South Azerbaijan

Iranian Azerbaijan.

South Azerbaijan (Güney Azerbaycan, or Cenubi Azerbaycan in Azerbaijani, آذربایجان جنوبی in Farsi) is the historical southern portion of the once united Turkic kingdom of Azerbaijan, which was divided in 1828. The northern half of the nation is the independent Republic of Azerbaijan.

South Azerbaijan is the home of ethnic Azerbaijanis (Azerbaijani Turks, Azeris) who according to CIA and Ethnologue statistics, number more than 20 million in Iran and more than 8 million in the independent Republic of Azerbaijan.

In 2002, the main political party from South Azerbaijan (GAMOH) was accepted by the United Nations. Although South Azerbaijan remains the largest stateless nation in the world, the name "South Azerbaijan" is accepted by the United Nations and organs of the international community, especially organizations dealing with human rights.

Background

The southern portion of Azerbaijan was seperated from its northern half through two treaties signed by Iran and Russia in 1813 following military confrontations. The first treaty (Gulistan Treaty) was signed in 1813, and once again in February 1828 following the Treaty of Turkmenchay, the Qajar kings were forced to let Russia annex the northern part of Azerbaijan. The land was divided along the Araz river, which seperates the two parts as a political boundary to this day.

After the division, the southern half remained a part of the "Mamalek i Mahruse" or "Protected Kingdoms" (known as Persia in the west) and later became part of modern Iran (1935-present). The northern half became part of the Russian empire, later part of the Soviet Union, and is now an independent country officially called the Republic of Azerbaijan (1991-).

Despite the formal division of Azerbaijan since 1828, direct ties between the Azerbaijanis on both sides of the Araz river continued for close to 100 years, especially due to vibrant economic interaction. Common poetry, songs, and fables developed between the divided Azerbaijanis and although politically seperated, there was mutual interaction between the divided border of Azerbaijan up until the early 1920s.

The border of northern and southern Azerbaijan was briefly opened during World War II when the south gained a short-lived independent period from 1945-1946.

History

Up until 1828, the modern regions of South Azerbaijan and the Republic of Azerbaijan were simply known as "Azerbaijan," a Turkic kingdom with a federative (khanate) system. In the 18th century, Azerbaijan was composed of the khanates (states) of Tabriz, Nakhchivan, Urmia, Baku, Maku, Qarabaq, Khoi, Kuba, Ardebil, Qaradaq, Sheki and Shemakhi.

Ancient civilizations such as that of the Sumerians, Gutis, Lulubis, Kasis and the states of Aratta, Urartu, Mannai, Media and Albania had ruled on the territory of South Azerbaijan prior to the Islamic period. The first monotheistic prophet, Zoroaster, is believed to have been born in this region and it is also asserted that the Garden of Eden was located west of Urmia, which is South Azerbaijan's second largest city. South Azerbaijan served as the center of the socially motivated revolt of the Azerbaijani hero Babek.

The Castle of Babek (Babek Qalasi) situated in Kaleibar near the city of Ardebil, is perhaps the most interesting monument in the region. The Castle commemorates Babek, an eighth century Azerbaijani hero and statesman from Qarabaq (northern Azerbaijan) who refused to accept Arab rule and was finally executed by the caliphate after leading more than twenty years of resistance.

Every year, in a pilgrimage-style march, hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis gather at the castle to protest against Iran's unjust policy toward's it's ethnic Turks. To Azerbaijanis, Babek and his revolt against the Arabs still symbolizes resistance to foreign rule. The city of Ardebil in the eastern part of South Azerbaijan is also the site of many confrontations between the Turks and Arabs in the 7th century, in a series of events called the "Arab-Khazar wars" which took place all over Azerbaijan.

During the Seljuk Turk advent and the formation of the modern Azerbaijani nation from the 10th-13th centuries, several Turkic (Azerbaijani) dynasties such as the Atabeks (1098-1231), the Qara-Qoyonlu (1389-1469), the Aq-Qoyonlu (1403-1497), and the Safavids (1500-1722) were founded in the region of South Azerbaijan. These Azerbaijani dynasties were based in South Azerbaijan and ruled over several other countries, including Iran (Persia).

The seperation of the northern half of Azerbaijan and its incorporation into the Russian empire and later the Soviet Union created a seperate political history for the land divided and kept the southern half under Iranian domination.

