Sara Ashurbeyli, sometimes known as Sara Ashurbayli ( az, Sara Balabəy qızı Aşurbəyli), (27 January 1906 – 17 July 2001 in
Baku) was an eminent Azerbaijani historian, orientalist and scholar. She was an expert in the early and medieval history of Baku and published many papers and books.
Biography

The daughter of a rich oil magnate, Sara
Ashurbeyli had a perfect education and finished Jeanne D’Arc College in
Constantinople
la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه
, alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth ( Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...
in 1925 and entered
Baku State University in 1930 this time in Soviet Azerbaijan. She graduated as an orientalist, she also studied European languages in Azerbaijan Pedagogical Institute, thus besides her native
Azerbaijani language she knew
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walte ...
,
Persian,
Turkish
Turkish may refer to:
*a Turkic language spoken by the Turks
* of or about Turkey
** Turkish language
*** Turkish alphabet
** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation
*** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey
*** Turkish communities and mi ...
,
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
,
German,
Russian, and
English. She was also an artist and became a member of the Union of Azerbaijan's Artists in 1946. During her lifetime she also taught in various institutions and was a dean for a while. She got her Ph.D. in 1966. A Doctor of History Sciences she was an Azerbaijan State prize laureate.
Her famous works include “History of Baku: Mediaeval period” and “Shirvanshah State”. She has postulated that the origin of the name of "Baku" has its origins from
Zoroastrianism
Zoroastrianism is an Iranian religion and one of the world's oldest organized faiths, based on the teachings of the Iranian-speaking prophet Zoroaster. It has a dualistic cosmology of good and evil within the framework of a monotheistic ont ...
, taken from the word “baga” which means “the Sun” or “the God” in several ancient middle-eastern languages.
She died in 2001 at age 95.
References
Azerbaijani orientalists
Azerbaijani nobility
1906 births
2001 deaths
Writers from Baku
Azerbaijani women artists
Azerbaijani women writers
20th-century Azerbaijani historians
20th-century women writers
Women orientalists
Ashurbeyli family
{{Azerbaijan-historian-stub