Azerbaijan – The Land Of Fire

Europe or Asia?

National Flag

Blue represents the Turkic Origins Green represents Islam Red represents independence, modernization, and progress

National Emblem•The focal point - the fire symbol

• Star stands for the eight branches of the Turkic peoples

•Stalk of wheat, representing the main agricultural product of the nation.

•Oak represents rich forests of Azerbaijan

General InformationRepublic of Azerbaijan Capital: BakuPresident: Ilham Aliyev Territory : 86.6 thousand km2

Population : 9 (52 million millions around the world)Nation : Main ethnicity - Azeri 8 ethnic minorities ( Lezgi, Talish, Avar, Akhiska Turks, Ashkenazi Jews, Sakhurs, Udins, Tats )Language : Azeri(official language)Borders : Turkey , Russia , Iran , Georgia , ArmeniaSea borders : Kazakhstan, Russia, Iran, TurkmenistanCurrency : MANAT1 AZN = $ 1.24 USD

Baku – The City of Winds•Baku is our capital city

•It’s called the city of Winds because the weather is always windy

•Baku is business and administrative center of the country

•Baku has original architectural style

•It’s the combinations of modern and old styles

Icheri Sheher/Inner city

• Architecture went through many different stages over the centuries. Walled City of Baku with the Shirvanshah's Palace and Maiden Tower included in UNESCO World Heritage Site

Icheri sheher/Inner city

Azerbaijan is considered one of the most ancient places in the world

• Most ancient archeological and paleontological materials found in Azerbaijan showed that first primitive men settled here 1.7-1.8 million years ago.

• Jaw bone of Azikhantrop(Azikh cave) who lived 300-400 thousand years ago was discovered (1968) in a cave of Azikh which is located near Fuzuli city

• Based on this discovery, Azerbaijan was added to the “The oldest inhabitants of Europe”

From ancient times Azerbaijan was called Odlar Yurdu (Land of Fire)

People who lived here very long time ago were fire worshippers (followers of Zaratustra)

There are eternal fires remaining from ancient time People are still surprised when they see “burning soil” in

Yanardag

Fascinating from History…Shah Ismail Khatai, the great thinker, poet, and statesman united all of the

Azerbaijan territories in the 16th century

During Safavi’s period of time Azerbaijan was a great and powerful State

As a result of the war between Iran and Russia, the Turkmanchay

Agreement was signed between these two States in 1828

• Azerbaijan was divided into two parts

• The Southern Azerbaijan part was attached to Iran

• and the Northern part was attached to Russia

Brief Modern History•In 1918 Azerbaijan Democratic Republic ( First Democratic Republic In Middle East ) was established by Mammedemin Resulzadeh•1920- Azerbaijan was occupied by Soviet Union•1941~1945 - 800,000 Azerbaijanis fought well in the ranks of the Soviet Army and about 400,000 Azerbaijanis died•Natural resources from Azerbaijan such as oil, natural gas and cotton played critical role in the victory of USSR over Germany in World War II"The flag once raised will never fall!"

Modern History cont.• In 1990, the Supreme Council of the

Azerbaijan SSR dropped the words "Soviet Socialist" from the title, adopted the Declaration of Sovereignty of the Azerbaijan Republic and restored the modified flag of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic as a state flag

• The early years of independence were overshadowed by the Nagorno – Karabakh War with neighboring Armenia

• President of Azerbaijan Heydar Aliyev became originator of the new Constitution in the middle of 1994.

