AZERBAIJAN TODAY 5 1 GEOGRAPHY 2 HISTORY 3 GOVERNMENT Geographic regions Rivers and lakes Climate Flora and fauna Cities 11 Conquest and change The Soviet Union World War II and after Ethnic conflict 21st century 27 Soviet rule Independence and ethnic warfare The constitution The executive branch The legislative branch The judicial system 37 4 ECONOMY Oil and other natural resources Agriculture Fisheries Transportation 45 5 ENVIRONMENT The Soviet legacy Restoring farmland Wildlife protection Forests 53 6 AZERBAIJANIS Nomads and conquerors Ethnic enclaves 61 7 LIFESTYLE Life in Baku Rural life Family life Women and children Education 69 CONTENTS
8 RELIGION 9 LANGUAGE 10 ARTS 11 LEISURE 12 FESTIVALS 13 FOOD Islam Ramadan Soviet rule and Islam Fear of extremism Ancient traditions Zoroastrian influences Jews 77 Historic influences The alphabet Pronunciation 87 Literature The Soviet period Censorship Music and dance Folk arts Architecture 93 Family time The most popular sport Seasonal activities Health resorts Board games International competition 107 Nowruz Religious fests Patriotic celebrations Other festivals 115 The Soviet influence Meats Traditional dishes Breads Desserts Tea time 123 MAP OF AZERBAIJAN 133 ABOUT THE ECONOMY 135 ABOUT THE CULTURE 137 TIMELINE 138 GLOSSARY 140 FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 141 BIBLIOGRAPHY 142 INDEX 143
WHAT COUNTRY LIES EAST OF EUROPE WEST OF ASIA NORTH of the Middle East and south of Russia Here are some hints or perhaps they are riddles This place lies between two seas and across jagged mountains Its mountains are full of snow but its soil is full of fire Its arteries flow with oil and gas but its volcanoes spew mud This is a landlocked country but its capital city embraces a sea Leaping above that city’s skyline are towering flames At night they glow in blazing colors for this country calls itself the Land of Fire The Flame Towers are skyscrapers the city is Baku the sea is the Caspian and the country is Azerbaijan Its name means land of fire A country of contrasts and contradictions it is at once very old and very new Geographically and culturally it is a nation between competing influences The country straddles two continents with one foot in Europe and the other in Asia Culturally it does very much the same thing with the added Persian influence of the Middle East Historically it’s linked to Russia having spent around 70 years as a Soviet republic Azerbaijan is a majority Muslim country that is proudly secular It’s a republic but its people are not really free at least not according to numerous international 5 AZERBAIJAN TODAY
