayastani ^[10]

Strabo, Ptolemy and Pliny all write that at this time, the border between Albania and the Kingdom of Greater Armenia was the river Kura. Strabo ( Greek: Στράβων 63/64 BC – ca AD 24 was a Greek historian, geographer and philosopher. Claudius Ptolemaeus ( Greek: Klaúdios Ptolemaîos; after 83 &ndash ca Gaius or Caius Plinius Secundus, ( AD 23 – August 25, AD 79 better known as Pliny the Elder, was an ancient Author At the same time Strabo writes that the river of Kura flows through Albania. However the frontier along the Kura was repeatedly overrun, to the advantage sometimes of the Albanians, sometimes of the Armenians. ^[6] In 66 BC, following the defeat of the Armenian king Tigranes II at the hand of the Romans, the Armenian empire lost most of its territory. Year 66 BC was a year of the pre-Julian calendar. Events By place Rome Consuls Manius Aemilius Lepidus and This article is about a king of Armenia in the 1st century BCE. Ancient Rome was a Civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC At this time, the Albanians regained control over their right bank territories conquered by Armenians. ^[6] According to the seventh-century historian Moses of Kalankatuyk, author of "History of Aghvank", at this time, the southern border of Caucasian Albania was along the Araks river. ^[11]

In 65 B. C. the Roman general Pompey invaded Albania. Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, commonly known as Pompey /'pɑmpi/ Pompey the Great or Pompey the Triumvir ( Classical Latin abbreviation When fording the Alazan river, he was attacked by forces of Oroezes, king of Albania, and eventually defeated them. The Alazani ( Georgian: ალაზანი, Azeri Qanıx) is a river that flows through the Caucasus. According to Plutarch, Albanians "were led by a brother of the king, named Cosis, who as soon as the fighting was at close quarters, rushed upon Pompey himself and smote him with a javelin on the fold of his breastplate; but Pompey ran him through the body and killed him". Lucius Mestrius Plutarchus ( Greek: Μέστριος Πλούταρχος c ^[12]

Plutarch also reported that "after the battle, Pompey set out to march to the Caspian Sea, but was turned back by a multitude of deadly reptiles when he was only three days march distant, and withdrew into Lesser Armenia". ^[13]

Between 83 and 93 AD, in the reign of the Roman Emperor Domitian a detachment of the Legio XII Fulminata was sent to the Caucasus to support the allied kingdoms of Iberia and Albania in a war against Parthia. The Roman Emperor was the ruler of the Roman State during the imperial period (starting at about 27 BC Titus Flavius Domitianus (24 October 51 &ndash 18 September 96 commonly known as Domitian, was a Roman Emperor who reigned from 14 September 81 until his death Legio XII Fulminata ("wielder of the thunderbolt" also known as Paterna, Victrix, Antiqua, Certa Constans, and Galliena Parthia ( Middle Persian: اشکانیان Ashkâniân) was an Iranian civilization situated in the northeastern part of modern Iran An inscription found in Gobustan (69 km south of Baku) attests to the presence of a Roman garrison in that area. Gobustan may refer to Gobustan Rayon, Azerbaijan Qobustan, Azerbaijan Baku (Bakı sometimes known as Baqy, Baky, Baki or Bakü, is the capital the largest city and the largest port of Azerbaijan During the reign of Roman emperor Hadrian (117-138) Albania was invaded by the Alans, an Iranian nomadic group. Publius Aelius Hadrianus (January 24 76 &ndash July 10 138 as emperor Imperator Caesar Divi Traiani filius Traianus Hadrianus Augustus, and Divus Hadrianus after The Alans or Alani (occasionally but more rarely termed Alauni or Halani) were an Iranian nomadic group among the Sarmatian people ^[14]

The Sasanian domination

Main article: Albania (satrapy)

