Zoroastrianism Zoroastrianism is an Iranian religions, Iranian religion and one of the world's History of religion, oldest organized faiths, based on the teachings of the Iranian peoples, Iranian-speaking prophet Zoroaster. It has a Dualism in cosmology, du ...

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...

goes back to the first millennium BC or earlier and was the predominant religion of

Greater Iran Greater Iran ( fa, ایران بزرگ, translit=Irān-e Bozorg) refers to a region covering parts of Western Asia, Central Asia, South Asia, Xinjiang, and the Caucasus, where both Culture of Iran, Iranian culture and Iranian langua ...

before the conversion to

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

. Today the religion, culture, and traditions of Zoroastrianism remain highly respected in Azerbaijan, and the new year

Nowruz Nowruz ( fa, نوروز, ; ), zh, 诺鲁孜节, ug, نەۋروز, ka, ნოვრუზ, ku, Newroz, he, נורוז, kk, Наурыз, ky, Нооруз, mn, Наурыз, ur, نوروز, tg, Наврӯз, tr, Nevruz, tk, Nowruz, ...

continues to be one of the main holidays in the country. Zoroastrianism has left a deep mark on the history of Azerbaijan. Traces of the religion are still visible in Surakhany, Khinalyg, and

Yanar Dag Yanar Dagh ( az, Yanar Dağ, meaning "burning mountain") is a natural gas fire which blazes continuously on a hillside on the Absheron Peninsula on the Caspian Sea near Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan (a country which itself is known as " the L ...

History

One of the world's oldest religions, Zoroastrianism was also practiced in the territory of

in ancient times.

, sharing its name with its founder Iranian prophet

Zoroaster Zoroaster,; fa, زرتشت, Zartosht, label=New Persian, Modern Persian; ku, زەردەشت, Zerdeşt also known as Zarathustra,, . Also known as Zarathushtra Spitama, or Ashu Zarathushtra is regarded as the spiritual founder of Zoroastria ...

(also known as Zarathustra), was one of the first

monotheistic Monotheism is the belief that there is only one deity, an all-supreme being that is universally referred to as God. Cross, F.L.; Livingstone, E.A., eds. (1974). "Monotheism". The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (2 ed.). Oxford: Oxford ...

beliefs in the world and the official religion in Persia from 600 BCE to 650 CE. Zoroastrians believe in one God, whom they call

Ahura Mazda Ahura Mazda (; ae, , translit=Ahura Mazdā; ), also known as Oromasdes, Ohrmazd, Ahuramazda, Hoormazd, Hormazd, Hormaz and Hurmuz, is the creator deity in Zoroastrianism. He is the first and most frequently invoked spirit in the ''Yasna''. ...

created the universe. The

Avesta The Avesta () is the primary collection of religious texts of Zoroastrianism, composed in the Avestan language. The Avesta texts fall into several different categories, arranged either by dialect, or by usage. The principal text in the litu ...

, the sacred book of Zoroastrianism, consists of two main sections: the oldest section contains the

Gathas The Gathas ()"Gatha"
''

myths Myth is a folklore genre consisting of Narrative, narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or Origin myth, origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not Objectivity (philosophy), ...

, stories, and details of ritual observances. Fire is the most important symbol of purity in Zoroastrianism. Zoroastrians are wrongly believed to worship fire, but they believe fire represents the symbol of

. Regarding the date of birth of Zoroaster, historians mostly agree upon the dates of 660-583 BCE. Around 550 BCE,

Cyrus II Cyrus II of Persia (; peo, 𐎤𐎢𐎽𐎢𐏁 ), commonly known as Cyrus the Great, was the founder of the Achaemenid Empire, the first Persian empire. Schmitt Achaemenid dynasty (i. The clan and dynasty) Under his rule, the empire embraced ...

integrated the area of southern Azerbaijan into the

Achaemenid Empire The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenian Empire (; peo, 𐎧𐏁𐏂, , ), also called the First Persian Empire, was an ancient Iranian empire founded by Cyrus the Great in 550 BC. Based in Western Asia, it was contemporarily the largest em ...