South Azerbaijan in the 20th Century

Throughout the 20th century, South Azerbaijan was the major ideological and political sphere in Iran. The main leader of the Constitutional Revolution of Iran in 1906 was Sattar Khan, an Azerbaijani (considered by many in both north and South Azerbaijan as a national hero), and there was also two independence movements led by Sheykh Muhammad Khiabani (1918) who was able to gain independence for South Azerbaijan for six months, and Jafar Pishevari (1945) who gained independence for the region from 1945-1946.

Following the attack by Iran's army on South Azerbaijan in the winter of 1946, many claim that more than 50,000 civillians were killed. Some estimate more than 70,000 killed, while most historical documents point the number of Azerbaijanis killed to be around 40,000 starting in December 1946. William Douglas's book "Strange Lands and Friendly People" describes the situation in South Azerbaijan after Iran's central government had entered the region:

"When the Persian Army returned to Azerbaijan, it came with a roar. Soldiers ran riot, looting and plundering, taking what they wanted. The Russian Army had been on its best behavior. The Persian Army, the army of emancipation, was a savage army of occupation. It left a brutal mark on the people. The beards of peasants were burned, their wives and daughters raped. Houses were plundered; livestock was stolen. The Army was out of control. Its mission had been liberation, but it preyed on the civilians, leaving death and destruction behind."

In her 2002 book titled "Borders and Brethren: Iran and the challenge of Azerbaijani identity" American author Brenda Shaffer states that:

"Amir Ali Lakhrudi, chairmain of the Democratic Party of Azerbaijan and a witness to the December 12 (Azer 21) takeover in Tabriz, stated that when Tehran retook the city, 30,000 people were killed and 300,000 deported and 10,000 emigrated to Soviet (north) Azerbaijan."

Pishevari's state, which was supported by the Soviet Union, was dismantled after the Russian troops pulled out of South Azerbaijan in accordance to a deal made with the Persian Shah. Many consider the withdrawal of Russian troops from South Azerbaijan in 1946 to be the start of the Cold War.

Shortly after the Islamic revolution of Iran, there was a brief third autonomous movement in 1980 led by Ayatollah Shariatmadari. Shariatmadari was viewed as a liberal theologist within Iran's system. For his autonomous demands, liberal views and political activities, Shariatmadari was put on house arrest by Ayatollah Khomeini and Iran's ruling mullas until his death.

Demographics

According to some figures, more than 30 million Azerbaijani Turks live in South Azerbaijan and across Iran. The United Nations report on South Azerbaijan written in 2001 states that "there may be 30 million Azerbaijanis in Iran" and most Azerbaijani political groups state that there are more than 30 million Azerbaijanis living within Iran's borders. Ethnologue statistics from 1997 state that the Azerbaijanis make up 37.3% of Iran's population which was approximately 25 million at that time, and which would be close to 28 million as of 2004.

Azerbaijani student groups in Iran claim that there are 27 million Azerbaijanis in South Azerbaijan and across Iran, and the editor of South Azerbaijan's most influencial magazine, Varliq (Existance), has published the claim that one-third (23 million) of Iran's 70 million population is Azerbaijani. Most figures, including CIA statistics, state that they make up 25% of Iran's population, numbering around 20 million in the region of South Azerbaijan. It is reasonable to say that the population of South Azerbaijan is 20 million, and that more than 8 million Azerbaijanis in Iran live in various other regions and cities, especially in Tehran.

South Azerbaijan's traditional lands have been divided up by into different provinces by Iran's administration both during the Pahlavi dynasty (1925-1979) and the Islamic Republic (1979-present). The provinces of Ardebil, East Azerbaijan, West Azerbaijan and Zanjan are the main areas of South Azerbaijan.

Northern parts of Hamedan province, including the city of Hamedan itself, western parts of Qazvin province, western parts of Markazi province, western parts of Tehran province and northern parts of Gilan province are also considered parts of South Azerbaijan. There is also a sizeable Azerbaijani population in Iran's capital city, Tehran, where the majority are bilingual in both Azerbaijani (Turkish) as well as Persian.

