Draft:Assyrians in Azerbaijan
ܐܬܘܪܝܐ ܕܐܙܪܒܝܓܐܢ Azərbaycan aysorları | |
|---|---|
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 A view of the city of Goygol, where a small Assyrian community lives | |
| Total population | |
| ≈1,600 [1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Baku Agstafa Nakhchivan Goygol | |
| Languages | |
| Assyrian, Azerbaijani | |
| Religion | |
| Syriac Christianity |
Assyrians in Azerbaijan (Syriac: ܐܬܘܪܝܐ ܕܐܙܪܒܝܓܐܢ; Azerbaijani: Azərbaycan aysorları), or Azeri Assyrians, are Assyrian people or people of Assyrian descent living in the country of Azerbaijan. While their history in the country spans centuries, the modern immigration of Assyrians in Azerbaijan is thought to have started in the 19th century, with the Treaty of Gulistan and Turkmenchay.
Determining the exact number of Assyrians in Azerbaijan is difficult, and it's believed that the community living in the country has become assimilated to larger Azerbaijani culture. However, the Joshua Project states that their population is around 1,600.[1]
History
[edit]Assyrians have had a long history of immigration in the Caucasus and the area that now comprises modern Azerbaijan. Some of the earliest known instances of Assyrian presence originate from the Thirteen Assyrian Fathers and the David Gareji monastery complex.[2] However, the monastery is located on the Azerbaijan–Georgia border and is considered a World Heritage Site for Georgia.[3]
After the treaties of Gulistan and Turkmenchay, Qajar Iran lost its territories in the Caucasus, and Assyrian emigration was influenced by the Russian Empire to what would become Azerbaijan and the Republic of Armenia.[4] [5]
Amid the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, Assyrians in Azerbaijan would flee to Russia and Armenia, as well as the Republic of Artsakh.[6] During the Blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh as part of the larger Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, PM Zemfira Mirzoyeva testified how Artsakh's Assyrian community had been unable to leave the region due to the actions of the Azerbaijani government.[7]
Population
[edit]According to former actor and representative of the Armenian Assyrian community Razmik Khosroev, a community of 6,000 Assyrians lived in Azerbaijan before the First Nagorno-Karabakh War.[8] According to Khosroev, while the community didn't undergo specific pressure from Azeri authorities to leave, rising xenophobia as well as misunderstanding of Assyrian culture pressured them to abandon their property.
Religion
[edit]The overwhelming majority of Assyrians in Azerbaijan adhere to the Assyrian Church of the East,
Other Assyrian churches, such as the Chaldean Catholic Church, had a historical diocese in the country. [9] The Syriac Orthodox Church is not known to have had a nominal presence in the country, but they have previously engaged with the church in an official delegation in 2024, attended by Julius Hanna Aydin.[10]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b "Assyrian in Azerbaijan". Joshua Project.
- ^ Mammadov, Ilkin (16 May 2012). "Azərbaycan və Gürcüstanın monastır mübahisəsi (Yenilənib)". azadliq.org (in Azerbaijani). Azadlıq Radiosu. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
- ^ "David Gareji Monasteries and Hermitage". whc.unesco.org. UNESCO World Heritage Convention. 24 October 2007. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
- ^ "AZƏRBAYCANDA ALMANLAR". http://multikulturalizm.gov.az/ (in Azerbaijani). Baku: Baku International Multiculturalism Centre. 16 September 2020. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
{{cite web}}: External link in|website= - ^ ""KATYOKHEN JENS AY SLUZHBA, SOLDAT" OR GOOD SERVICE, SOLDIER!". hayzinvor.am. Yerevan: Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Armenia. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
- ^ Edwards, Maxim (17 April 2015). "Assyrian stories from the Caucasus". opendemocracy.net. Arzni: openDemocracy. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
- ^ "Assyrians unable to return from blockaded Artsakh, MP calls on international community to sanction Azerbaijan". armenpress.am. Yerevan: ArmenPress. 17 January 2023. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
- ^ "Assyrians Call on UN to Influence Azerbaijan". aysor.am. Yerevan: Aysor. 1 February 2011. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
- ^ "Diocese of Azerbaijan (Aderbidjan) (Chaldean)". catholic-hierarchy.org. Catholic Hierarchy. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
- ^ "German delegation of Syriac Orthodox Church visits Center for Multiculturalism [PHOTOS]". azernews.az. Baku: AzerNews. 18 June 2024. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
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Assyrians in Asia | |
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| Sovereign states |
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| States with limited recognition | |
| Dependencies and other territories | |
