Interesting facts about AZERBAIJAN AND azeri language

Azerbaijan is not only a wonderful place for vacation, but also a country with a rich history and culture. Here are some interesting facts about this country:

• Azerbaijan is the birthplace of oil. The first oil well in the world was discovered here in 1846. Since then, Azerbaijan has become one of the largest oil producers in the world.
• This country has the largest crystalline mountain massif in the world – Gobustan Rock. Here you can see ancient petroglyphs that were carved on the rocks more than 10 thousand years ago.
• In Azerbaijan there is the largest salt cave in the world – Juma Mosque. This cave has a unique structure and is one of the main tourist attractions of the country.
• Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, is one of the oldest cities in the world. It has a history of more than 2 thousand years and is the cultural and architectural center of the country.
• Azerbaijan is known for its rich cuisine. One of the national dishes is plov – rice cooked with different types of meat and spices. Other popular dishes are dolma (stuffed grape leaves) and lamb kebab.

In conclusion, Azerbaijan is an amazing country with a rich history, beautiful natural attractions and interesting culture. If you are planning to visit this unique country, don’t forget to learn more about these rare and interesting facts. They will help you better understand and enjoy everything that Azerbaijan offers to its guests.

14 facts about the language you probably didn’t know

1. A great part of Azerbaijani language speakers currently live outside the Republic of Azerbaijan. This is primarily Iran, where about 30 million Azerbaijanis live at present.
2. Many people know that Azerbaijani surnames end in “zade”, which means “born from”. The common ending of the Azerbaijani surname -zade means “born, descended from”. It should be noted that originally the suffix “zade”, which originated from the verb “zaiden”, was attributed to the paternal name or the name of the grandfather (for example, Namik-Zade, Sharukhan-Zade).
3. The overwhelming majority of Azerbaijani speakers are easily able to understand Turkish speech, which speaks of a rather close kinship of these languages.
4. Almost all Azerbaijanis are accustomed to greeting unfamiliar persons – sellers, cab drivers, waiters and so on.
5. In the last century the Azerbaijani script changed several times! Until 1922, the Arabic alphabet with some additional signs was used. After some time, namely by 1929, the Arabic alphabet was replaced by the Latin alphabet. In 1939, it was decided to switch to the Cyrillic alphabet. And finally, in 1991, a repeated changeover to the Latin alphabet was carried out throughout the territory of Azerbaijan.
6. Initially, this language was known in Russia as Tatar and was classified as a Turkic language group. In the middle of the 19th century it was called “Azerbijan”. At the end of the last century attempts were made to call Azerbaijani a Turkish language.
7. Along with other languages, the Azerbaijani language is one of the official languages of the Republic of Dagestan.
8. At least 10 million people in the territory of Azerbaijan have been speaking the Azerbaijani language since childhood. In addition, quite large diasporas in Iran, Iraq, Russia and Georgia also communicate in Azerbaijani.
9. The earliest information about the Azerbaijani language dates back to the 12th century.
10. Up until the 19th century, Azerbaijani was considered the language of the “lingua franca” – it was used by traders and travelers in the Caucasus, Persia and Dagestan.
11. Even in the last century Russian-Azerbaijani schools functioned in Azerbaijan, where teaching was conducted in two languages. Since 1914, the Azerbaijani language was a compulsory school discipline in the lower grades.
12. In the Azerbaijani city of Nakhchivan a monument to the native language is opened by enthusiasts.
13. Azerbaijani language is very rich in borrowings from Persian and Arabic languages.
14. Today Azerbaijani language has 4 groups of dialects, which are designated depending on the parts of the world. Each group, in turn, is subdivided into several branches.