PENDUDUK, BUDAYA DAN AGAMA

1. DEMOGRAFI

1.1 Populasi

                                              9,000 000 juta jiwa

1.2 Kelompok Etnik Terbesar

                  Azerbaijan         7,205,500           90,6%

                  Lezghin                178,000           2,2%

                  Rusia                             141,700           1,8%

                  Armenia               120,700           1,5%

                  Talyshe                  76,800           1,0%

                  Avar                       50,900           0,6%

                  Turki-Meskhetia      43,400          0,5%

                  Tatar                               30,000           0,4%

                  Ukraina                  29,000          0,4%

                  Tsakhur                 15,900           0,2%

                  Georgia                  14,900           0,2%

                  Kurdi                      14,800           0,2%

                  Tat                         10,900           0,13%

                  Yahudi                      8,900            0,1%

                  Udin                          4,200           0,05%

                  Lainnya                    9,500           0,12%

2. RAKYAT DAN TRADISI

Diantara negara-negara Kaukasus Selatan, Azerbaijan merupakan negara yang paling padat penduduknya. Lebih dari 8 juta orang tinggal di negara tersebut, dimana lebih dari 300.000 penduduknya tinggal di Republik Otonomi Nakhchivan. Orang Azerbaijan termasuk ras Kaukasus Selatan. Mereka dapat dibedakan dengan posturnya yang kokoh, warna gelap yang kuat, tinggi rata-rata, dan sebagian memiliki kepala bundar, muka sempit, hidung lebih sempit dan, dalam banyak hal, mata cokelat yang besar.

Kelompok etnik yang banyak kemiripan dengannya adalah orang Rusia. Mereka datang ke Azerbaijan pada awal abad ke 19 ketika pemerintahan Tsar memulai pendeportasian orang-orang Dukhobor, Molokan dan penganut aliran lainnya dari bagian negara Rusia yang terpencil dan Ukraina. Menjelang awal abad ke 20 mereka tinggal di beberapa wilayah Baku dan di Yelizavetpol (Ganja). Diantara etnik-etnik lainnya yang terdapat di Azerbaijan adalah Lezgin, Avar, Udin, Tsakhur, Tat, Kurd, Talysh, Tatar, dan Georgia.

Kira-kira 80 persen penduduknya terpusat di lembah-lembah dan dataran rendah, yang lebih cocok untuk pertanian dan juga dimana pusat industri besar berada dan irigasi lebih berkembang. Daerah ini meliputi Kur-Araz, Samur-Devechi dan dataran rendah Lankaran, dan juga Ganja-Gazakh dan lembah Pri-Araz, juga semenanjung Absheron.

Azerbaijanmerupakan negara dimana tradisi-tradisi negara dilestarikan. Hari libur keagamaan seperti Qurban Bayrami (Idul Adha) dan Ramazan Bayrami (Idul Fitri) dirayakan. “Novruz Bayram” merupakan hari libur musim semi yang paling tua dan paling dihargai. Ia dirayakan pada hari yang memiliki waktu siang dan malam yang sama-sama lama pada musim semi, yaitu pada tanggal 21-22 Maret. Novruz merupakan simbol pembaharuan alam dan kesuburan.

Keragaman dan kekayaan sumber daya alam negara Azerbaijan mendorong pertumbuhan kerajinan tangan, tembikar, perkakas tembaga, katun, pabrik sutra, tenunan permadani, perhiasan, kayu, batu dan ukiran batu. Kerajinan permadani merupakan perdagangan tradisional di Azerbaijan. Ia dikembangkan dengan baik di Guba, Shivran, Ganja, Gazakh, Karabakh, Baku.

Azerbaijankaya dengan pakaian rakyat, seni, musik, tarian, dan memiliki masakan yang lezat.

3. AGAMA

Zoroaster

Agama pertama di Azerbaijan adalah Zoroaster. Penduduk Manna percaya terhadap fenomena alam; matahari dan bulan. Agama resmi, Zoroaster, didasarkan pada penyembahan api. Penyembahan api ini disebarkan oleh pengapian sepontan dari kandungan minyak dangkal dan semburan gas. Objek penyembahan adalah Ahura Madza, atau Ohrmazd. Ahura Mazda adalah ketuhanan, suci, tertinggi, dan pencipta segala hal. Lawan dari Ohrmazd adalah Ahriman- jiwa setan. Zarathushtra, pencipta agama ini, dilahirkan di suatu tempat sekitar sungai Oxus, yang sekarang Iran dan dekat dengan Tabriz.

Kristen

Kristen diperkenalkan di Kaukasus dan Azerbaijan pada permulaan abad ke-1 M. Kristen di Albania meliputi dua tingkatan, Apostolik (abad pertama sampai ketiga) dan Greekophil (dari abad ke 4-6). Setelah itu Gereja Albania mulai mengikuti perkembangan nasional Albania, yang mengakibatkan pengaturan bahasa tulis Albania dan pertumbuhan literatur Albania. Dewasa ini tidak diragukan lagi bahwa gereja Apostolik Albania merupakan yang paling tua di Kaukasus. Perkembangannya pada tingkat tertentu berbeda dari Gereja Armenia. Akar Gereja Albania (termasuk juga Gereja Georgia) berhubungan langsung dengan Gereja Jerusalem dan Patriarchate Jerussalem, sedangkan Gereja Armenia berasal dari Gereja-gereja Ospoene Yunani dan Kappadokia. Asal mula komunitas Kristen pertama di Albania berkaitan dengan Apostel Thaddeus, Bartholomew, Eliseus. Catholicasate Albania (patriarchate) adalah autocephalous yang berbeda dengan Catholicasate Armenia dan Georgia. Orang Albania yang tinggal di pegunungan Karabakh tetap mempertahankan ke-Kristenannya sampai tahun 1836, ketika otoritas Rusia, atas dorongan Gereja Armenia, menghapuskan patriarchate Albania.

