http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azerbaijanis#Possible_Iranian_o rigins

Turkic background examined

Turkic invaders have been coming to Azerbaijan for centuries, but it remains unclear if all or most settled and remained in Azerbaijan (as opposed to other parts of the Caucasus and Southwest Asia) or simply came and went over the ages, until one group, the Oghuz remained in large enough numbers to alter the region. Morphological factors of the Azeri people in isolated rural areas appears quite similar to some nearby Turkic peoples, especially with regards to the Turkmen and Turks of Turkey.

According to Caucasus Albanian historian Moses Kalankatly, in the period between 191-200 CE, hordes of Barsil and Khazar Turks crossed the Kura river into what is today known as Azerbaijan.

Other noted historians include Tabari, who describes in detail various incursions into Azerbaijan by Ural-Altaic tribes (Huns and Khazars) in the 4th and 5th centuries CE. Tabari also states that by the mid-6th century, there was a significant Turkish presence in Azerbaijan and other adjacent regions.

Kalankatly also states that in the year 629, the army of the Gokturks as well as a series Khazar Turkic tribes entered Azerbaijan and declared the land to be the "eternal possession" of the Turks.

Byzantine sources of the mid-6th century refer to the "settlement of Khazar Turks" in the left bank of the Kura river and Kalankatly makes reference to a "Hun state" on the left bank of the Kura River in the 7th century.

According to Professor Peter B. Golden, "In the course of the seventh century, the two major tribal unions emerged in Azerbaijan under the Turk banner: the Khazars and the Bulgars...the Khazars formed the bulk of the Turk forces used by the Byzantine Emperor Heraclius (610-640) in his counter-offensive against the Sasanids (rulers) in Azerbaijan".

A pre-Islamic Turkic presence in Azerbaijan is evident in literature after the Islamic conquest of the region, in an era that was famous for its historical, geographical and scientific analyzations of the world by Muslim scholars. According to the 7th century work of Ubeid ibn Shariyya al-Jurhumi, the Muslim Caliph Mueviyyen (661-680) was told that Azerbaijan "has long been a land of Turks. Having gathered over there, they have mixed with one another and become integrated."

It must also be noted that the famous "Book of Dede Korkut" which is the epic of the Oghuz Turks (considered by Azeris to be their primary ancestors) was written in central-Asia in the 6th and 7th centuries.

What should be noted is that the demographics and social conditions are difficult to ascertain under 'Turkic' rule. Many question remain difficult to answer including whether the Turkic tribes replaced the peoples who lived in Azerbaijan before their arrival or simply mixed with them?

Possible Iranian origins

Life for rural Azeris of Iran closely resembles that of Persians and in large cities such as Tabriz, Urmia and Ardabil, many Azeris resemble the Iranian ethnic groups. Nearly all the vocabulary and habits related to settled life in those areas are still the original Iranian (Tatic) vocabulary and habits which have survived the linguistic Turkification of the region. Other qualities that link the Azeris to the Persians include the word Azerbaijan which is attested to have been derived from the Persian Azar-padegan and means The Land of the Protector of Fire. Alternatively, the name is believed to have come from Atropates, an Iranic leader who ruled Azerbaijan during the period of Alexander of Macedon's defeat of the Achaemenid Persian Empire. The word Atropates itself means the "Protector of Fire".

From a historical perspective, according to the 1911 Encyclop�dia Britannica "the people of the Mada (Mata), the Medes, appear in history first in 836 B.C., when the Assyrian conqueror Shalmaneser II in his wars against the tribes of the Zagros received the tribute of the Amadai...

Herodotus gives a list of six Median tribes among them, the Paraetaceni...names in the Assyrian inscriptions prove that the tribes in the Zagros and the northern parts of Media [Azerbaijan] were Iranian but an aboriginal population...perhaps connected with the numerous tribes of the Caucasus (northern Azerbaijan, Albania)...Gelae, Tapuri, Cadusii, Amardi, Utii and other tribes in northern Media (Azerbaijan) and on the shores of the Caspian were not Iranians. With them Polybius, Strabo and Pliny mention the Anariaci, whom they consider as a particular tribe; but in reality their name, the Non-Aryans, is the comprehensive designation of all these small tribes..."

A Caucasian background rediscovered

Many modern Azeris, not unlike the Turks of Turkey, have, during their journey into discovering their roots, come across forgotten possible ancestors. As many modern Turkish historians looked to the possibility that groups such as the Hittites may have contributed significantly to the modern Turks, many Azeris have also looked to ancient peoples in order to better under their own background. In the case of the Azeris, there is some evidence that, in-spite of repeated invasions and migrations, an aboriginal element survived and thrived in what is today Azerbaijan even as the language and religions changed over time. Academic Audrey L. Alstadt notes in her book, The Azerbaijani Turks: Power and Identity under Russian Rule, that many modern Azeris regard both the Oghuz Turks and the Albanians of the Caucasus as their ancestors, in particular as there is no political rivalry with either an extinct language group or the Oghuz who have undoubtedly bequeathed their language to the Azeris.[7] Regardless, considerable information has been learned about the Caucasian Albanians, including their language and history in the region as well as their conversion to Christianity. In addition, some believe that the Udi language, which is a Caucasian language is a remnant of the ancient Albanians who were assimilated into various invading cultures over time. Lastly, ethnic animosity and rivalry with many of their neighbors has possibly prevented the modern Azeris from examining possible ties to their immediate neighbors. What remains difficult to determine is the overall number of Turkic invaders which may not have been enough to alter the population dramatically in the genetic sense.