Language• The word order for Azerbaijani sentences is usually Subject-Object-Verb,

as compared to the Subject-Verb-Object pattern common in English.• The alphabet used today is a variation of the Latin alphabet, with several

special characters.• Azerbaijani is a Turkic language and thus part of the Altaic family• Some examples:

English Azerbaijani

Hi Salam

Bye Sağol

Thanks Təşəkkür edirəm

Culture - Dance

• There are many Azerbaijani dances

• Very fast rhythm, so the dancer must have inherent skill

• Folk dances of the Azerbaijani people are old and extremely melodious

Lezgihangi commonly called Lezginka

• The Dance of Lezgi ethinicity

• Very fast and hard to dance• Popular in Azerbaijan,

Turkey, Russia, and many other countries

• People usually perform• Lezgihangi (Lezginka) on

weddings and some cultural events

Culture - Music• Music of Azerbaijan builds on folk

traditions that reach back nearly 1,000 years.

• The classical music of Azerbaijan is called mugam. It is usually a suite with poetry and instrumental interludes.

• In contrast to the mugam traditions of Central Asian countries, Azeri mugam is more free-form and less rigid; it is often compared to the improvised field of jazz.

• UNESCO proclaimed the Azerbaijani mugam tradition a MasterPiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity on November 7, 2003.

Jazz•The Azerbaijani jazz is a popular variety of jazz, widespread in Azerbaijan

•It covers a broad range of styles (traditional, post-pop, fusion, free flexion)

and often features a blend with traditional Azeri music

•The Baku International Jazz Festival is held annually in Azerbaijan's capital, Baku

Opera

• Azerbaijan prides itself with having created the first opera of the Middle East – “Leyli and Majnun” (1908) by Uzeir Hajibeyov ,which is based on the poetry of Nizami Ganjavi

• The Azerbaijan State Theater of Opera and Ballet was built in 1910

Musical Instruments

SAZ :Can be traced back to ancient cultures of Babylon and SumeriaMainly used for folk songs by travelling singers called Ashiq

ZURNA:Wind musical instrument with a strong high sound. The zurna is usually carved out of apricot, walnut or mulberry wood.Is also used for folk songs, and traditional music performances.

Musical Instruments cont.

It’s played on the knee with a bow which is tightened with a hand while played

Tar is quite similar to any of the string instruments. Tar has 6 strings.You have a great chance of hearing Tar today !!!

National Dress

Lady from 19th century

Young man from 19th century

National Dress cont.

• There are generally many different variations

Economy

• Azerbaijan's high economic growth during 2006-08 was attributable to large and growing oil exports, but some non-export sectors also featured double-digit growth

• current global economic slowdown presents some challenges for the Azerbaijani economy as oil prices remain below their mid-2008 highs

• Azerbaijan's oil production has increased dramatically since 1997, when Azerbaijan signed the first production-sharing arrangement (PSA) with the Azerbaijan International Operating Company

National moneyGDP Growth in Azerbaijan

FDI in Azerbaijan

Economy – The Numbers

GDP (purchasing power parity):

• $86.05 billion (2009 est.)• country comparison to the

world: 73 • $78.73 billion (2008 est.)• $71.05 billion (2007 est.)• note: data are in 2009 US

dollars

GDP - per capita (PPP):• $9,900 (2009 est.)• country comparison to the

world: 107 • $9,600 (2008 est.)• $8,800 (2007 est.)• note: data are in 2009 US

dollars

Azerbaijan Cuisine• Food is an important part

of the country's culture and is deeply rooted in the history, traditions and values of the nation

• Azerbaijani cuisine has over 30 kinds of soups, including those prepared from plain yogurt. There is a wide variety of kebabs including lamb, beef,

chicken, and fish (baliq) kebabs

and…of course CAVIAR!

This comes from three different varieties of Caspian sturgeon, rated top to bottom as beluga, osietra and servyuga

Society…People, ethnic, language

• Ethnic groups: Azeri 90.6%, Lezgic 2.2%, Russian 1.8%, Armenian 1.5%, other 3.9%

• Languages: Azerbaijani (Turkic group) 89%, Russian 3%, and other 6%( Lezgic, Talish, etc.)

• Literacy: 97%. Population birth rate• 17.52 births/1,000 population (2008 est.) Life expectancy • total population: 66.31 years

male: 62.2 years female: 71 years (2008 est.)