The approximate size of the territory of South Azerbaijan is 250 square kilometers. Over 90% of the population of South Azerbaijan are Turks who are predominantly Shia Muslim. There are also different pastoralist and nomadic Turkic tribes in the region such as the Shahsevan, Afshar and Karapapak, as well as small communities of Sunni Muslim, Baha'i, and Jewish Turks. There are also Kurds (Sunni Muslims), Armenians (Orthodox Christians), Assyrians (Catholics), and Persians (mostly Shia Muslims).

The largest cities in South Azerbaijan are Tabriz, Urmia, Ardebil, Hamedan and Zanjan. Tabriz is considered the political and cultural capital of southern Azerbaijan, with a population of approximately 2.5 million. The two tallest mountains in South Azerbaijan are Savalan and Sahand, the largest lake is Lake Urmia, and the largest river is the Qizil Ozen. South Azerbaijan enjoys warm and dry summers and extremely cold winters.

Social condition in the 1970s

In the 1970s, Iran mainly invested oil profits in the industrial sector, which was Persian-dominated. This further enlarged the income gap with the predominantly agricultural Azerbaijanis. By 1975, approximately half of Iran's manufactured goods were produced in Tehran, where only 22% of the country's industrial labor force resided.

At around the same time, the literacy rate in Tehran was 62%, and 27% in East Azerbaijan province and the percentage of children attending school was 74% in Tehran, but 44% in West Azerbaijan province. In the mid-1970s, Tehran had one doctor for every 974 people, one dentist per 5,626 and one nurse per 1,820 people. In contrast, East Azerbaijan province had one doctor per 5,589, one dentist per 66,156, and one nurse per 12,712. In addition, an estimated 75% of Persian households had electricity, compared with 25% of Azerbaijani households.

The specific discrimination against South Azerbaijan, in addition to the poor economic situation of the Azerbaijanis in this period (caused mostly because of Tehran's policies favoring development of the center) as well as the severing of South Azerbaijan's direct economic ties with north Azerbaijan and Russia led a great majority of South Azerbaijan's inhabitants into migration. Migration from small towns and villages into larger cities in South Azerbaijan such as Tabriz, Ardebil and Urmia occured, followed by movement from the larger cities in South Azerbaijan to the center of Iran, mainly to Tehran.

The largest migration of Azerbaijanis to Tehran took place in the 1970s as they went in search of the jobs created by the increased oil revenues. From 1971 to 1976, more than 601,200 people over the age of five migrated from East Azerbaijan province to Tehran. At the same time, more than 113,600 arrived from West Azerbaijan province. In this span of time, the Turkic population of the Iranian capital reached 1.5 to 2 million. As of 2004, there are more than 5 million Turks (Azerbaijanis) in the city of Tehran.

1989 Border Incident

In December 1989, the issue of connections and unity with the Azerbaijanis on both sides of the Araz river became a focal point in political activity from North Azerbaijan. Some of the members of the PFA party in north Azerbaijan in this period felt that ties to the Azerbaijanis in Iran should be enormously strengthened by the expansion of direct cultural and trade links, while others from north Azerbaijan developed a militant approach and sought to confront Iran directly over control of South Azerbaijan.

In early December 1989, local activists gathered along the South-North Azerbaijan border (Soviet Union and Iran) with the residents of towns and villages of Nakhchivan, a region near the border between northern and southern Azerbaijan. During the first two weeks of December, the protestors held ongoing rallies at the border, lit bonfires, and made attempts to communicate with the Azerbaijanis on the other side of the border. Many of them called for "the unity of Northern and Southern Azerbaijan." The atmosphere was somewhat party-like and was symbolic gesture that there are deep-rooted sentiments regarding the seperation of Azerbaijan since 1828.

The demonstrators were particulary active on December 12, the date that symbolizes for many Azerbaijanis the independence of South Azerbaijan. According to some journalists, on December 12 the PFA's Nachchivan chapter submitted an ultimatum to the boder guards demanding that obstacles regarding free travel to South Azerbaijan be removed by December 31, or that the demonstrators would destroy the border installations.

Throughout December, the number of demonstrators along the border gradually grew to several thousand. On December 31, the tone of the demonstrations changed and protestors began to burn and tear down several frontier stations and sections of the fence that divided the Soviet Union and Iran, in a symbolic attempt to unite the two Azerbaijans.

