The socioeconomic and sociocultural life of Southern Azerbaijan in the XIX. century (1828-1906)

The geography of Azerbaijan, which has hosted various civilizations throughout history, is one of the oldest Turkish homelands known. Since the Scythian/Saka migrations, Turkish tribes participating in the struggle for settlement in Azerbaijan have established a continuous presence in the region with the arrival of the Seljuks. During the period of the Ilkhanate, a Mongol-Turkish state, special importance was given to the region, and state administration was carried out from there. Following the Mongols, the Timurids, the Jalayirids, the Ak Koyunlu, the Karakoyunlu, the Safavids, the Afshar, and the Qajar dynasties were states that maintained Turkish sovereignty in the region. During the Qajar dynasty, which forms the subject of our study, the geography of Azerbaijan experienced a geopolitical rupture and was divided into North and South Azerbaijan with the Treaty of Turkmenchay in 1828. Following the treaty, which accepted the Aras River as the border, the lands of North Azerbaijan came under Russian rule, while the region known as South Azerbaijan, which includes cities such as Tabriz, Ardabil, Urmia, Maragheh, Khoy, Makoo, Selmas, and Marand, remained within the borders of the Qajar state. In the XIXth century, the Iranian territories under Qajar rule fell under the influence of imperialist powers and became the scene of political and military struggles, particularly between Russia and England, throughout the century. Alongside political, economic, and military developments both within and outside the country, the efforts to adapt to the changing world, modernizing steps attempted, and other factors such as famine and epidemics left significant marks on the living conditions of the people in the region. In our study, it is aimed to draw a perspective on the socio-economic and cultural structure of the South Azerbaijan region in the XIXth century under these conditions. In addition to political developments, our study examines the socioeconomic and sociocultural changes in South Azerbaijan between 1828 and 1906, as well as the lifestyles and cultural structures of its inhabitants. We examine the region's agricultural production, economic structure, urbanization process, and sociopolitical dynamics. Our study also covers education, literature, religious life, and traditional cultural elements. We observe that mechanisms such as politics, geography, climate, the economy, education, religion, and ethnicity have contributed to the formation of the region's identity and cultural structure, including traditional lifestyles, religious practices, folk literature, and clothing.