Folklore of Baku and Its Vicinity: Tevekkul Selimov's "The Absheronians" (Analysis-Text)

Abstract: Azerbaijan, one of the independent states of the Turkic world, has a rich cultural background. Tevekkül Selimov's work called "The Absheronians" is one of the important works in which Azerbaijani folklore products were recorded and published. Selimov conveys the history, beliefs and practices of Azerbaijan and its cities with the information he gives from various sources in his work named "The Absheronlular". In the thesis, the work in question has been analyzed in terms of folklore products by transferring from Cyrillic alphabet to Latin alphabet. Thesis; It is divided into sections as Introduction, Social Practices, Folklore, Performing Arts, Oral Tradition and Expressions, Conclusion and Attachments. In the introduction, information about the history, economy of Azerbaijan, the Absheron region, Selimov and "Absheron people" are given. In the second part, beliefs and practices developed around birth, marriage and death and feast traditions are examined. In the third chapter, the practices, beliefs and habits of the Turks who were married semi-nomads from that period were determined and rich folklore products in the Absheron region of Azerbaijan were examined. In the fourth chapter, the origin and reflections of the pre-Islamic Turkish belief system can be seen. In the fifth chapter, the reflection of this struggle of the Turkish society, whose life has passed through a struggle, on performing arts emerges. In the sixth chapter, examples of a rich literary tradition have been identified around genres such as mani, lullaby, lament, clap, kargış, meyhana, idiom, proverb. Folklore products found in the work in question were analyzed by comparing the Anatolian and Azerbaijani fields. The transcription of the work is given in the "Appendices" section. The work of Tevekkül Gafar Selimov, whose transcription and analysis was made, named "The Absheronians" showed us the ancient history of Azerbaijan's folklore products. There are similarities in terms of folklore elements between Anatolia and Azerbaijan, which come from the same root, and differences in practice. Keywords: Culture, Azerbaijani Culture, Baku folklore