INDEPENDENT ISLAMIC STATES

Azerbaijan

Official Name: Republic of Azerbaijan (AZ)

Governmental Form: Presidential Republic
Capital: Baku (Baku)
Administrative Divisions: 59 provinces, 11 cities, 1 independent republic

National holiday: Founding Day of the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan, 28 May (1918)
Geographical location: Located in Southwest Asia, on the shores of the Caspian Sea, between Iran and Russia.
Area: 86,600 km²

National Income per Capita: 7.165 USD[1]
Border Neighbours: Armenia (Azerbaijan border) 566 km, Armenia (Nakhchivan border) 221 km, Georgia 322 km, Iran (Azerbaijan border) 432 km, Iran (Nakhchivan border) 179 km, Russia 284 km, Turkey 9 km
Climate: The climate in Azerbaijan is quite diverse. Climate is mainly under 3 influences: The influence of cold air masses coming from the north of the Greater Caucasus Mountains; the influence of warm air currents coming from the south of the Lesser Caucasus Mountains; the influence of the Caspian Sea, which is located next to the region with a coastline of 825 km, on the climate of the region. The most humid and rainy part of the region is the Talu Mountains and the Lankaran plain, and the driest part is the southwestern part of the Absheron peninsula.
Land Structure: The average height of Azerbaijan, which is a medium-height country, is 657 m. The peaks of Bazar Düzü and Tufandağ, the highest mountains of the country, are 4197-4489 metres.
Height above sea level: The lowest point: Caspian Sea -28 m; highest point: Bazardüzü mountain 4,485 m
Natural resources: Oil, natural gas, iron deposits, metals, aluminium.
Soils: Arable: 20% (Permanently cultivated: 5%, pastures: 25%, forested land: 11%, Irrigated land: 14,550 km²
Rivers: 371.000 km² and has a volume of 75.000 m³.The Caspian Lake is the only sea with borders of the country. This lake, where many rivers such as Volga, Ural, Kur, Aras, Terek, Samur, Sulak pour their waters, is also called the Sea because of its large volume. The average length of the Caspian Sea from north to south is 1200 km and the average width is 300 km. The average depth of the sea is 180 m and the deepest place is 1020 m.

Population: 10,241,000[2]
Ethnic Distribution of Population: Azeri 90%, Dagestani 3.2%, Russian 2.5%, other 4.3%
Religion: 70% of the Muslims in Azerbaijan are Shi'ite and belong to the Ca'fari sect. The religious centre of the Shiites of the Caucasus is in Baku and there is a Sheikhul-Islâm at their head. The Sheikh-ul-Islâm has a Hanafi deputy mufti from the Ahl al-Sunnah. This religious administration is deprived of social and economic activity, has no foundations of its own, and is not authorised to issue sharia rulings.

In 1924, Sharia was abolished in Azerbaijan, and in 1928 all madrasas were closed and all foundations were confiscated until 1930. The abolition of the Arabic alphabet in 1929 also had a negative impact on religious life. After Azerbaijan joined the Soviet Union in 1936, the relations of Azerbaijani Muslims with other Muslim countries were completely cut off.

As a result of the openness policy implemented in the Soviet Union in recent years, the teaching of the Qur'an in mosques was liberalised and the number of mosques open for worship in Azerbaijan reached fifty in mid-1990. In addition, a four-year Islamic Academy was opened in Baku.[3]

Language: Azerbaijani 91%, Russian 3%, other 6%.
History: Azerbaijan was conquered in the time of Hz Umar (r.a.). Hz Osman (r.a.) stationed troops in various cities of Azerbaijan, with Ardabil as the centre, and made an intense effort to spread Islam. Hz Ali's (r.a.) governor of Azerbaijan, Eş'as b. Kays al-Kindî built a mosque in Ardabil. During the Umayyad period, Azerbaijan was used as a base for conquest operations in the Caucasus. During the Abbasid period, the region witnessed dangerous revolts, especially the one started by Bâbek al-Hürremî, and these revolts could be suppressed with difficulty. During the Islamic period, trade in the region flourished and the cities became important commercial centres. During World War II, Soviet and British troops occupied South Azerbaijan (1941). After the war, when the American and British troops withdrew from Iran, the Autonomous Republic of Azerbaijan was proclaimed in Tabriz with the support of Soviet troops who did not want to leave the region (12 December 1945). This administration managed to conclude a treaty with the Iranian government guaranteeing the rights of the Azerbaijanis (14 June 1946). However, in December of the same year, the Iranian army entered Azerbaijan and the Mukhtar Azerbaijan Republic ceased to exist.

After Azerbaijan was divided into two parts, North Azerbaijan was the scene of a continuous struggle between the local population and the Russians. In the 1830s, 1840s and 1850s, Tsarist Russia made social and cultural interventions in Azerbaijan with the aim of colonisation. Until the 1917 Russian Revolution, social life remained in constant crisis. The negative political atmosphere brought by the revolution led to the emergence of an anti-Soviet movement in Azerbaijan and the Caucasus. In the Seym assembly, which was formed with Armenians and Georgians who joined the anti-Soviet movement, a Muslim group was formed within the Azerbaijan Musavat Party. With the help of the local Bolsheviks and Armenians in Baku, the Soviets took over the sovereignty of the city and the Seym assembly was dissolved (March 1918). After that, the Muslim group took the name of Azerbaijan National Shura under the chairmanship of Mehmed Emin Resulzâde and Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was declared on 28 May 1918. Thus, for the first time in history, a Turkish state was established under the name of Azerbaijan. The first government established under the leadership of Fath Ali Khan made a treaty with the Ottoman Empire in Batumi (4 June 1918). In accordance with Article 4 of this treaty, Ottoman forces arrived in the region to organise and protect the internal and external public order and security of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic. The Caucasus Islamic Army under the command of Nuri Pasha captured Baku from the Russians (15 September 1918]. Only after the Armistice of Mudros (October 1918] Upon the withdrawal of the Ottoman forces from Baku, British forces occupied the city (November 1919). The underground and oil resources of the city were utilised by the British. Meanwhile, the Allies officially recognised the new republic and continued their relations at this level. On 27 April 1920, the Red Army, which occupied Azerbaijan, dissolved the parliament and the government and put an end to the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, and on 28 April the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic was established. It later became one of the fifteen republics forming the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (5 December 1936).