Society… RELIGION

Azerbaijan is a secular country, in article 48 of Constitution it is written that everyone has a right to choose any faith, to adopt any religion or to not practice any religion

• Approximately 93.4 to 96 percent of the population is nominally Muslim

• Judaism (Nearly 16 000 Jews reside in the country )

• Christianity (is represented by Orthodoxy, Catholicism and Protestantism)

Society… Public Health

• Azerbaijan has a highest rates of diabetes mortality in the European Region

• 8.7% of population is thalassemia carrier. About 200 children are born with thalassemia major every year

• Deaths by cause, all ages

• Cardiovascular disease – 51%• Chronic respiratory disease - 4%• Injuries - 4%• Communicable,maternal and perinatal, nutritional deficiencies - 17%• Other chronic diseases - 10%• Diabetes - 3%• Cancer -11%

Natural Resources Oil and natural gas take a special place among natural resources of Azerbaijan These resources are mined since the ancient times, and starting from the 19th century, they became primary exported items of the state economy Nobel brothers (Sweden) owned lots of oil wells in Baku, and received a huge capital on mining Azerbaijani oil Later they decided to establish world famous “Nobel prize” based on these capital gains

Natural Resources cont.

• Azerbaijan petrol was primary fuel for military machines of Soviet army during The Second World War

• Every second machine was using the petrol delivered from Azerbaijan

Natural Resources cont.

• In 1994, the contract was signed between Azerbaijan State Oil Company (SOCAR) and world oil companies such as Exxon, Statoil, Amoco, etc., regarding co-operation in oil mining of the Caspian region

• Baku-Tbilisi-Jeyhan pipeline has provided brand new fuel source for the whole Europe

Natural Resources cont.Silk is another important natural resource of Azerbaijan, with its

industry located in Sheki Throughout the Middle Ages, traders from all over the world

visited Sheki, attracted by its high-quality silk Nowadays Azerbaijan participates in Silk Road project – the

symbolic restoration of the ancient silk trading road going from far East to Europe

Sheki silk factory backyard National clothes made of silk

Neft Dashlari(Oil rocks)

• First off-shore oil exploration in the world• Neft Dashlari is the giant floating city of the

off-shore field of Neft Dashlari (Oil rocks)• Production was launched in 1948, 45km

North-East of Baku• This archipelago of wells is linked through a

labyrinth of bridges

Politics

• Independence of Azerbaijan from the former Soviet Union was declared in August 30, 1991

• Type of governance –Democracy• National holiday: 28 May (1918)-Republic day • Constitution: adopted 12 November 1995 • Legal system: based on civil law system

External Politics - EU

• Azerbaijan and the European Union have maintained a positive relationship through the years and are more closely linked

• Azerbaijan is currently part of the European Neighborhood Policy and the Council of Europe, and is a large recipient of aid and infrastructure investment from the European Union

External Politics – EU cont.

• EU relations with Azerbaijan are governed by the EU-Azerbaijan Partnership and Cooperation Agreement signed in 1996 and entered into force in 1999.

• On the basis of bilateral priorities, also a National Indicative Programme (NIP) has been adopted in agreement with the Azerbaijani authorities.

Council of Europe in Azerbaijan• Established according to the Memorandum of

Understanding between the Government of Republic of Azerbaijan and the Council of Europe, on 4 November 2002

• The main task of the CoE Office:– inform general public on the activities,

goals and achievements of the Council of Europe

– provide it with detailed explanations on European standards in particular in relation with Human Rights which constitute the cornerstone of the the Organisation's activities

Problems: Blood Memory - Karabakh

• The collapse of USSR in late 1991 was followed by the change in the geopolitical situation on post-Soviet area. Armenian with Russian Army support in fact open unfair war against Azerbaijan. Armenian military troops, violating the borders of Azerbaijan, entered Karabakh and conjointly with Armenian separatists of Upper Karabakh occupied Azeri lands

