The Azerbaijani language, also called "Azerbaijani-Turkish," "Azeri Turkish" or "Azeri" is the official language of Aran (the Republic of Azerbaijan). It is also spoken in some parts of Iran especially in the provinces of Ardebil, East Azerbaijan, West Azerbaijan and Zanjan.
The language is also spoken in Russia in the Republic of Daghestan as well as in Moscow, Georgia, northern Iraq where it is usually reffered to as the "Turkmen" language, and in Turkey. Azerbaijani speakers of Turkey are natives of the eastern portion of the country, in the areas of Kars and Igdir. There are approximately 25 million native speakers of Azerbaijani. Azerbaijani is a Turkic language.
It belongs to the Oghuz Turkish branch of Turkic languages which are spoken in central Asia, western Asia and eastern Europe. The Oghuz branch also includes Turkish (the official language of Turkey) and Turkmen (the official language of Turkmenistan,) which are the closest languages to Azerbaijani.
Azerbaijani, like other Turkic languages, has a historical root dating back to pre-Islamic times.
Language Designation
During the initial period of the Republic of Azerbaijan's independence, the official language of Azerbaijan was called "Turk dili" or "Turkish", but since 1994 the official name of the language has been changed to Azerbaijani (Azerbaycan Dili.) The most important Azerbaijani literary magazine published in Iran, Varlig, uses the term "Turkish" for the language. Although Azerbaijani is not taught officially in Iran, it is almost always reffered to as "Turki."
Most of the native speakers of Azerbaijani in the Republic of Azerbaijan and in South Azerbaijan reffer to the language as Turki. The official designation of their language as "Azerbaijani" seperates their Turkish dialect from other Turkish dialects spoken in Turkey, Turkmenistan and in central Asia and eastern Europe. Since the begining of the 20th century, the most educated of Azerbaijanis have designated the official name of their language to be "Azerbaijani-Turkish" which signifies the language as well as the geographical and national dialect.
Epic Literature & Poems
The Book of Dede Korkut
The book of Dede Korkut is the greatest epic of the Oghuz Turks (Azerbaijanis as well as the Turks of Turkey and Turkmenistann). The setting of the book of Dede Korkut (6th and 7th centuries) is in pre-Islamic Azerbaijan and central Asia. It is an invaluable collection of epos and stories, bearing witness to the language, the way of life, religions, traditions and social norms of peoples inhabiting large portions of Central Asia and the Middle East centuries before the emergence of Islam. During the past two centuries, the book has been translated into many languages. The book of Dede Korkut is also shared by the Turks of Turkey and Turkmenistan.
Koroglu
Koroglu was a Turkic national hero in Azerbaijan in the 16th century. The "Koroglu epic" is shared by the Azerbaijanis, Turks of Turkey as well as Turkmens. Koroglu was a historic person and a brave warrior. Most of the characters depicted in the epos of Koroglu such as Giziroglu Bey, Kosa Safar, Jafar and Hasan Pasha were historical characters. Koroglu's many poems are kept in the institute of Manuscript of the Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan
Heydar Babaya Salam
The most important Azerbaijani literary piece written in the post World War II period in Iran is the poem by Muhammad Huseyn Shahriyar and is entitled "Heydar Babaya Salam" (Greetings to Heydar Baba). This poem, published in Tabriz in 1954 and written in colloquial Azerbaijani, became quite popular among the Azerbaijanis in Iran and in northern Azerbaijan and in many places in the Turkish-speaking world. In Heydar Babaya Salam, Shahriyar expressed his identity as an Azerbaijani attachment to his homeland, language, and culture. Heydar Baba is a hill near Khoshknab, the native village of the poet.
Leyli & Mejnun as well as "Esli & Karam" are two of the most renowned poems in Azerbaijani.
History of Azerbaijani Literature
The 6th and 7th centuries saw the literacy masterpiece "THE BOOK OF DEDE KORKUT" which was UNESCO's 2000 book of the year.