In 252-253 AD Caucasian Albania along with Iberia and Armenia was conquered by the Sassanid Empire. Albania, or Ardhan in Parthian or Arran in Middle Persian as it was known in Persian, was a Caucasian Satrapy (province This article is about the people of ancient Georgia For the Iberians of ancient Iberian Peninsula see Iberians. The Sassanid Empire or Sassanian Dynasty or Sassanian Dynasty (ساسانیان) is the name used for the third Iranian dynasty and the second Persian empire Albania was mentioned among the Sasanian provinces listed in the trilingual inscription of Shapur I at Naqsh-e Rustam. Shapur I was the second Sassanid King of the Second Persian Empire. Naqsh-e Rustam (in Persian: نقش رستم Nāqš-e Rostām) is an archaeological site located about 12 km northwest of Persepolis, in Fars province ^{[15][16][17][2][6]}

In the middle of the fourth century the king of Albania Urnayr arrived in Armenia and was baptized by Gregory the Illuminator, but Christianity spread in Albania only gradually, and the Albanian king remained loyal to the Sassanids. Saint Gregory the Illuminator or Saint Gregory the Enlightener (Գրիգոր Լուսաւորիչ translit After the partition of Armenia between Byzantium and Persia (in 387 AD), Albania, as an ally of Sassanid Persia, regained all the right bank of the river Kura up to river Araxes, including Artsakh and Utik. For the processor see Intel 80387. Events By Place Roman Empire The widowed Emperor Theodosius I The Sassanid Empire or Sassanian Dynasty or Sassanian Dynasty (ساسانیان) is the name used for the third Iranian dynasty and the second Persian empire ^[6]

Sasanian king Yazdegerd II passed an edict requiring all the Christians in his empire to convert to Mazdaism, fearing that Christians might ally with Roman Empire, which had recently adopted Christianity. Yazdegerd II, ("made by God" Izdegerdes) fifteenth Sassanid King of Persia, was the son of Bahram V (421&ndash438 and reigned Zoroastrianism (ˌzɔroʊˈæstriəˌnɪzəm is the religion and philosophy based on the teachings This led to a rebellion of Albanians, along with Armenians and Iberians. In a battle that took place in 451 AD in the Avarayr field, the allied forces of the Armenian, Albanian and Iberian kings, devoted to Christianity, suffered defeat at the hands of the Sassanid army. Battle of Avarayr (Ավարայրի ճակատամարտ May 26, 451, also known as Battle of Vartanantz, hy Վարդանանց Պատերազմ Many of the Albanian nobility fled to the mountainous regions of Albania, particularly to Artsakh, which became a center for resistance to Sassanid Persia. The religious center of the Albanian state also moved here. However, the Albanian king Vache, a relative of Yazdegerd II, was forced to convert to the official religion of the Sasanian empire, but soon reverted back to Christianity.

In the middle of the fifth century by the order of the Persian king Peroz I Vache built in Utik the city initially called Perozabad, and later Partaw and Barda, and made it the capital of Albania. Peroz I (Pirooz Peirozes Priscus fr 33 Perozes Procop Pers I 3 and Agath Barda (Bərdə also Bärdä) is the capital city of Barda Rayon, Azerbaijan. ^[18] Partaw was the seat of the Albanian kings and Persian marzban, and in 552 A. D. the seat of the Albanian Catholicos was also transferred to Partaw. ^[19][6]

After the death of Vache, Albania remained without a king for thirty years. The Sasanian Balash reestablished the Albanian monarchy by making Vachagan, son of Yazdegerd and brother of the previous king Vache, the king of Albania. Balash (in the Greek authors Balas; the later form of the name Vologases) the eighteenth Sassanid King of Persia in 484 &ndash

By the end of the fifth century, the ancient Arsacid royal house of Albania, a branch of the ruling dynasty of Parthia, became extinct, and in the sixth century it was replaced by princes of the Persian or Parthian Mihranid family, who claimed descent from the Sasanians. Parthia ( Middle Persian: اشکانیان Ashkâniân) was an Iranian civilization situated in the northeastern part of modern Iran This article is about the dynasty There is also a Kurdish tribal federation by the name of Mihrani The Mihranids were the ruling dynasty of Caucasian They assumed a Persian title of Arranshah (i. e. the shah of Arran, the Persian name of Albania). Shah is an Iranian term for a Monarch (leader that has been adopted in many other languages ^[3] The ruling dynasty was named after its Persian founder Mihran, who was a distant relative of the Sasanians. ^[20] The Mihranid dynasty survived under Muslim suzerainty until 821-2. ^[21]