• 20% of Azerbaijan territory under occupation• More than 1mln refuges and IDPs• More than 40000 were killed

Genocide-Khodjali

• On 26 February of 1992 the

Armenian armed forces attacked the Khojaly town of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

• As a result of aggression Khojaly was erased to the ground; 613 men were killed, 56 men reduced to ashes alive, 112 men were missing, thousands of people were kidnapped, 6 families were completely annihilated

Politics – Relations with Korea

• Most of progress achieved during last 2 years• Embassy of the Azerbaijan Republic was established in

Korea ( 2007 )• The Azerbaijani language faculty was established in the

Foreign Languages University of Korea• There are about 70 Azeri students studying in Korea

currently

Nature – Landscape

• Azerbaijan is characterized by a diverse landscape. There are two major forms of landscape-plains and mountains.

• Mountains cover 60% of the total area of the Azerbaijan republic

Nature

Nature

Inland Water The dense river system of the country covers its

territory like a blue spider's web

Azerbaijan accounts for 8400 small and large rivers, including 850 over 5 kilometers in length. But there are only 24 rivers extending to over 100 kilometers

The longest rivers are Araz and Kyur rivers

• Nearly 250 fresh and salty lakes, differing by the sources of feeding and by origin

• There are more than 200 mineral water springs with different chemical ingredients

Fauna… • Due to the diverse natural

conditions Azerbaijan has a colorful animal kingdom

• The fauna of plains is represented by a great number of mammals, reptiles, amphibians and numerous sedentary and migrant birds

• Unfortunately, the number of Caspian seals decreased from 1.5 million in early 20th century down to 360-400 thousand in 1980th

The Climate of Azerbaijan is unique,

nine of the Earth's eleven climate

zones can be found in Azerbaijan

• Semi-desert and dry steppe climate covers mainly Central lowland districts. Winter is mostly hot, Summer is red-hot, some days temperature is higher than 40 degree

• Semi-desert and dry steppe climate with cold winter and dry hot climate

• Mild-hot climate, winter if which is dry, covers lower mountainous zone

• Mild-hot climate with dry summer. Mostly covers Lankaran-Astara region

• Cold climate with dry winter covers south-east hills of Great Caucasus

• Cold climate with dry summer. Covers middle and high mountainous area of Nakhchivan AR

• Mild-hot climate with equal distribution of precipitations. Winter is mild, summer is mild-hot

• Cold climate with rich precipitations in all seasons

• Mountainous tundra climate covers the areas of Great and Small Caucasus higher than 2700 m. In some places snow does not melt till the next winter.

Culture…..the decorative and applied art• Azerbaijan is famous for its

carpets. Carpet is one of the oldest and most traditional forms of art in Azerbaijan. You'll find two types of carpets: knotted and flat-weaved

• The form of antiquity is represented by a wide range of handicrafts, such as chasing, jeweler, engraving in metal, carving in wood, stone and bone

Azerbaijan Carpets

SPORT

• Sport in Azerbaijan has ancient roots, even now, both traditional and modern sports are still practiced

• Freestyle wrestling has been traditionally regarded as Azerbaijan's national sport, however today, the most popular sports in Azerbaijan are football (soccer) and chess

Elnur Mammadli•Elnur Chingiz oglu Mammadli

•(Azerbaijani: Elnur Məmmədli, born 29 June 1988 )

•Won the gold medal during the 2008 Beijing Olympics in the 73 kg division

•In the final he beat the favorite Wang Ki-Chun from Korea in 13 seconds by ippon.

Teymur Rajabov

•Azerbaijani: Teymur Rəcəbov; •born 12 March 1987 in Baku, Azerbaijan

• is a leading Azerbaijani chess player.

•On the January 2010 FIDE list, Radjabov has an Elo rating of 2733, ranking 16th in the world and third in his native Azerbaijan.

•Radjabov earned the title of Grandmaster in March 2001 at the age of 14, making him the second-youngest grandmaster in history

THANK YOU

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