South Azerbaijan (A silenced, yet unbroken identity)🇦🇿💙❤💚
SOUTH AZERBAİJAN I. THE ATROPATENE PERIOD (4th century BCE – 1st century BCE) State and Territory Founder: Atropates (Aturpat) Territory: Lake Urmia region, Tabriz, Ardabil This area forms the core of today’s South Azerbaijan Language The population spoke Iranian languages This language is later called Old Azeri It was close to Persian, Talysh, and Tat Turkic languages were not present yet 📌 Important: This population constitutes the local ethnic base of today’s Azerbaijanis II. SASSANIAN PERIOD (3rd – 7th centuries CE) Political Situation Atropatene became part of the Sassanian Empire Language Situation : Zoroastrianism was the state religion, Azerbaijan was a strategic and religious center People’s language: Old Azeri Official language: Middle Persian (Pahlavi) Local languages survived in rural areas 📌 “Azar / Atur” referred to region and identity, not a language III. IS...