Islam

Islam diperkenalkan di Azerbaijan pada abad ke-7 M oleh orang-orang Arab. Sekarang, sekitar 93% penduduk Azerbaijan memeluk Islam, dimana 65-70 %-nya menganut tradisi Syiah.

Pada tahun 1976 hanya ada 16 masjid yang terdaftar dan satu madrasah di Azerbaijan, menjelang akhir kekuatan Soviet jumlahnya meningkat menjadi 200 masjid, dan sekarang telah meningkat drastis menjadi lebih dari 1300 masjid, banyak sekali sekolah Islam, dan Universitas Islam, “Departmen Ilahiyyat” di Universitas Negeri Baku.

     Among the South Caucasus States, Azerbaijan is the most densely populated. More than 8 million people live in the country, of which over 300,000 live in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. Azerbaijanis belong to the Caspian branch of the South Caucasian race. They are distinguished by a sturdy build, with prevailing dark pigmentation, of medium height and a partially round shaped head, narrow face, rather a narrow nose and, in the majority of cases, large brown eyes. The language spoken by Azerbaijanis belongs to south-western group of Turkic languages.
     Another comparatively numerous ethnic group is Russians. They came to Azerbaijan at the beginning of the 19th century when the tsarist government started the deportation of dukhobors, molokans and other sectarians from remote parts of Russia and the Ukraine. By the beginning of the 20th century they settled in several regions of Baku and in Yelizavetpol (Ganja). Among other ethnicities in Azerbaijan are Lezgins, Avars, Udins, Tsakhurs, Tats, Kurds, Talyshes, Tatars and Georgians.
     Some 80 percent of the population is concentrated in valleys and low lands, which are more suitable for farming and also where large industrial centers are located and irrigation more developed. This belt covers Kur-Araz, Samur-Devechi and the Lankaran lowlands, and also the Ganja-Gazakh and Pri-Araz valleys as well as the Absheron Peninsula.
     Azerbaijan is a country where national traditions are well preserved. The religious holidays Qurban bayramı (Eyd al-Adha) and Ramazan bayramı (Eyd al-Fitr) are celebrated. The "Novruz Bayram" is the most ancient and cherished holiday of spring. It is celebrated on the day of the vernal equinox - March 21-22. The Novruz is the symbol of nature's renewal and fertility. The diversity and richness of natural resources in Azerbaijan stimulated the development of handicrafts, pottery, copperware, cotton, wool, silk manufacturing, carpet weaving, jewelry, wood, stone and metal carving.
     The carpet craft is a traditional trade in Azerbaijan. İt was and is well developed in Guba, Shirvan, Ganja, Gazakh, Karabakh, Baku.
     ;Azerbaijan is rich with folk costumes, arts, music, dance and has delicious cuisine.

3. Religion

     3.1. Zoroastrism

     The first religion in Azerbaijan was Zoroastrianism. The people of Manna believed in natural phenomena; the Sun and the Moon. The official religion, Zoroastrianism, was based on fire worship, the spread of which was propagated by the spontaneous ignition of shallow oil deposits and escaping gas. The object of worship was Ahura Mazda, or Ohrmazd. Ahura Mazda is goodness, holy, supreme, and the creator of all things. The opposite of Ohrmazd was Ahriman - an evil soul. Zarathushtra, the creator of the religion, was born somewhere along the Oxus river, in present-day Iran and close to Tabriz.

     3.2. Christianity

     Christianity was introduced to Caucasus and Azerbaijan at the beginning of AD. Christianity in Albania covered two stages, Apostolic (1st to 3rd century) and Greekophil (4th to 6th century). After that the Albanian Church started to follow the Albanian national development, which resulted in organization of the Albanian written language and development of the Albanian literature. Nowadays there is no doubt that the Albanian Apostolic Church is the most ancient in the Caucasus. Its development to some extend differs from the Armenian Church. Roots of the Albanian Church (as well as the Georgian Church) are related directly to the Jerusalim Church and Jerusalim Patriarchate, whereas the Armenian Church stems from the churches of Hellenic Ospoene and Kappadokia. The origin of the early Christian community in Albania was related to Apostles Thaddeus, Bartholomew, Eliseus. Albanian Catholicosate (patriarchate) was autocephalous in contrast to the Armenian and Georgian Catholicosates. The Albanians residing in the mountainous Karabakh region retained their Christianity until 1836, when the Russian authorities, on the instigation by the Armenian Church, abolished the Albanian patriarchate.

     3.3. Islam

     Islam was introduced into Azerbaijan in the 7th century by the Arabs. At present about 93 percent of the Azerbaijanis believe in Islam, and from this 65 to 75% follow Shiite tradition.

    In 1976 there were only 16 registered mosques and one madrasa(religious school) in Azerbaijan, by the end of the Soviet power the figure rose to about 200 mosques, and today this has increased dramatically to more than 1,300 mosques, innumerable Islamic schools, an Islamic University, "Ilahiyyat Department" at Baku State University.