. During his reign, Zoroastrianism was the dominant religion in the Empire, but he did not make any attempt to impose Zoroastrianism on the people of his subject territories. During the rule of

Darius I Darius I ( peo, 𐎭𐎠𐎼𐎹𐎺𐎢𐏁 ; grc-gre, Δαρεῖος ; – 486 BCE), commonly known as Darius the Great, was a Persian ruler who served as the third King of Kings of the Achaemenid Empire, reigning from 522 BCE until his ...

, Zoroastrianism was the official religion of the Achaemenid Empire, including Azerbaijan. Darius I also allowed moderate religious freedom in the

satrapies A satrap () was a governor of the provinces of the ancient Median and Achaemenid Empires and in several of their successors, such as in the Sasanian Empire and the Hellenistic empires. The satrap served as viceroy to the king, though with con ...

Alexander the Great Alexander III of Macedon ( grc, wikt:Ἀλέξανδρος, Ἀλέξανδρος, Alexandros; 20/21 July 356 BC – 10/11 June 323 BC), commonly known as Alexander the Great, was a king of the Ancient Greece, ancient Greek kingdom of Maced ...

defeated

Darius III Darius III ( peo, 𐎭𐎠𐎼𐎹𐎺𐎢𐏁 ; grc-gre, Δαρεῖος ; c. 380 – 330 BC) was the last Achaemenid King of Kings of Persia, reigning from 336 BC to his death in 330 BC. Contrary to his predecessor Artaxerxes IV Arses, Dar ...

in 331 BCE. During this period Zoroastrianism began to weaken. Many priests were killed and many sacred texts of Zoroastrianism were destroyed and lost forever.

Ancient states in the territory of Azerbaijan

Atropatena

Around 328 BC,

Atropates Atropates ( peo, *Ātr̥pātaʰ and Middle Persian ; grc, Ἀτροπάτης ; c. 370 BC - after 321 BC) was a Persian nobleman who served Darius III, then Alexander the Great, and eventually founded an independent kingdom and dynasty that wa ...

, the satrap of Media, formed the independent entity of Atropatena. The state was situated in

Iranian Azerbaijan Azerbaijan or Azarbaijan ( fa, آذربایجان, ''Āzarbāijān'' ; az-Arab, آذربایجان, ''Āzerbāyjān'' ), also known as Iranian Azerbaijan, is a historical region in northwestern Iran that borders Iraq, Turkey, the Nakhchivan ...

, and also included a minor part of the present-day

Republic of Azerbaijan A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th ...

(i.e. Arran). As Zoroastrianism was the dominant religion in Atropatena, its capital,

Ganzak Ganzak (Persian: گنزک ''Ganzak'', Greek: ''Γάζακα'' ''Gazaka'', Latin: ''Gaza'', ''Gazaca'', ''Ganzaga'', Arabic: ''Janza'', ''Jaznaq'', Armenian: Գանձակ Gandzak), is an ancient town founded in northwestern Iran. The city stood some ...

, became a religious center. Zoroastrian temples were fueled by the region's rich oil deposits. In accordance with many historian sources, the name "Azerbaijan" is attributed to the Persian word for fire "Azar", because of the popularity of Zoroastrianism in the region.

Albania

In the fourth century BC, in the north of the present-day Republic of Azerbaijan and partially in southern

Dagestan Dagestan ( ; rus, Дагеста́н, , dəɡʲɪˈstan, links=yes), officially the Republic of Dagestan (russian: Респу́блика Дагеста́н, Respúblika Dagestán, links=no), is a republic of Russia situated in the North C ...

