Zoroastrianism in Azerbaijan

Zoroastrianism in Azerbaijan goes back to the first millennium BC or earlier and was the predominant religion of Greater Iran before the conversion to Islam.

[1] Today the religion, culture, and traditions of Zoroastrianism remain highly respected in Azerbaijan, and the new year Nowruz continues to be one of the main holidays in the country.

[citation needed] One of the world's oldest religions, Zoroastrianism, was also practiced in the territory of Azerbaijan in ancient times.

Zoroastrianism, sharing its name with its founder Iranian prophet Zoroaster (also known as Zarathustra), was one of the first monotheistic beliefs in the world and the official religion in Persia from 600 BCE to 650 CE.

In accordance with many historian sources, the name "Azerbaijan" is attributed to the Persian word for fire "Azar", because of the popularity of Zoroastrianism in the region.

[6] In the fourth century BC, in the north of the present-day Republic of Azerbaijan and partially in southern Dagestan, the entity of Caucasian Albania was established.

As a result of excavations on the territory of Caucasian Albania, many cultural finds, indicating the spreading of Zoroastrianism in the region, were found.

In the Sassanid era (3rd-7th centuries), when Zoroastrianism had risen to the level of state religion, Baku entered a new stage in its urban development.

[8] Ateshgah, one of the popular ancient monuments in Azerbaijan dating to the seventeenth century CE is located in the village of Surakhani, fifteen km west of the capital Baku on the coast of the Caspian Sea.

[citation needed] The village of Khinalig (Khinalug, Khinalyg) located in the west of the Guba district of Azerbaijan is also famous for its Zoroastrian temples.

According to Mary Boyce "It seems a reasonable surmise that Novruz, the holiest of them all, with deep doctrinal significance, was founded by Zoroaster himself".