One participant in the demonstrations explained to a Russian language newspaper called Izvestiia about his modivations for participating in the actions at the border: "For decades barbed wire has cut us off from our homleand, South Azerbaijan, which is situated on Iranian territory. For decades we have been unable to see our relatives, and you know, many people have sisters and brothers on the other side of the Araz. We wish the border troops no ill, but why have they forbidden us to walk on our land and make use of it, after all, there beyond the barbed wire are 17,000 hectares of land, land which our stony Nachvhican so lacks! It has been extremely difficult for us to visit our ancestors' graves and see our ancient monuments, they too, you see, are also in the border strip."

At the same time that the border incidents were intensifying, more than 150,000 protesters in Baku gathered on January 4, 1990, demanding the opening of the border with South Azerbaijan in the area of Nakhchivan. They expressed solidarity with the demonstrators at the border. A large number of northern Azerbaijanis at this time crossed the border into southern Azerbaijan illegaly. IRNA (Islamic Republic News Agency) reported that some Azerbaijanis from Iran also crossed into northern Azerbaijan.

A group of Baku activists sent a letter in support of these actions to the Moscow Politburo and the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet. They compared the seperation of Azerbaijan in 1828 to the division of Vietnam and Korea, and called for the "relaxation of the fronter regulations in existence between the two parts of our homeland." Some PFA activists compoared the Soviet-Iranian frontier with the Berlin Wall, which had just been torn down.

According to Baku Domestic Radio Service in Azerbaijani, Iran and the Soviet Union agreed to allow a number of direct meetigns between residents on both sides, evidently to "release steam." Some Azerbaijanis crossed the freezing waters of the Araz river that marks the border in order to participate in the encounters that were taking place on the southern side. Despite the organized meeting, demonstrations and illegal border crossings continued and many traversed the river by swimming or in small boats.

IRNA reported on January 14,1990 that "They exchanged messages with their relatives standing on the other side of the river. The information icnluded addresses, phone numbers and identittites, written on scraps of paper and wrapped around small stones which were trhown across the river. Those who managed to trace their relatives after more than fifty years were so overcome by emotion, that they beat their chests and heads out of joy."

Political Situation

Since the early 1990s, many political expressions of Azerbaijani national identity in Iran have increased. The level of Azerbaijani nationalism has affected the stability and character of the regime in multi-ethnic Iran.

Demands for cultural and political autonomy have been made by some portion of Iran's Azerbaijani population. The use of the Azerbaijani Turkish language as an official language in South Azerbaijan as well as the use of cultural and national rights has become a major issue for the Azerbaijanis of Iran. Some are also calling for the secession of South Azerbaijan from Iran and unification of northern and southern Azerbaijan.

Many political groups such as the South Azerbaijan Liberation Movement, South Azerbaijan National Awakening Movement, World Azerbaijanis' Congress, Butov Azerbaycan Birliyi and Guney Azerbaycan Istiglal Teshkilati have charters which are dedicated to the independence of South Azerbaijan, however the amount of influence that these groups have within Iran is unknown.

Amir Ali Lakhrudi, the chairman of the Democratic Party of Azerbaijan stated in Zerkalo on December 2, 1995 states that:

"In 1992, we adopted a new platform. Our goal is national and cultural autonomy for South Azerbaijan. We believe that Iran must become a federal state modeled after the USA, present-day Russia, India, Switzerland, etc. We are in favor of a federate Iran. The desire for full independence for South Azerbaijan and it's separation from Iran will not gain support within the country. That is clear..."

In an interview with Hurriyet newspaper on May 26, 1996, Asif Ata, the founder of the Inam Movement in the Republic of Azerbaijan stated that:

"The problem of South Azerbaijan is the main political problem of Azerbaijan. Only after unification shall we be able to withstand the whole world. North Azerbaijan has backing, South Azerbaijan also. Our advantage is in our unity."

In 2003, the United Nations recognized the South Azerbaijan National Awakening movement as an official party representing the rights of the Azerbaijanis in Iran. In addition, a flag representing South Azerbaijan was also recognized by the United Nations. However, most Azerbaijani nationalists in Iran consider the flag of the Republic of Azerbaijan the flag of South Azerbaijan as well. South Azerbaijan and the Azerbaijani Turks in Iran continue to be a stateless nation. Many blame what they call Persian Chauvinisim as the main problem of South Azerbaijan.

Many (if not most) of the Azerbaijanis in Iran have assimilated into Persian culture and language and have no sense of ethnic or national identity and many Azerbaijanis are among the Iran's political and cultural elite."