Genetic evidence

The population of Azerbaijan is undoubtedly diverse, but there appear to be distinct traits that have been discovered through genetic testing that may reveal much about the background of the modern Azerbaijanis. Recent genetic tests have revealed that the Azeris cluster more with other peoples of the Caucasus than with other regional groupings.[8] This is not the end of the diversity found amongst the Azeris as the peoples of the Caucasus also show a great deal of similarity with the Iranian peoples as well, but to a degree that is somewhat reduced in comparison to their relationship with fellow Caucasian peoples, but greater than their relationship with Europeans north of the Caucasus.[9][10] In addition, in-spite of their Turkic linguistic background, the Azeris, like the Turks of Turkey, do not share most of their genetic background with Central Asian populations, although there is evidence of genetic admixture derived from Central Asian Turkic groups, in particular the Turkmen found across the Caspian Sea, that is higher than that of their neighbors including the Georgians, Armenians, and Persians. Other tests indicate that the Azeris not only closely resemble their Caucasian neighbors, but also display many genetic markers found in European populations.[11] The preliminary conclusion from the series of genetic testing shows the Azeris to be a somewhat mixed population with relationships, in order of greatest similarity, mainly with the Caucasus followed by lesser similarities with Europeans, Iranian peoples, and Turkic peoples.

Genetic analysis of mtDNA, have shown that Azerbaijanians are more closely related genetically to their geographic neighbors in the Caucasus and not to their linguistic neighbors elsewhere. In addition, studies have demonstrated that Caucasian populations are genetically intermediate between European and Near Eastern populations, but that they are more closely related to European than to Near Eastern populations. By contrast the analysis of Y-chromosome shows a closer genetic relationship with the Near East than with Europe. These studies suffer from numerous drawbacks and any conclusion must be drawn cautiously. The analysis have been done only on a very limited set of genes and also no sample have been taken from Iran where most of Azerbaijanis live. Analyses of autosomal chromosomes and a wider sampling are needed to verify these controversial hypotheses. [12].

Atropates

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indo-Iranians#Origin

Expansion

The Indo-Iranians expanded widely into Central Asia from the Ural River in the west to the Tian Shan in the east, taking over the area occupied by the earlier Afanasevo culture, and defined by Transoxiana and the Hindu Kush (mountains) in the south. This region would later become for the most part exclusively Iranian.

Their history becomes sensational with their invention of the horse-drawn chariot.

First wave

Arkaim in Russia is believed to have been constructed by Indo-Iranian tribes some 4000 years ago.

Main article: Indo-Aryan migration

The linguistic evidence is that the Indo-Iranians were the first to exploit the chariot, leading what is sometimes called the first wave of Indo-Iranian expansion. This expansion went into the Caucasus the Iranian plateau, Afganistan, and, most significantly, India. They also intruded into Mesopotamia and Syria, and introduced the horse and chariot culture to this part of the world.

They left linguistic remains in a Hittite discourse on horse-training written by one "Kikkuli the Mitanni". Other evidence is found in references to the names of Mitanni rulers and the gods they swore by in treaties; these remains are found in the archives of the Mitanni's neighbors. The time period for this is about 1440-1330 BCE.

The standard model for the entry of the Indo-European languages into India is that this first wave went over the Hindu Kush, either into the headwaters of the Indus or the Ganges (and probably, both). The earliest stratum of Vedic Sanskrit, preserved only in the Rigveda, is assigned to roughly 1700-1400 BCE.

Second wave

The Second Wave is interpreted as the Iranian wave. The Iranians would take over all of Central Asia, Iran, and for a considerable period, dominate the European steppe (the modern Ukraine) and intrude north into Russia and west into central and western Europe well into historic times and as late as the Common Era. The first Iranians to reach the Black Sea may have been the Cimmerians in the 8th century BCE, although their linguistic affiliation is uncertain. They were followed by the Scythians, who are considered a western branch of the Central Asian Sakas. The Rigvedic Kambojas may correspond to the Nuristani branch of Indo-Iranian. The Medes, Parthians and Persians begin to appear on the Persian plateau from ca. 800 BCE, and the Achaemenids replaced Elamite rule from 559 BCE.

In Central Asia, the Turkic languages and culture have replaced Iranian, but a substantial minority remains in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. The Iranian languages are now confined to Iran, Kurdistan, Afganistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan and the Caucasus.