, the entity of

Caucasian Albania Caucasian Albania is a modern exonym for a former state located in ancient times in the Caucasus: mostly in what is now Azerbaijan (where both of its capitals were located). The modern endonyms for the area are ''Aghwank'' and ''Aluank'', among ...

was established. Under

Achaemenid The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenian Empire (; peo, wikt:𐎧𐏁𐏂𐎶, 𐎧𐏁𐏂, , ), also called the First Persian Empire, was an History of Iran#Classical antiquity, ancient Iranian empire founded by Cyrus the Great in 550 BC. Bas ...

Parthian Parthian may be: Historical * A demonym "of Parthia", a region of north-eastern of Greater Iran * Parthian Empire (247 BC – 224 AD) * Parthian language, a now-extinct Middle Iranian language * Parthian shot, an archery skill famously employed by ...

, and especially

Sassanid The Sasanian () or Sassanid Empire, officially known as the Empire of Iranians (, ) and also referred to by historians as the Neo-Persian Empire, was the last Iranian empire before the early Muslim conquests of the 7th-8th centuries AD. Named ...

influence, Zoroastrianism was the dominant religion in the country. Armenian historian

Movses Kaghankatvatsi Movses Kaghankatvatsi ( hy, Մովսէս Կաղանկատուացի ''Movses Kaġankatvac’i''), or Movses Daskhurantsi ( ''Movses Dasxuranc’i'') is the reputed author (or authors) of a tenth-century Classical Armenian historiographical work on ...

investigating the political line of

Yazdegerd II Yazdegerd II (also spelled Yazdgerd and Yazdgird; pal, 𐭩𐭦𐭣𐭪𐭥𐭲𐭩), was the Sasanian King of Kings () of Iran from 438 to 457. He was the successor and son of Bahram V (). His reign was marked by wars against the Eastern Roman ...

(438-457) in Albania noted that "During the reign of sinner Yezdeghird, devil instigated him to destroy

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

religion", so he ordered to reject Christianity in Albania and obey fire-worshippers-magicians (Zoroastrianism). As a result of excavations on the territory of Caucasian Albania, many cultural finds, indicating the spreading of Zoroastrianism in the region, were found.

Zoroastrian architecture

Zoroastrianism's traces can be found in Baku,

Shamakha Shamakhi District ( az, Şamaxı rayonu) is one of the 66 Administrative divisions of Azerbaijan, districts of Azerbaijan. It is located in the east of the country and belongs to the Mountainous Shirvan Economic Region. The district borders the ...

, Nakhchivan,

Mingechaur Mingachevir ( az, Mingəçevir ) is the fourth-largest city in Azerbaijan with a population of about 106,000. It's often called the "city of lights" because of its hydroelectric power station on the Kur River, which divides the city down the mid ...

and the Talysh-Mugan areas. The

Absheron Peninsula The Absheron Peninsula ( az, Abşeron yarımadası) is a peninsula in Azerbaijan. It is the location of Baku, the biggest and the most populous city of the country, and also the Baku metropolitan area, with its satellite cities Sumqayit and Khyrd ...

and

Baku Baku (, ; az, Bakı ) is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. Baku is located below sea level, which makes it the lowest lying national capital in the world a ...

were centers of Zoroastrianism in ancient times. The Absheron Peninsula was rich in natural undamped torches of natural gas on the shore and in the sea. In the Sassanid era (3rd-7th centuries), when Zoroastrianism had risen to the level of state religion, Baku entered a new stage in its urban development. The most popular architectural monument of the city the Maiden's Tower and ancient city walls and towers that are being preserved as historical monuments belong to that time.

Ateshgah–Baku

Ateshgah, one of the popular ancient monuments in Azerbaijan belonging to the seventeenth century CE is located in the village of Surakhani, fifteen km west of the capital Baku on the coast of the

Caspian Sea The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, often described as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it lies between Europe and Asia; east of the Caucasus, west of the broad steppe of Central Asia ...

. In some sources, this monument is called the fire worshippers' temple. The Ateshgah monument traces its origins to Zoroastrianism, which was the dominant religion in ancient Azerbaijan. Ateshgah temple has been designated as a world heritage site by

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

. The temple is not used since 1883 CE.

