Azeri do norte

The history of the Azeris begins with Iranian peoples who already occupied the region centuries before Christ, until they were conquered by Persia in the sixth century BC. From the eleventh century onward, migrations of Turkic Oghuz tribes brought the language and much of the identity that still characterizes the people today, blending with the Iranian and Caucasian inhabitants who had already lived there for generations. By the seventh century, Islam had reached the region and began to deeply shape its culture and daily life.

In the centuries that followed, the territory was contested among Persian and Ottoman empires and, later, the Russian empire, which divided Azeri land along borders that still separate Azerbaijan from communities in Iran and the neighboring Caucasus today, explaining why the Azeris are now present in so many different countries.

Traditionally organized in villages of extended families, the Azeris developed a way of life tied to agriculture, livestock raising and, over time, also to industry and urban trade. The discovery of oil in the Baku region, starting in the nineteenth century, turned part of the people into workers in one of the world’s first major oil industries, alongside those who remained in the countryside growing fruit, cotton and vegetables.

Unlike many other Muslim societies, religious life among the Azeris places fewer restrictions on women, who frequently work outside the home and take an active part in public life. Oral poetry, traditional music and a strong sense of hospitality continue to unite generations, even amid the rapid urbanization of recent decades.

The vast majority of Azeris profess Shia Islam, a legacy of centuries of neighboring Persia, which also brought this branch of Islam as a distinctive mark of the people among other, mostly Sunni, Turkic peoples. Islamic faith is deeply intertwined with national and family identity, functioning not merely as a religion but as part of what it means to belong to the Azeri people.

Even so, decades of Soviet rule left a mark of secularism on many families, who today live out their faith in a more cultural than strictly devout way. Rituals, religious festivals and family traditions continue to be observed, even where the daily practice of Islam is less strict than in other Muslim nations.

The complete Bible is available in Northern Azerbaijani, with a translation history dating back to the nineteenth century, when the Gospel of Matthew was published in London, followed by the New Testament and later the Old Testament. A new translation of the New Testament appeared in the early 1980s, and a revised, updated edition of the complete Bible was published only in this century, available in both the Latin and Cyrillic alphabets used by the people. Despite having Scripture accessible in their own language, knowledge of its content remains rare among the Azeris.

Being Azeri is deeply tied to being Muslim: this religious identity, built up over more than a millennium, does not dissolve easily and functions as an essential part of belonging to the people. Considering another faith is seen by many as abandoning one’s own history and family, which makes any approach to the gospel a step carrying social and emotional weight, more than merely religious weight.

Although they have had the complete Bible in their language for generations, the Azeris mainly lack real opportunities to know its content and faith communities that closely accompany those who draw near to Jesus. The gap between having Scripture available and it actually circulating among families remains large, and few are discipled or carefully accompanied when they begin walking in the Christian faith.

There is also a lack of accessible translations of the Gospel in simple formats, such as audio and video, that could help whole families understand the Christian message in their own language and culture.