General Information. One of the world’s most ancient nations – the nation of Azerbaijan – has the right to feel proud for its history, material and cultural monuments, literature, arts and music heritage. Wonderful nature, climate, natural resources of the country produced a significant impact on artistic thinking and creation skills of Azerbaijani people as well. In spite of a long and difficult way undergone by different types of arts in Azerbaijan, they still represent a unity and provide outstanding opportunities for the creation of a full idea of fine arts of Azerbaijan. The folk arts of Azerbaijan are multi-colored, complete and rich, as its natural resources. The folk art is connected with daily life of people and daily life occupies a very special life in the fine arts as well. Folk arks cover a long period from ancient times to nowadays and including a variety of products from garments to housing goods and decoration. Quite obviously, the style of life, aesthetic tastes, the national image and qualities, are strongly reflected in folk arts. One can easily come across numerous wonderful models of Azerbaijani folk arts in the world’s largest museums. The pieces of arts created by the skillful hands of Tabriz, Nakhchivan, Ganja, Gazakh, Guba, Baku, Sheki, Shamakhi and Nagorni Kharabakh can be found in large museum collections of Victoria and Albert of London, Louvers of Paris, Metropolitan of Washington and Vienna, Rome, Berlin, Istanbul, Tehran, Cairo museums. The history of folk arts in Azerbaijan has a long and interesting history. Works of art made from metal extracted from Nakhchivan, Mingachevir, Gadabay, Ganja and other places are approximately 5000 years old.
The Family. The family forms the basic social structure in Azerbaijan. This goes back to many Azeris’ history as rural dwellers where a clan (hoj) would share land and work together to form a tight circle. A hoj would sometimes consist of up to 40 members. Nowadays the family is a lot smaller – usually a married couple with children and possibly grandparents. Families still work as an interdependent unit and expect to receive both financial and emotional support from others. Gender roles are still fairly traditional in much of Azerbaijan with the man being the bread-winner and woman taking care of the domestic side of things. Azerbaijani women and their characteristics are among the first ethnic markers (attributed characteristics) that differentiate Azerbaijanis as a nation. Their moral values, domestic abilities, and role as mothers are pointed out in many contexts.
Food in Daily Life. There are regional differences in the selection and preparation of food resulting from the availability of agricultural products. A mixture of meat and vegetables and various types of white bread constitute the main foods. In rural areas, there is a tradition of baking flat white bread (chorek , lavash). Kufte bozbash (meat and potatoes in a thin sauce) is a popular dish. Filled pepper and grape leaves and soups also are part of daily meals. Different types of green herbs, including coriander, parsley, dill, and spring onions, are served during meals both as a garnish and as salad. Pork is not popular because of Islamic dietary rules, but it is consumed in sausages. The soup borsch and other Russian dishes are also part of the cuisine. Restaurants offer many varieties of kebabs and an increasingly international cuisine. Some restaurants in the historic buildings of Baku have small rooms for family and private groups.
Food Customs at Ceremonial Occasions. Plov (steamed rice) garnished with apricots and raisins is a major dish at ritual celebrations. It is eaten alongside meat, fried chestnuts, and onions. During the Novruz holiday, wheat is fried with raisins and nuts (govurga). Every household is supposed to have seven types of nuts on a tray. Sweets such as paklava (a diamond-shaped thinly layered pastry filled with nuts and sugar) and shakarbura (a pie of thin dough filled with nuts and sugar) are an indispensable part of celebrations. At weddings, pllov and various kebabs are accompanied by alcohol and sweet nonalcoholic drinks (shyra). At funerals, the main course is usually plov and meat, served with shyra and followed by tea.
Azerbaijani Customs and Etiquette: Meeting and Greeting. Like most cultures in the area, Azerbaijanis like warm and friendly greetings. Men greet each other with a handshake, a kiss on the cheek and “salaam” (literally ‘peace’ but meaning ‘hello’). Women hug and kiss each other once on the left cheek. Azerbaijani women do not generally shake hands among themselves, although many will shake hands with a foreigner. Males should wait and see if a woman extends her hand (although most will the more religious may not) – if they do shake it lightly. Always take a moment to ask about family, health and business. First names are generally used in social situations if the speakers are of similar ages. If you do not know the person well, use their first name followed by an appropriate title. For women, use “hanum” (“woman”). For men, use “bey” (“Mr”). Younger people always initiate greetings with older people.
Gift Giving Etiquette.Azerbaijanis mainly exchange gifts for birthdays, weddings and anniversaries. In Azerbaijani culture it is the thought behind the gift, rather than the price, that matters. It is customary to refuse a gift at least twice before reluctantly accepting it. Always insist it is too much and the giver should not have gone to any trouble. If you are invited to an Azerbaijani’s home for dinner, bring flowers or pastries to the hostess. Ask the shop where you buy them to wrap them for you. It is considered polite to reciprocate hospitality with a small gift. Always give an odd number of flowers. Even numbers are reserved for funerals. Avoid giving alcohol unless you are certain your host partakes. Gifts are generally not opened when received.
