Ethnic origin of the Azerbaijani population in the medieval Arabic-Persian sources

Abstract

The article explores the ethnic origin of the Azerbaijani population on the basis of medieval Arabic-Persian sources. In these sources, speaking about Azerbaijan in the early Middle Ages, it is noted that this territory, occupied by the Sassanids, was a Turkish land and a Turkish country. It is especially noted that the Yemeni ruler Raish, who twice attacked these lands, fought with the Azer-baijani Turks. It is also reported that during the invasion of the Arab Caliphate, Muslim bin Abdul Malik fought with the Azerbaijani Turks. Although their names are rarely mentioned in Arabic sources, it is reflected that a small number of non-Turkic peoples were also resettled here. Sources say that when the Sassanian rulers founded Derbent and a number of other cities, for the sake of their safety, they resettled submissive peoples of non-Turkish origin to these cities.