The Azerbaijani culture in the 17th century

The Safavid-Ottoman wars on the lands of Azerbaijan dealt a heavy blow to the cultural life of the
people and caused delays in the development of science and education.
European travelers who came to the Safavid state in the 17th century — Pietro della Valle, Adam
Oleari, Jean Chardin — reported that Azerbaijani Turkish was the official language of the Safavid
court.
 Science.

• Secular sciences were also developing during this period. Mirza Mohammad
Shirvani, who wrote works on astronomy and mathematics, and the tiny
particles made a number of contributions to Azerbaijani science.
• The works of another scientist, Yusif Karabakhi, were an important source of
knowledge for the period. Azerbaijani philosopher Yusif Karabakh moved to
Central Asia and lived in Samarkand and Bukhara. (Where these cities located in
nowadays?)
• He was the author of a number of works devoted to the issues of philosophy
and law. These works have been used as teaching aids in Central Asian
madrasahs for a long time. His works contain interesting information about
astronomy.
 Education.
• In all regions of Azerbaijan, there were primary schools near mosques, as well
as madrasahs providing higher education. It can be said that there was one
madrasa in almost every large settlement, and several in the city centers.
• Children learned to read and write and memorized the Koran in primary
schools. The basics of Muslim law, classical Eastern literature, philosophy,
astronomy, medicine and other sciences were taught in madrasahs. Students
who completed their studies were given a certificate.
 Historic Science

• The work "Tarihi-vahid" (Abbasname) by Muhammad Tahir Vahid, who was

appointed the chief historian of Shah Abbas II and later rose to the position of
prime minister, is a valuable source of that period even today.
• After the Ottoman occupation, the famous scientist Muhammad Huseyn
Tabrizi left his homeland and went to India, where he compiled his famous
dictionary. This dictionary has been printed many times in Iran, India and other
Islamic countries.
Literature and folk creativity.
• The complete formation of heroic and love epics coincides with the 16th
and 17th centuries. The "Koroglu" epic created in this period was a great
example of heroic epics. Famous epics such as "Shah Ismail", "Abbas and
Gulgaz", "Asli and Karam" were fully formed in that period.
• The 16th-17th century was the period of the rise of love art. Prominent
representatives of folk poetry, Gurbani, Ashıg Abbas Tufarganlı, Sarı Ashıg
were better known. They wrote the poems they performed themselves.
• The epic "Abbas and Gulgaz" was formed on the basis of the lyrical
poems of Ashiq Abbas Tufarganli. The romantic attachments of this lover
are especially valuable. Sarı Ashık was also the author of beautiful bayats.
• Saib Tabrizi was one of the outstanding representatives of the 17th
century Azerbaijani literature.
• During the reign of Shah I Abbas, Saib Tabrizi was transferred to Isfahan,
traveled to Afghanistan, Arab countries, Asia Minor. Saib Tabrizi lived in
India for some time, was invited to the Safavid court by Shah Abbas II and
received the title of "Malik-ush-shuara".
• Emphasis on human and natural beauty, love, complaints about the times
were the main themes of his works.
Applied art and
architecture.
• In the 16th and 17th centuries, so-called "high" and "gilded" fabrics were woven
in the palace workshops. Because these fabrics were woven with gold and silver
threads, they were sold at a high price in the world markets and were considered
equal to gold. In addition to patterned rugs, carpet weavers also wove rugs with
domestic scenes and hunting motifs.
• During this period, many public buildings - caravansaries, baths, mosques - were
built in Absheron, Shamakhi, Iravan, Darbend, Nakhchivan, Sheki, Ganja and
other regions.
• The fire worshiper's monument in Surakhani was called "Ateshgah", i.e. "place of
fire",
• The Shah Abbas Mosque in Ganja, the mosque built in Nardaran is a valuable
monument typical of the 17th century Azerbaijani architecture.
• Qeysariyye, built in Ordubad during the reign of Shah I Abbas, is considered one
of the rare examples of Azerbaijani architecture. Located in the center of
Ordubad city, this monument played an important role in the economic life of
the population and the city during the Middle Ages.
• On the photo: Above – Mosque of Sha Abbas İ
Below – Qeysariyye in Ordubad