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Origins

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Generally, Azerbaijanis are designated as a Turkic people, due to their usage of a Turkic language.[35][36][37] However, modern-day Azerbaijanis are descendants of the Caucasian and Iranic peoples who lived in the areas of the Caucasus and northern Iran, respectively, prior to Turkification.

According to Encyclopedia Britannica:


Historian Vladimir Minorsky explains the changes that took place as the local population Iranian and Caucasian population came under the influence of Turkic tribes:


Turkification

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Although, "Turkic penetration probably began in the Hunnic era and its aftermath," there is little evidence to indicate, "permanent settlements".[36] The earliest major Turkic incursion began with Mahmud of Ghazni (971-1040) and accelerated during the Seljuk period. The migration of Oghuz Turks from present day Turkmenistan, which is attested by linguistic similarity, remained high through the Mongol period, as many troops under the Ilkhans were Turkic. By the Safavid period, the Turkification of Azerbaijan continued with the influence of the Kizilbash. The very name Azerbaijan is derived from the pre-Turkic name of the province, Azarbayjan or Adarbayjan, and illustrates a gradual language shift that took place as local place names survived Turkification, albeit in altered form.[38]

Most academics view this migration as the most likely source of a Turkic background, but one that it most likely involved the linguistic Turkification of predominantly non-Turkic-speaking indigenous peoples.[17][18]

Iranian origin

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The Iranian origins of the Azeris likely derived from ancient Iranic tribes, such as the Medes in Iranian Azarbaijan, and Scythian invaders who arrived during the eighth century BCE. It is believed that the Medes mixed with an indigenous population, the Caucasian Mannai, a Northeast Caucasian group related to the Urartians.[53] Ancient accounts attest to an Iranian presence in the region:

Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn al-Husayn al-Masudi(896-956), the Arab historian states that the regions of Iranian Azerbaijan and Aran were inhabited by Persians:


In addition, some academics see cultural similarities between modern Persians and Azeris as evidence of an ancient Iranian influence.[54] Archaeological evidence indicates that the Iranian religion of Zoroastrianism was prominent throughout the Caucasus before Christianity and Islam and that the influence of various Persian Empires added to the Iranian character of the area.[55] It has also been hypothesized that the population of Iranian Azarbaijan was predominantly Persian-speaking before the Oghuz arrived. This claim is supported by the many figures of Persian literature, such as Qatran Tabrizi, Shams Tabrizi, Nezami, and Khaghani, who wrote in Persian prior to and during the Oghuz migration, as well as by Strabo, Al-Istakhri, and Al-Masudi, who all describe the language of the region as Persian. The claim is mentioned by other medieval historians, such as Al-Muqaddasi.[56][38] Other common Perso-Azeribaijani features include Iranian place names such as Tabriz[57] and the name Azerbaijan itself.

The modern presence of the Iranian Talysh and Tats in Azerbaijan is further evidence of the former Iranian character of the region.[58][59] Encyclopaedia Iranica also states:


As a precursor to the modern population of the region, the ancient Azaris are hypothesized as the main ancestors of the modern Azerbaijanis.