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Information about Azerbaijan history

In the end of III- beginning of II millennium AD preconditions for origin of first class societies formed. The germ of state formations on the territory of Azerbaijan became tribe unions of Manna and Media after them, Caduceus, Caspians, Albans and others also inhabited the territory of Azerbaijan in I millennium AD. In the ÂÑ IX the Manna state formed, in the ÂÑ VII the other big state Media formed that spreading its power over a huge, territory in the future. This state reached the greatest power under the rule of czar Kiaksar (625-584 AD) turning into the biggest empire of Ancient East. To the middle of AD IV leadership in Media passed into the hands îf Achaemenes dynasty. The state of Achaemenes feft under strikes of Alexander the Great military and in the end of AD IV a new state Atropatena (The Country of Fire Keepers) was formed. Fire-worship -Zoroastrianism - was the main religion of Atropatena. Household and cultural life in the country reached high level; pekhlevy written language was used: money circulation increased; handcrafts were developing and in particular a manufacture of woolen cloths was wide-famed. In AD I - AD I the Albania Caucasian state formed. In the beginning of the 4^th century in Albania Christianity was accepted as a state religion; temples were erected through all country many of which preserved up to present days. In the beginning of the 5th century was created an own alphabet of Albania that consisted of 52 letters.

During all its history Azerbaijan more than once exposed to invasion of foreign aggressors: raids of nomadic tribes, Huns and Khazars and others were made through Derbend passage. In the middle of the 7th century an Arabian invasion to Azerbaijan started. During the opposition Javanshir, an Albanian commander and leader of feudal possession Girdiman, became famous. In the beginning of the 8th century the Arabian caliphate captured Azerbaijan. Islam became the main religion of Azerbaijan. In the 9^th century a big popular rebellion caused that grew into peasant war under the leadership of Babek. The war enveloped a huge territory equal to territories of modern European states. During 20 years Babek was a leader of peasant stale thanks to his commander and organization talents. In the second half of the 9th - the first half of the 10^th centuries number of feudal states formed and got stronger. Among them Shirvanshahs" state with the center in Shamakhi town took a special place. It has existed up to the 16th century and has played a huge role in the history of the medieval Azerbaijan.

On duration of many centuries Azerbaijan people, scientists, poets and authors, architects and art workers created high culture making their contribution to treasure house of world civilization. An outstanding monument of Azerbaijan folk literature is heroically epos "Kitabi Dede Gorgud". In the 11-12^th centuries lived and created outstanding scientists Makki ibn Ahmed, Bahmanyar, poets -thinkers Khatib Tebrizi, Khagani, poetess Mehseti Ganjevi and others. In Azerbaijan are preserved the masterpieces of architecture of this epoch: mausoleums of Yusuf ibn Kuseyir and Momine-khatun in Nakhchivan and others. The peak of the public and the cultural idea of Azerbaijan of this period there was the creativity of Nizami Ganjevi (1141-1209), which is included in the gold fund of world culture. The economic and cultural rise of Azerbaijan was interrupted in 20-30 years of the 13th century bu the Mongolian invasion, and from the end of the 14th century intrusions of Tamerlane"s armies were carried out to Azerbaijan.

These invasions have braked, but have not stopped the development of Azerbaijan"s culture. In the 13-I4th centuries outstanding poets Zulfugar Shirvani, Ahvedi Maragi, Izeddin Hasanoglu, created scientists Nasreddin Tusi - founder of the Maraga observatory, philosopher Mahmud Shabustari, historians Fazlullah Rashidaddin, Muhammad Nakhchivani and the others lived and created.

The basic centres of the Azerbaijan culture in the end of 14th - 15^th centuries - Tebriz and Shamakhi. In this period the palace of Shirvanshahs was erected in Baku - the masterpiece of the medieval Azerbaijan architecture; constructed Blue mosque in Tebriz and others.

In the beginning of the I6th century there was the state of Sefevids with the capital in Tebriz, which played a significant, role in the history of Azerbaijan. The founder of this state the shah Ismail I (1502-24) was. For the first time there was a unification of all grounds of Azerbaijan in a structure of the united state.

From the middle of the 18th century on the territory of Azerbaijan the process of formation of the independent states - khanates began. Different khanates were well known for various kinds of crafts. Sheki was the centre of silk spinning, in the Shirvan khanate the manufacture of fine utensils and the weapon was developing, in Gub - carpet making and so on. The historical conditions of the 17-18^th centuries have found the expression in the culture of Azerbaijan. The outstanding monument of national creativity is the heroic epos "Koroglu", named after the national hero - the leader of the peasants acting against overseas and local aggressors. The number of the outstanding monuments of the Azerbaijan poetry of the 1 7-18th centuries period includes creativity of great, poet Fuzuli.

In the first half of the 19th century as a result of the Russian-Iranian wars Azerbaijan appeared divided on two parts. On the Gulistan and the Turkmenchay peace treaties of 1813 and 1828 between Russia and Iran, Carabag, Ganja, Shirvan, Sheki, Baku, Derbend, Cuba, Talish, Nakhchivan, Erivan khanates and other territories have come off to Russia. In the subsequent period a big role in the development of Azerbaijan and its capital - Baku the petroleum industry has played. Petroleum in Baku was extracted from immemorial times.

In the second half of the 19^th century unprecedented growth of an oil extraction began. The first large industrial enterprises have appeared. Primitive petroleum wells were replaced with boreholes. Since 1873 in the drilling the steam engines began to be applied. High profit involved local and foreign capitals in a petroleum industry of the Baku. In 1901 the oil extraction bas made here about 50 % of all global oil extracting. In middle of the 19^th century the German firm Siemens has constructed two copper-smelling factories in Gadabey, which had the fourth part of smelting copper in imperial Russia. On May 28, 1918 the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was proclaimed. It was the first republic on all the Muslim East. The Republic has existed almost 2 years and was thrown down by the Soviet Russia. On April 28, 1920 the eleventh Red Army entered the capital of Azerbaijan. According to the Constitution of 1936 Azerbaijan became an allied republic in the structure of the USSR.

After the disintegration of the USSR the Supreme Soviet, of Azerbaijan has accepted the declaration "About the restoration of the State Independence of the Republic of Azerbaijan", the sovereign Azerbaijan Republic was proclaimed. With obtaining of independence in 1991 Azerbaijan has faced a number of uneasy problems, connected with disorder scheduled of economy difficulties of a transition period. In the decision of the big role has the contract signed in September 1994 with the Consortium of the conducting international petroleum companies, called also "The Contract of Century".

In spite of on any adversities Azeri people always have the belief in the future and the big optimism. And today, when our young Republic has followed the road of an independent development, we trust, that Azerbaijan will occupy in the world the place that, it deserves according to its last, present and to the future.

During millenniums the talent of people in numerous invaluable relics embodied the bright and many-sided history of Azerbaijan. Certificates of a centuries-old history of Azerbaijan are monuments of a history and culture. In the country ruins of antique and medieval cities, defensive works - fortresses and towers, magnificent monuments of architecture - temples, mosques, khanegies, the mausoleums, palaces, and caravanserais and others are preserved.