Dining Etiquette.If you are invited to a Azerbaijani home for food: Remove your shoes before entering the house. You may be offered slippers to wear. Punctuality is not paramount. Arriving within 30 minutes of the stipulated time is socially acceptable. Dress casually but smartly. Never wear tight or revealing clothing. If there are many people present shake hands with everyone. Table manners are fairly formal. If in doubt watch what others do. Remain standing until invited to sit down. You may be shown to a particular seat. Keep your elbows off the table and your hands above the table when eating. The hostess generally serves the food. The elderly are served first, then the guests, and finally the children. Use your right hand only to eat and to pass things.
Business Etiquette, Customs and Protocol: Communication Although direct communication is seen as a positive in Azerbaijan, one also has to be careful to employ such directness. Information should always be presented in a way that is diplomatic and sensitive so as not to cause loss of face. The level of directness you can use is dictated by who you are speaking with. If it is a new, formal or important relationship diplomacy is critical. If the relationship is well developed and a level of openness has been established a little more honesty is fine.
Business Cards.There is no formal ritual surrounding exchange of cards. It is a good idea to take plenty with you as it still forms the basic means of keeping contact details as opposed to electronic means. Give and receive cards with your right hand.
Business Meetings.To arrange a business meeting in Azerbaijan an introductory letter is needed outlining your company, history and the purpose of your visit. There is a certain amount of protocol one has to follow in meetings as Azeris are quite sensitive to status, title, who sits down first, enters the room first, etc. It is best to follow the lead. Politeness is important and is all part of the relationship building process. Discussions will often start slowly over tea and the topics of discussion may be completely irrelevant. However, this is the make or break part of your relationship – if you can not strike up a rapport the chances of doing business together are slim. Always maintain eye contact while speaking since Azeris take this as a sign of sincerity. If someone does not look them in the eye while speaking, they think the person has something to hide. Decisions are reached slowly. Never appear impatient or attempt to rush an Azerbaijani to make a decision.
Performance Arts. Azerbaijan music, enriching world musical culture with its rare pearls, has multi-centuries old traditions. Creators of folk music, handed over these traditions to generations, have great role in development of Azerbaijan music. Folk songs, dances, ashig creation (folk poet and singer) have specific place in Azerbaijan national music. Mugams are foundation of Azerbaijan national music. It is not accidental that UNESCO, entered Azerbaijan mugam into the list of world cultural heritage.
The local and Western musical tradition is very rich, and there has been a jazz revival in Baku in recent years. Pop music is also popular, having developed under Russian, Western, and Azerbaijani influences. The Soviet system helped popularize a systematic musical education, and people from all sectors of society participate in and perform music of different styles. While composers and performers of and listeners to classical music and jazz are more common in urban places, ashigs (who play saz and sing) and performers of mugam (a traditional vocal and instrumental style) can be found all over the country. It is not unusual to find children who play piano in their village homes. Traditional string, wind, and percussion instruments (tar, balaban, tutak, saz, kamancha, nagara) are widely used. Uzeyir Hacibeyov, who has written the first opera ( Leyli and Madjnun )in the Islamic East in the early twentieth century, Gara Garayev, and Fikret Amirov are among the best-known classical composers. Both now and in the past, elements from Azeri music have been incorporated into classical and jazz pieces (e.g., the pianist and composer Firangiz Alizade, who recently played with the Kronos Quartet). Beside Western ballet, traditional dances accompanied by accordion, tar , and percussion are popular.
Literature. The book of Dede Gorgud and the Zoroastrian Avesta (which date back to earlier centuries but were written down in the fifteenth century) as well as the Koroglu dastan are among the oldest examples of oral literature (dastans are recitations of historical events in a highly ornamented language). Works by poets such as Shirvani, Ganjavi, Nasimi, Shah Ismail Savafi, and Fuzuli produced between the twelfth and sixteenth centuries are the most important Persian- and Turkish-language writings. The philosopher and playwriter Mirza Fath Ali Akhunzade (Akhundov), the historical novelist Husein Javid, and the satirist M. A. Sabir all produced works in Azeri in the nineteenth century. Major figures in the twentieth century included Elchin, Yusif Samedoglu, and Anar, and some novelists also wrote in Russian.
Graphic Arts. The tradition of painted miniatures was important in the nineteenth century, while the twentieth century was marked by examples of Soviet social realism and Azerbaijani folklore. Among the widely recognized painters, Sattar Bakhulzade worked mainly with landscapes in a manner reminiscent of “Van Gogh in blue.” Tahir Salakhov painted in Western and Soviet styles, and Togrul Narimanbekov made use of figures from traditional Azerbaijani folk tales depicted in very rich colors. Rasim Babayev cultivated his own style of “primitivism” with hidden allegories on the Soviet regime (bright saturated colors, an absence of perspective, and numerous nonhuman characters inspired by folktales and legends).
Carpets. The rich carpet-weaving tradition is a source of pride which is used to highlight the artistic sensibilities of carpet weavers (most of the time women) and their ability to combine various forms and symbols with natural colors. Hospitality is valued as a national characteristic. Guests are offered food and shelter at the expense of the host’s needs, and this is presented as a typical Azerbaijani characteristic.
The State of the Physical and Social Sciences. Universities and institutions of higher education from the Soviet era have been joined by new private universities. The Academy of Sciences has traditionally been the site of basic research in many fields. Social sciences were developed within the Soviet framework, although the directions of study changed with international involvement.