In 1073, DIVANI LUGATI TURK was written by Mahmud of Kashgar
In 1077, QUTADQU BILIQ was written by Yusuf Kash Hajib
Both these works bear witness to the early literary formations in Azerbaijani language.
Classical literature in Azerbaijani was formed in the 11th century based on Tabrizi and Shirvani dialects
In the 11th and 12th centuries, the Azerbaijani literature flourished under the Shirvanshahs. Leading representatives of Azerbaijani language/literature in this era were Qetran of Tabriz, Meshketi Khanim, Khaqani, and Nizami Genjevi.
Nizami's well-known works in the Persian language: Quintuple, Seven Beauties, Khosrow va Shirin, Iskandar-Nameh, Tohfatul Iraqein (Gifts from Iraq), and Khabsije (The Book of a Slave) are among the Islamic world's classical literary heritage.
In the 13th and 14th century, Azerbaijani literacy works include:
"Yusuf & Zuleykha" by Qazi Darir, "Qazals" by Hesenoglu, "Divans" by Qazi Burhan ad-Din and the "Qutrains" by Imadedin Nesimi.
In the 15th century, Azerbaijani literature was developed by the Qara Qoyunlu and Aq Qoyunlu dynasties who ruled in South Azerbaijan. To this period belongs such literary figures as Jahanshah Qaraqoyunlu (pen name Haqiqi), Habibi and Sheykh Qasim Enver.
In the 16th century, under the pen name "Khatayi", Shah (King) Ismail produced his famous Divani Xetayi. A unique literary style known as “Qoshma” was also introduced in this period and was developed by Shah Ismail and later on by his successor Shah Tahmasp
The 16th century saw the rapid growth of Azerbaijani folk literature.
Masterpieces such as Koroglu, Esli Kerem, Shah Ismail, and Ashiq Qerib were created in this period. The native Azerbaijani minstrels, bards and Ashiglar poetry was also becoming highly developed in this period as well.
Also in the 16th century, Muhammad Fizuli produced his timeless philosophical and lyrical "Qazals" at this time. Immensely benefiting from the finest literary traditions of his environment, and masterfully building upon the legacy of his predecessors, Fizuli was destined to become the leading literary figure of his society. His major works include "The Divan of Qazals", "The Qasidas", and the poem "Leyli ve Mejnun."
In the span of the 17th century, Fizuli’s unique genres were taken up by prominent poets and writers such as Saeb and Qovsi of Tabriz, Shah Abbas Sani, Amani, Zafar, and others.
19th & 20th century
- In 1850-55, Mirza Akhundzada published in the Azerbaijani language the first European style plays (satires) in the Islamic world.
- In 1875, the first newspaper in Azerbaijani, "Akinchi" (Cultivator) was published in in Baku.
- In the mid-19th century Azerbaijani was officialy taught in schools across northern Azerbaijan ( in Baku, Ganja, Sheki, Tbilisi, and Yerevan.)
- Since 1845, it has also been taught in the University of St. Petersburg in Russia.
- In 1905, Azerbaijani was first educated in South Azerbaijan by Mirza Hesen Rushdiya with the textbook "Vatan Dili" (language of the motherland) that was published in Tabriz.
- In 1891, the second Azerbaijani newspaper named "Kashkul" was published. Kashkul introduced in writing the term "Azerbaijani Turk" as the name of the nation of Azerbaijan.
- In 1907, the bilingual Azerbaijani-Persian newspaper titled "Azerbayjan" also appeared in South Azerbaijan in 1907.
- In 1908, the publication of the Azerbaijani newspaper "Ana Dili" (mother tongue) also began in South Azerbaijan. Ana Dili, stressed indigenous Azerbaijani-Turkish language and culture and often published works from north Azerbaijan.
- During the Soviet Union period, Azerbaijani was often used as a lingua-franca between the Turkic people of the Union.
