|
Don't know what should go here. Talk to me!
'''Caucasian Albania''' (or '''Aghbania''') was an ancient state that covered what is now southern [[Dagestan]] and most of today's [[Azerbaijan]] of the [[Caucasus]]. For most of its history, the Caucasian Albania was a part of the [[Persian Empire]]. Caucasian Albanians were one of the [[Ibero-Caucasian peoples]], ancient and indigenous population of modern southern Dagestan and Azerbaijan. Already in ancient times they were heavily mixed with the [[Persian]] people who settled in the area during the [[Achaemenid]], [[Parthian]] and [[Sassanid]] periods. This region should not be confused with modern [[Albania]] and [[Albanians]] (''Shqiptarë''), who are a separate people from the [[Balkans]] and only share the name coincidentally.
Actually, what I meant was, if you'd like to know something. Ask!
Ancient tribes of the Caucasian Albania were: [[Hers]], [[Gargars]], [[Gels]], [[Caspians]], [[Uties]], etc.
[[User:ZackStone|ZackStone]] 17:50, 9 October 2005 (UTC)
The kingdom of Caucasian Albania (Aghbania) was founded in the [[3rd century BC]].
In the [[7th century|7th century AD]] the kingdom was abolished by the [[Arabs]].
Since the [[8th century]] the Caucasian Albania existed as principalities of [[Aranshahs]] and [[Khachen]], along with Iranic and Arabic principalities: the Principality of [[Shedadians]], the Principality of [[Shirvan]], the Principality of [[Derbent]], etc.
One of main regions of the Caucasian Albania, [[Hereti]], was a part of [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]] ([[Kakheti]] region of Eastern Georgia) since the end of the [[7th century]]. For centuries the region was a part of [[Persia]]. Since [[1921]] the part of Hereti, now districts of [[Kakhi]], [[Belakani]] and [[Zakatala]], is a part of [[Azerbaijan]].
According to [[Moses Kalankaytuk]], the Albanian alphabet was invented by [[Saint Mesrob|Mesrob Mashdots]], an [[Armenian]] [[monk]], [[theologian]] and [[linguist]] (see Moses Kalankaytuk, "The History of Aluank", I, 27 and III, 24).
Another Armenian historian, [[Koriun]], in his book ''"The Life of Mashtots"'', provided more historical details: ''"Then there came and visited them an elderly man, an Albanian named Benjamin. 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 [http://www.vehi.net/istoriya/armenia/korun/english/03.html Koriun, Ch. 16]).
The Albanian alphabet was discovered by [[Georgia (country)|Georgian]] scholar, Professor [[Ilia Abuladze]] in [[1937]]. The alphabet was found in the manuscript No 7117, the Armenian language manual of XV c. This manual presents different alphabets for comparison: Armenian, Greek, Latin, Syrian, Georgian, Coptic, and Albanian among them. The Albanian alphabet was titled: ''"Aluanic girn e"'' (Albanic letters). Abuladze made an assumption that this alphabet was based on the Georgian letters.
Caucasian Albania was one of the first countries where [[Christianity]] was adopted from the end of the [[4th century]], when the [[Albanian Church]] was formed.
As a result of the expansion of [[Seljuks]] ([[Turks]]) on the territory of modern Azerbaijan in the [[11th century]] indigenous Albanian population was assimilated. Albanians played a significant role in today's [[Azeris]]' [[ethnogenesis]].
The [[Udi language]] spoken by 8000 people in Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia is thought to be the last remnant of language spoken in Caucasian Albania.
See also [[Arran (Azerbaijan)|Arran]]
==External links==
* [http://www.caucasianhistory.org/en About the Caucasian Albania]
* [http://rbedrosian.com/kg7.htm About the Caucasian Albania (section 10)]
== Literature ==
* [http://www.vehi.net/istoriya/armenia/kagantv/index.html Movses Kalankatuatsi. "The History of Aluank"]. Translated from Old Armenian (Grabar) by Sh.V.Smbatian, Yerevan, 1984 (In Russian).
* [http://www.vehi.net/istoriya/armenia/korun/english/index.html Koriun, "The Life of Mashtots"], translated from Old Armenian (Grabar) by Bedros Norehad (in English)
* Movses Kalankatuatsi. "History of Albania". Translated by L. Davlianidze-Tatishvili, Tbilisi, 1985 (In Georgian)
* 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.
[[az:Alvania]]
| 