Reminds Me Of Why I Got Into Archaeology In The First Place

Mayday - MS-6
(off 'Relics: A Transmat Compilation')
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The territory that is now Azerbaijan was successively part of the Assyrian, Persian, Median and Greek empires. With the influx of Huns and Khazars in the first century BC, the Turkic Azerbaijani people evolved and formed an independent state. This was invaded by the Arab Caliphates in the seventh century AD and under their 300-year rule Islam was introduced and became the dominant religion. In the 16th century Azerbaijan was again invaded by Persia and became a Persian province. The country was divided during the Russo-Persian wars of the early 19th century, the northern portion (the present-day Azerbaijan) becoming part of the Russian Empire and the southern portion remaining Persian and subequently Iranian. In 1918 the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was established. It was overthrown by Communists in 1918 and Azerbaijan acceded to the USSR in 1922. In January 1990, the Azerbaijani Popular Front took power from the local Communist Party and declared independence from the Soviet Union. Soviet troops overthrew the Popular Front and restored the Communist regime under President Ayaz Mutalibov. This government declared Azerbaijan's independence in August 1991. Mutalibov won the presidential election held in September 1991, but widespread civil unrest forced him to resign. At the presidential election in June 1992, the Popular Front leader Abulfaz Elchibey was elected. Popular discontent at military defeats caused Elchibey to flee Baku in June 1993 and the former Azerbaijani Communist Party First Secretary Heydar Aliyev took over the presidency. The new regime was confirmed in office in a referendum in August and Aliyev won the presidential election in October 1993. In November 1995, elections were held to the Milli Majlis (sort of like Parliament), which had been increased to 125 seats: 100 directly elected and 25 allocated by proportional representation. The New Azerbaijan party, founded by Aliyev, won 70% of the vote and a majority of seats. Presidential elections were held on 11 October 1998. The incumbent, Aliyev, won 76.1% of the vote, but the elections were criticised by the OSCE and other international monitoring groups.

SOME FUN FACTS ABOUT AZERBAIJAN:
- There are more Azeris in Iran than in Azerbaijan.
- Azerbaijan has a population density of 87 per sq. km.
- The life expectancy of your average Azeri male is 66.6 years
- Azerbaijan celebrates her independence on the 28th of May
- The central part of Azerbaijan is a depression in the eastern part of the Caucasus ridge irrigated by the River Kura.

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