The history of Azerbaijan, a region defined by its geographical boundaries with the Caucasus Mountains, the Caspian Sea, the <a href="https://history-maps.com/story/History-of-Armenia" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Armenian Highlands</a>, and the <a href="https://history-maps.com/story/History-of-Iran" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Iranian Plateau</a>, spans several millennia. The earliest significant state in the area was Caucasian Albania, established in ancient times. Its people spoke a language likely ancestral to the modern Udi language. From the era of the Medes and the <a href="https://history-maps.com/story/Achaemenid-Empire" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Achaemenid Empire</a> to the 19th century, Azerbaijan shared much of its history with what is now Iran, maintaining its Iranian character even after the <a href="https://history-maps.com/story/Muslim-Conquest-of-Persia" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Arab conquest</a> and the introduction of Islam. The arrival of Oghuz Turkic tribes under the Seljuq dynasty in the 11th century initiated a gradual Turkification of the region. Over time, the indigenous Persian-speaking population was assimilated into the Turkic-speaking majority, which evolved into today's Azerbaijani language. In the medieval period, the Shirvanshahs emerged as a significant local dynasty. Despite brief subjugation to the <a href="https://history-maps.com/story/Conquests-of-Tamerlane" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Timurid Empire</a>, they regained independence and maintained local control until the region's integration into the <a href="https://history-maps.com/story/Russian-Empire" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Russian Empire</a> following the Russo-Persian wars (1804–1813, 1826–1828). The treaties of Gulistan (1813) and Turkmenchay (1828) ceded Azerbaijani territories from Qajar Iran to Russia and established the modern boundary along the Aras River. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, under Russian rule, a distinct Azerbaijani national identity began to form. Azerbaijan declared itself an independent republic in 1918 after the Russian Empire's collapse but was soon after incorporated into the <a href="https://history-maps.com/story/History-of-the-Soviet-Union" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Soviet Union</a> as the Azerbaijan SSR in 1920. This period solidified the Azerbaijani national identity, which persisted until the USSR's dissolution in 1991, when Azerbaijan again declared independence. Since independence, Azerbaijan has experienced significant political challenges, notably the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with Armenia, which has shaped much of its post-Soviet national policy and foreign relations.

Visual Timelines

History of Azerbaijan Timeline

History of Azerbaijan Timeline

Stone Age in Azerbaijan

Bronze and Iron Age in Azerbaijan

Antiquity

Median and Achaemenid Era in Azerbaijan

Hellenistic era in Azerbaijan

Atropatene

Kingdom of Greater Armenia Period

Roman Influence in Caucasian Albania

Sasanian Empire in Caucasian Albania

Arsacid dynasty of Caucasian Albania

Christianity in Caucasian Albania

Medieval Azerbaijan

Arab Conquests and Rule in Azerbaijan

Feudal States in Azerbaijan

Seljuk Turk Period in Azerbaijan

Atabegs of Azerbaijan

Mongol Invasions of Azerbaijan

Tamerlane's Invasion of Azerbaijan

Aq Qoyunlu Period in Azerbaijan

Qara Qoyunlu Period in Azerbaijan

Safavid Empire Rule in Azerbaijan

Fragmentation into Turkic Khanates in Azerbaijan

Russian Rule in Azerbaijan

Modern History

Armenian–Azerbaijani War

Azerbaijan Democratic Republic

Soviet Azerbaijan

Independent Azerbaijan

Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

Mutallibov presidency

Elchibey presidency

Ilham Aliyev presidency

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