Azerbaijan, known as “the Land of Fire” is located in the Caucasus region below Russia, above Iran, and next to Armenia. It was formerly part of the USSR. The people of Azerbaijan are related to the people of Iran. There is a long history of being ruled by other peoples, including the Arabs, Mongols, Persians, Turks, and Russians.
The skyline of Baku, the capital city
Armenia and Azerbaijan have an ongoing conflict, including a history of wars. There is still a political stand-off between Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh, a state claiming union with Armenia. It is a territory within Azerbaijan, populated almost entirely by Armenians, using Armenian money, license plates, etc. The conflict was at its height in the early 1990’s. It is still not resolved.
Petroleum is the biggest export from Azerbaijan. There is a mountain called Fire Mountain, where flames are continuously burning, feeding off the underground gas deposits. Marco Polo, the 13th century explorer, even wrote of seeing flames on this mountain.
Decorative arts play a big part in the history and culture of the country. Azeris have been weaving rugs for centuries, dating as far back as 2,000 BC. A carpet museum was opened in the capital city in 2014, in a building that is shaped like a giant rolled-up rug. Girls are taught to knit and crochet from a young age. There is a traditional contest called Seven Beauties, were girls compete against each other to crochet stockings in the shortest time.
Eighty-eight percent of the population is Muslim, 9% non-religious, and 3% Christian. At the fall of communism, there were only 40 known Azeri Christians. Now, they count 6,000 Azeri Christians. All together, there are 245,000 Christians, however most are from Armenia, Russia, and Georgia. For most Azeris, the Christian faith is a reminder of Russian imperialism and the conflict with Armenia. Please pray that Christianity will no longer be seen as a foreign religion.
BTW, I made Qutab today, a traditional food from Azerbaijan: a thin dough stuffed with meat and vegetables, served with yogurt. My family agreed it was delicious!
Sources:
Operation World by Jason Mandryk