In the late sixth – early seventh centuries the territory of Albania became an arena of wars between Sasanian Persia, Byzantium and the Khazar kaganate, the latter two very often acting as allies. "Kazar" redirects here for the Marvel Comics character see Ka-Zar; for the village in Azerbaijan see Xəzər. In 628, during the Third Perso-Turkic War, the Khazars invaded Albania, and their leader Ziebel declared himself lord of Albania, levying a tax on merchants and the fishermen of the Kura and Araxes rivers "in accordance with the land survey of the kingdom of Persia". The Third Perso-Turkic War was the third and final conflict between the Sassanian Empire and the Western Turkic Khaganate. Tong Yabghu (d 628 (also known as T'ung Yabghu, Ton Yabghu, Tong Yabghu Khagan, Tun Yabghu, and Most of Transcaucasia was under Khazar rule before the arrival of the Arabs. ^[22] The Albanian kings retained their rule by paying tribute to the regional powers. According to Peter Golden, "steady pressure from Turkic nomads was typical of the Khazar era, although there are no unambiguous references to permanent settlements",^[23] while Vladimir Minorsky stated that, in Islamic times, "the town of Qabala lying between Sharvan and Shakki was a place where Khazars were probably settled". Vladimir Fedorovich Minorsky (Владимир Фёдорович Минорский February 5 1877 - March 25 1966 was a highly respected Russian Orientalist ^[1]

Arab and Seljuk domination

See main article: Arran

In the middle of the seventh century, the kingdom was overrun by the Arabs and, like all Islamic conquests at the time, incorporated into the Caliphate. Arran ( also known as Aran, Ardhan (in Parthian) Al-Ran (in Arabic) including the highland and lowland Karabakh) The araB gene Promoter is a bacterial promoter activated by e L-arabinose binding A caliphate (from the Arabic خلافة or khilāfa) is the political leadership of the Muslim community in classical and medieval Islamic history The Albanian king Javanshir, the most prominent ruler of Mihranid dynasty, fought against the Arab invasion of caliph Uthman on the side of the Sasanid Iran. Javanshir (Dzevanshir which is Persian for Young Lion was the prince of Caucasian Albania from 635 to 669 hailing from the region of Gardman. The araB gene Promoter is a bacterial promoter activated by e L-arabinose binding The Caliph is the Head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the leader of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah Uthman (a=عثمان|t=Othman Osman Usman Ozman is a male Arabic given name meaning "the chosen one amongst the tribe of brave and noble people" "honest" For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics. Facing the threat of the Arab invasion on the south and the Khazar offensive on the north, Javanshir had to recognize the Caliph’s suzerainty. "Kazar" redirects here for the Marvel Comics character see Ka-Zar; for the village in Azerbaijan see Xəzər. The Arabs then reunited the territory with Armenia under one governor. ^[6]

From the eighth century, Caucasian Albania existed as the principalities of Arranshahs and Khachin, along with various Caucasian, Iranian and Arabic principalities: the Principality of Shaddadids, the Principality of Shirvan, the Principality of Derbent, etc. The Shaddadids were a Kurdish dynasty who ruled in various parts of Armenia and Arran from 951 - 1199 A Shirvan (Şirvan شروان also spelled as Shervan or Shirwan, is a historical region in the Caucasus and part of present-day Republic of Azerbaijan Derbent (Дербе́нт Azeri: Dərbənd; Lezgian: Дербент Avar: Дербенд; Persian: دربند Darband Most of the region was ruled by the Sajid Dynasty of Azerbaijan from 890 to 929. For the music director see Sajid (music director The Sajid dynasty was an Islamic dynasty that ruled the Iranian region of Azerbaijan from 889 This article is about the region in Iran for other uses see Azerbaijan (disambiguation.