- In Iran (April 1978) "Varliq" the only Azerbaijani publication in the country that runs to this day was established.
- In Iran (early 1980's) a new edition of the Quran in Azerbaijani was prepared by Azerbaijani madrasa students in Qom.
- In Iran (April 1982) a regular column began to appear in the Azerbaijan teacher's newspaper titled "Azerbayjan Muellimi" called "Cenubdan Sesler" (Voices from the South)
- In Iran (starting in 1991 and 1992) Keyhan and Etelaat started publication in one Azerbaijani-language page.
Important Literacists
IMADEDIN NESIMI
Nesimi was born in 1370 in the town of Shamakhi, in the Republic of Azerbaijan. He was an Azerbaijani philosopher, mystic, and poet, who with his life, his philosophy, his poetry, his mysticism, and even with his death, left an unseperable mark on Azerbaijani-Turkish literature and culture. Nesimi is most famous for his Quatrains, and although he was familiar with the dialect of Turkey, he used the Turkish dialect of Azerbaijan.
KING ISMAYIL SAFAVI (KHATAI)
Under the pen name Khatai, Shah Ismail (the founder of the Persian Safavid dynasty, produced his famous Divani Xetayi in Azerbaijani-Turkish. A unique literary style known as “Qoshma” was also introduced in this period and was developed by Shah Ismayil and Shah Tahmasp. King Ismayil was born in the historic city of Ardebil, in Iran and founded the Persian Safavid dynasty in the 15th and 16th centuries.
MUHAMMAD SULEYMANOGLU FIZULI
Fizuli was from the Azerbaijani (Turkic) tribe of Bayat and was born in Baghdad in 1498. His poem, "Leyli & Mejnun" written in Azerbaijani sixteenth century is especially revered in the contemporary national culture of Azerbaijan.
HESENOGLU IZEDIN
Izedin lived at the end of the thirteenth century and the beginning of the fourteenth century. He is most revered for his beautiful "Qazals."
Other important Azerbaijani literacists (10th-20th centuries) are: Qazi Darir, Qazi Burhan ad-Din, Bakhtiar Vahabzada, Mirza Fatali Akhundzada, Abdul-Rahim Talibzada, Mirza Sabir, Muhammad Hussein Shahriar, Sabir Rustemkhanli.
Azerbaijani language & Iran
There are more than 20 million speakers of Azerbaijani that live in Iran, mostly in the noerth-western parts of Iran. The second largest region inside Iran where Azerbaijani is spoken is the province and city of Tehran, where many Azerbaijanis reside.
The dialects of the various Azerbaijani tribes (Turkic tribes of Shahsevan, Afshar, Pichaghchi, Qaraqozlu, Inanlu, Baharlu, Teymurtash, Qajar and others who are spread out in the South Azerbaijan region and other parts of Iran) is the same as the Azerbaijani spoken in the Republic of Azerbaijan and South Azerbaijan. Turkmen and Qashqayi, two other major Turkic languages spoken in Iran, compose an additional 5% of Iran's speakers. Altogether, approximately 26% of Iran's population speak Turkic languages.
Azerbaijani Proverbs
" Bir elde iki qarpiz tutmaq olmaz "
(It's impossible to hold two watermelons in one hand)
"Gozellik ondur, doqquzu dondur"
(Beauty is ten, nine of which is knowing how to dress)
" Mese caqqalsiz olmaz"
(The forest can't be without its jackals)
" Oz gozunda tiri gormur, basqasinin gozunde qil secir "
(He can't see the beam in his own eye, but he's looking for an eyelash in someone else's)
" Vafali dost yad olmaz, gormese yuz il seni"
(A faithful friend never becomes a stranger, never mind if he hasn't seen you for a hundred years)
" Yaxsiligi ele, at deniza, baliq bilmase de, xalig biler"
(Do a good deed, and throw it into the sea. If the fish don't appreciate it, the creator will)