- Shirvan
Shirvan ( _az. Şirvan, _fa. شروان), also spelled as Shervan or Shirwan, is a historical region in the
Caucasus and part of present-dayRepublic of Azerbaijan . The region stretches between the western shores of theCaspian Sea and theKura River .History
The name is first attested during the
Sassanian epoch, when it was used to denote the northern part ofCaucasian Albania , or Arran. After the Islamic conquest, it became a hereditary possession of theKhalif 's governors.Between 799 and 1538, the territory was ruled by the
Shirvanshah s (a particular Persian title of the royal rank ofShah ). It was there that the Persian poetKhaqani (Khaghani ) was born. The capital of the Shirvanshahs wasShamakhi .In the 18th century, Shirvan was a
khanate whose ruler paid homage toPersia . The Russians briefly overran it during theRusso-Persian War, 1722-1723 . After theTreaty of Gulistan of1813 the region was absorbed byImperial Russia .The regions of Shirvan and
Arran later formed the Republic of Azerbaijan.Shirvan is known for the quality of its rugs.
People
Shirvan's population consisted of Lezgian, Avar, Udi, Kryz and Iranian languages speaking Tats. This population was slowly Turkisized since the 11th century onward, yet some speakers of the Caucasian languages still live in the distant villages of
Shamakha ,Shaki ,Qabala , andOguz .ee also
*
Shirvanshah
*Aran
*Shirvan Khanate References
External links
* [http://www.worldstatesmen.org/Azerbaijan.html#Shmakha WorldStatesmen- Azerbaijan]
*Great Soviet Encyclopedia , article on Shirvan
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