As a result of the expansion of Seljuks Turks into the territory of modern Azerbaijan in the eleventh century, the indigenous Albanian population was assimilated. The Great Seljuq Empire was a Medieval Sunni Muslim empire established by the Qynyq branch of Oghuz Turks that once controlled The Turkic peoples are Eurasian peoples residing in northern central and western Eurasia who speak languages belonging to the Turkic language family Albanians played a significant role in the ethnogenesis of today's Azeris. Ethnogenesis (From Greek: ethnos ( group of people nation and genesis ( a coming into being is the process by which a group of human beings comes The Azerbaijanis are an Ethnic group mainly in the Republic of Azerbaijan and northwestern Iran.

Religion

The ancient pagan religion of Albania was centered on the worship of three divinities, designated by Interpretation Romana Sol, Zeus, and Luna. Paganism (from Latin paganus, meaning "country dweller rustic" is a word used to refer to various religions and religious beliefs from across the world Zeus (zjuːs in Greek: nominative: Zeús /zdeús/ genitive: Diós; Modern Greek /'zefs/ in Greek mythology In Greek mythology, Selene (Σελήνη " Moon " English sɛˈliːniː was an archaic Lunar deity and the daughter of the Titans

Caucasian Albania was one of the first countries where Christianity was adopted in the fourth century, and the first Christian church in the region was built by St. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings Eliseus, a disciple of Thaddeus of Edessa, in a place called Gis (believed to be the modern-day Church of Kish). Thaddeus was one of the Seventy Apostles of Christ, not to be confused with Thaddeus of the Twelve Apostles. The Church of Kish (Kiş kilsəsi is located in the village of Kish approximately 5km north of Shaki, Azerbaijan.

In 498 AD (in other sources, 488 AD) in the settlement named Aluen (Aguen) (present day Agdam region of Azerbaijan), an Albanian church council convened to adopt laws further strengthening the position of Christianity in Albania. Events By Place Byzantine Empire Emperor Anastasius I reforms the monetary system using Greek numerals instead of Roman Ağdam (also Agdam and Aghdam) is a city in and the capital of the Agdam Rayon in southwestern Azerbaijan.

Albanian churchmen took part in missionary efforts in the Caucasus and Pontic regions. In 682, the catholicos, Israel, led an unsuccessful delegation to convert Alp Iluetuer, the ruler of the North Caucasian Huns, to Christianity. Catholicos (plural Catholicoi) is a title used by the Patriarch (head/regional head Bishop) of any of certain Eastern churches Israel was the Bishop of Caucasian Albania in the latter part of the seventh century Alp Ilutuer was the Ilutuer (vassal ruler of the North Caucasian Huns during the 680's CE. The North Caucasian Huns were a branch of the Huns that established a Polity in Daghestan in the 500s and 600s CE The Albanian Church maintained a number of monasteries in the Holy Land. The Holy Land ( Arabic: الأرض المقدسة al-Arḍ ul-Muqaddasah;Ancient Aramaic: ארעא קדישא Ar'a Qaddisha; Hebrew: ארץ_הקודש ^[24]

The Arabic conquest resulted in gradual Islamization of the Albanian population.

Alphabet and language

Main article: Old Udi script

According to Movses Kaghankatvatzi, the Old Udi alphabet was invented by Mesrob Mashdots, an Armenian monk, theologian and linguist^[25]

A disciple of Saint Mesrob, Koriun, in "The Life of Mashtots", wrote: "Then there came and visited them an elderly man, an Albanian named Benjamin. Mingachevir ('Mingəçevir' also Mengechaur, Mingächevir, Mingechaur, Mingechaurges, and Mingelchaur) sometimes spelled Mingecevir Movses Kaghankatvatsi (Մովսես Կաղանկատվացի also referred to as Movses Daskhurantsi (Մովսես Դասխուրանցի was the indigenous Armenian Saint Mesrop Mashtots (Մեսրոպ Մաշտոց (361 or 362 Hatsik in Taron - February 17, 440, Echmiadzin) was an Armenian MONK is a Monte Carlo software package for simulating nuclear processes particularly for the purpose of determining the neutron multiplication factor or k-effective Theology is the study of a god or the gods from a religious perspective Linguistics is the scientific study of Language, encompassing a number of sub-fields Koryun ( Armenian: hy Կորյուն or hy Կորիւն also transliterated as Koriun, Goriun or Gorune) was the earliest Armenian-language And he [Mesrop] inquired and examined the barbaric diction of the Albanian language, and then through his usual God-given keenness of mind invented an alphabet, which he, through the grace of Christ, successfully organized and put in order. " (see Koriun, Ch. 16).