Due to the restructuring and openness policies implemented in the Soviet Union after 1985, the masses opposing the authoritarian system in Azerbaijan rallied around the Popular Front. The problem of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region that emerged between the Republic of Armenia and Azerbaijan in recent years, combined with the situation of 200,000 Azerbaijanis expelled from Armenia, led to a tense atmosphere between the two republics. As the supporters of the Popular Front increased day by day and the possibility of gaining a majority in the elections to be held, the Moscow administration, citing the attacks against Armenians in Baku and the tension between the two republics, made a bloody intervention in Baku with heavy weapons in January 1990. The Azerbaijani people protested against the Moscow administration, stating that the attacks against Armenians in Baku, in which many civilians were killed, were a set-up for this intervention and that the main purpose of the intervention was to intimidate the popular opposition that was getting stronger in Azerbaijan and to intimidate other Muslim republics. After these events, it is observed that Azerbaijan has been orientated towards democracy on the one hand and nationalist policies have been pursued on the other. In the elections held in September, November and December 1990, the Democratic Bloc, formed by the Popular Front and other opposition groups, managed to send nearly forty representatives to the 360-member parliament. the name of the republic was changed to the Republic of Azerbaijan and the flag of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (1918-1920) was adopted as the official flag.[4]

Islamic Activities: The rulers in Azerbaijan still have not completely got rid of the logic of the Soviet regime. The headscarf is still prohibited in some institutions. The Islamic Party of Azerbaijan, whose activities are monitored by the government, has fought for the consolidation of the Azerbaijani state since 1992, when it started its activities, and has worked for the gradual healing of the wounds of 70 years of the Soviet Union's blows to the national and spiritual values of the people.  
     On 07 October 2011, in the last trial of the members of the Azerbaijan Islamic Party, presided over by Judge Eldar Ismayilov in the court responsible for serious crimes, the Chairman of the ALP Mövsüm Sametov was sentenced to 12 years in prison and other members to 10-12 years in prison. This court decision was received with regret by the Azerbaijani people. ALP continues its legal struggle in the country.

Rate of Authorship: Age 15 and over: %98.8

Membership in International Organisations and Institutions: ASDB (Asian Development Bank), BSEC (Black Sea Economic Cooperation), CCC (Customs Cooperation Council), CE (Council of Europe), CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States), EAPC (Euro-Atlantic, OIC (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation).

Political Parties: 53 parties have registered their names in Azerbaijan.(2008) Some of the active parties are as follows: New Azerbaijan Party (Ruling), Musavat Party, People's Front Party of Azerbaijan, Greens Party, Democratic Reforms Party, Umit Party, Azerbaijan Islamic Party.

Economic Overview: Azerbaijan's economy is based on agriculture and animal husbandry, industry, natural resources, energy and foreign trade. Favourable climatic conditions have enabled the cultivation of various agricultural products. Livestock breeding is an important activity after agriculture. As of 1992, there are 1.7 million heads of cattle and 5 million heads of sheep in the country. Fishing is carried out on the Kura and Araz rivers and in the areas where the Kura River flows into the Caspian Sea. During the Soviet period, within the framework of central planning strategies, Azerbaijan was forced to become an agricultural country and was prevented from establishing its own industry. Most of the existing industrial facilities use old technology and have low productivity. In recent years, the Azerbaijani state has taken a number of measures to overcome this shortage.
Labour Force Distribution by Sectors: Agriculture and forestry 41%, industry 7%, services 52%
Industry: Oil and natural gas, petroleum products, steel, iron deposits, cement, chemicals, petrochemicals, textiles
Electricity Production: 20 billion kWh (2003) Fossil fuels: 86.46%, hydro: 13.54%
Electricity Consumption: 20.25 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity Exports: 700 million kWh (2003)
Electricity Imports: 2.35 billion kWh (2003)
Agricultural and Livestock Products: Cotton, grain, rice, grapes, fruits, vegetables, tea, tobacco, cattle, pigs, sheep, goats
Exports: $6.117 billion (2005 data)
Export Products: Oil and gas 75%, machinery, cotton, food products
Export Partners: Italy 30.3%, France 9.4%, Russia 6.6%, Turkey 6.3%, Turkmenistan 6.3%, Georgia 4.8%, Israel 4.5%, Croatia 4.1% (2005)
Imports: $4.656 billion $ (2005 data)
Import Products: Machinery and equipment, food products, metals, chemicals
Import Partners: Russia 17%, UK 9.1%, Singapore 9.1%, Turkey 7.4%, Germany 6.1%, Turkmenistan 5.8%, Ukraine 5.4%, China 4.1% (2005)
Currency: Azerbaijan Manat

Railways: 2,957 km (1993)
Highways: Total: 27,016 km (paved: 12,698 km, unpaved: 14,318 km)
Pipelines: Natural gas 3,190 km; crude oil 2,436 km (2006)
Ports: Baku (Baku)
Airfields: 36 (2006)

[1]   www.ticaret.gov.tr (accessed April 2022)

[2]   www.ticaret.gov.tr (accessed April 2022)

[3]Encyclopaedia of Islam. TDV.

[4]  Encyclopaedia of Islam. TDV