Khinalig

The village of Khinalig (

Khinalug Khinalug, Khynalyg, or Khinalyg ( az, Xınalıq; Khinalug: ''Kətş''; also rendered as Khanaluka, Khanalyk, Khinalykh, or Khynalyk), is an ancient Caucasian village going back to the Caucasian Albanian period. It is located high up in the mounta ...

, Khinalyg) located in the west of the Guba district of Azerbaijan is also famous for its Zoroastrian temples. Burj sanctuary, reflecting Zoroastrian traces was built in the 7th century in the oldest part of Khinalig. There are many caves, pirs ('a holy place' or a 'shrine' in Azerbaijani) around the district.

Zoroastrianism after Islam arrived in Azerbaijan

In the 7th century the

Arabs The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Wester ...

conquered Persia including Azerbaijan. During this period many Zoroastrian temples, libraries were destroyed and burned, and many Zoroastrian texts were lost. Zoroastrians were treated as

dhimmis ' ( ar, ذمي ', , collectively ''/'' "the people of the covenant") or () is a historical term for non-Muslims living in an Islamic state with legal protection. The word literally means "protected person", referring to the state's obligatio ...

(

People of the Book People of the Book or Ahl al-kitāb ( ar, أهل الكتاب) is an Islamic term referring to those religions which Muslims regard as having been guided by previous revelations, generally in the form of a scripture. In the Quran they are ident ...

) as well as

Jews Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

and

Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

by the

. It means that they could retain their religious practices, but must pay the

jizya Jizya ( ar, جِزْيَة / ) is a per capita yearly taxation historically levied in the form of financial charge on dhimmis, that is, permanent Kafir, non-Muslim subjects of a state governed by Sharia, Islamic law. The jizya tax has been unde ...

. Despite all the difficulties Iranians did convert, Zoroastrianism became a minority religion in Iran.

Novruz

The six Gahambar festivals and Novruz are the seven important Zoroastrian festivals. All Novruz traditions are rooted in Zoroastrianism. These festivals occur at the spring equinox. According to

Mary Boyce Nora Elisabeth Mary Boyce (2 August 1920 – 4 April 2006) was a British scholar of Iranian languages, and an authority on Zoroastrianism. She was Professor of Iranian Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) of the Un ...

"It seems a reasonable surmise that Novruz, the holiest of them all, with deep doctrinal significance, was founded by Zoroaster himself". The Persian historian

Gardizi Abū Saʿīd ʿAbd-al-Ḥayy ibn Żaḥḥāk b. Maḥmūd Gardīzī ( fa, ابوسعید عبدالحی بن ضحاک بن محمود گردیزی), better known as Gardizi (), was an 11th-century Persian historian and official, who is notable for ...

, in his work titled Zayn al-Akhbār, mentions Novruz among Zoroastrian festivals and points out that Zoroaster highly emphasized the celebration of

Novruz Nowruz ( fa, نوروز, ; ), zh, 诺鲁孜节, ug, نەۋروز, ka, ნოვრუზ, ku, Newroz, he, נורוז, kk, Наурыз, ky, Нооруз, mn, Наурыз, ur, نوروز, tg, Наврӯз, tr, Nevruz, tk, Nowruz, ...

. Usually, preparation begins a month prior to Novruz holiday in Azerbaijan. People celebrate the last four Tuesdays prior to the festival being the day of one of the four elements – water, fire, earth, and wind. As a tribute to Zoroastrianism beliefs, every

Tuesday Tuesday is the day of the week between Monday and Wednesday. According to international standard ISO 8601, Monday is the first day of the week; thus, Tuesday is the second day of the week. According to some commonly used calendars, however, ...

during four weeks children jump over small

bonfires A bonfire is a large and controlled outdoor fire, used either for informal disposal of burnable waste material or as part of a celebration. Etymology The earliest recorded uses of the word date back to the late 15th century, with the Catho ...

References

{{Zoroastrianism