The Old Udi alphabet of fifty-two letters, some bearing a resemblance to Armenian or Georgian characters, has only survived in a few inscriptions^[26]. It was rediscovered by a Georgian scholar, Professor Ilia Abuladze, in 1937. Ilia Abuladze ( ილია აბულაძე ( November 24, 1901 – October 9, 1968) was a distinguished Georgian historian Year 1937 ( MCMXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The alphabet was found in Yerevan' Matenadaran, in an Armenian-language manual (No. The Matenadaran or Mashtots Institute of Ancient Manuscripts in Yerevan Armenia, is one of the richest depositories of Manuscripts and 7117) of the 15th century. This manual presents different alphabets for comparison: Armenian, Greek, Latin, Syrian, Georgian, Coptic, and Old Udi among them. The alphabet was titled: "Aluanic girn e" (Armenian: Աղվանից գիրն Է, meaning, "Albanian" letters). Abuladze made an assumption that this alphabet was based on Georgian letters. Jost Gippert, professor of Comparative Linguistics at the University of Frankfurt (Main), is preparing an edition of the manuscript. ^[27]

The distinctive Old Udi speech persisted into early Islamic times, and Muslim geographers Al-Muqaddasi, Ibn-Hawqal and Al-Istakhri recorded that the language which they called Arranian was still spoken in the capital Barda and the rest of the country in the 10th century C. Muhammad ibn Ahmad Shams al-Din Al-Muqaddasi (محمد بن أحمد شمس الدين المقدسي also Transliterated as Al-Maqdisi and el-Mukaddasi Mohammed Abul-Kassem ibn Hawqal (محمد أبو القاسم بن حوقل born in Nisibis; travelled 943-969 CE was a 10th century Arab writer geographer and E. ^[3] The Udi language, spoken by 8000 people mostly in Azerbaijan, and also Georgia, is thought to be the last remnant of the language once spoken in Caucasian Albania. The Udi language, spoken by the Udi people, is a member of the Northeast Caucasian language family. ^[28]

See also

• Artsakh
• Lezgian languages

Footnotes

References

• (Russian) Movses Kalankatuatsi. The History of Aluank. Translated from Old Armenian (Grabar) by Sh. Translation is the interpreting of the meaning of a text and the subsequent production of an equivalent text likewise called a " translation V. Smbatian, Yerevan, 1984. Year 1984 ( MCMLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar)
• (English) Koriun, The Life of Mashtots, translated from Old Armenian (Grabar) by Bedros Norehad.
• (Georgian) Movses Kalankatuatsi. History of Albania. Translated by L. Davlianidze-Tatishvili, Tbilisi, 1985.
• (Russian) Movses Khorenatsi. The History of Armenia. Translated from Old Armenian (Grabar) by Gagik Sargsyan, Yerevan, 1990. Translation is the interpreting of the meaning of a text and the subsequent production of an equivalent text likewise called a " translation Year 1990 ( MCMXC) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar)
• (English) Ilia Abuladze. About the discovery of the alphabet of the Caucasian Albanians. - "Bulletin of the Institute of Language, History and Material Culture (ENIMK)", Vol. 4, Ch. I, Tbilisi, 1938.

External links

• Encyclopedia Iranica. Albania, Ancient country in Caucasus, by M. Chaumont
• About the Caucasian Albania
• About the Caucasian Albania (section 10)
• Wolfgang Schulze (Munich): Caucasian Albanian
• Caucasian History

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