Christianity in Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan is the focus of our features story for the month. The country is located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It shares boundary with Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia and Turkey to the west, Iran to the south and the Caspian Sea to the east. Baku is the capital and largest city, while the official language is Azerbaijani. There are several ethnic groups in the country including Azerbaijani (91.6%), Talysh (2%), Lezgin (2%), Armenian (1.4%), Russian (1.3%) and others (2.4%). The dominant religion is Islam at 96.9%, while only 3% of the population identify as Christians. Other faiths constitute 0.1% of the population. Despite having a Muslim majority, the country’s constitution does not recognise any official religion. Also, all major political forces in the nation embrace secular orientation.

Modern History

        The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic proclaimed its independence from the Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic in 1978 and became the first secular democratic Muslim-majority state, taking its name from the adjacent region of Western Iran for political reasons. In 1922, the country was incorporated into the Soviet Union as the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic. The modern Republic of Azerbaijan declared its independence on August 30, 1991, shortly before the dissolution of the Soviet Union in the same year.

God’s Canvass in Azerbaijan

  Three physical features dominate Azerbaijan: the Caspian Sea, whose shoreline forms a natural boundary to the east; the Greater Caucasus mountain range to the north; and the extensive flatlands at the country’s centre. There are also three mountain ranges, the Greater and Lesser Caucasus, and the Talysh Mountains, together covering about 40% of the country. It is home to a wide variety of landscapes. Over half of the country’s landmass consists of mountain ridges, crests, highlands and plateaus. The rest comprises of plains and lowlands

Fauna

        Azerbaijan has a rich diversity of animal life. There are 106 species of mammals, 97 species of fish, 363 species of birds, 10 species of amphibians and 52 species of reptiles. The national animal is the Karabakh horse, a mountain-steppe racing and riding horse with a reputation for its good temper, speed, elegance and intelligence. A few of the animals native to the country are shown below.

Flora

        The country’s varied landscapes are also home to an impressive variety of flora.  In particular, the Caucasus Mountains are known for their spectacular sceneries. The lower slopes have thick forests, but at higher altitudes, the landscapes are dominated by sparse plains and rocky peaks. The flora consists of more than 4,500 species of plants. Due to the unique climate of the country, the flora is much richer in the number of species than the flora in other republics of the South Caucasus. Some of the plant species are presented below.

Beaches in Azerbaijan      

Culture

          This combines a diverse and heterogeneous set of elements which developed under the influence of Turkish, Iranian and Caucasian cultures. The country has a unique cuisine, literature, folk art and music. The heritage, culture, and civilization of Azerbaijan have ancient and modern roots. Its people are believed to be descendants of ancient tribes, including indigenous Caucasian Albanians, Scythians, Alans and Oghuz Turks.

Traditional Attire

Costumes and dresses are of great importance in Azerbaijani culture. This is visible in ornaments of costumes with artistic embroideries in weaving and knitting. The style of clothes and colours reflect their wearers’ marital status, wealth and other societal alignments. The pictures below show some of the traditional attires worn in the country.

Azerbaijani Cuisine

 The country’s cuisine is full of different types of fruits and vegetables. These include aubergine, tomato, sweet pepper, spinach, cabbage, onion, sorrel, beet, radish, cucumber and green beans. Rice and products made from flour are widely used in national cuisine. Some delicacies popular in Azerbaijan are presented below.

Status of Christianity in Azerbaijan

  Christians are in the minority in the country, with less than one percent of them identifying as evangelicals. There is no record to show that the government is overtly interfering with religious rights. However, a law enacted in 2009 requires all religious communities and organisations to register with the government, a tedious process that has affected the growth of Christian communities. In 2015, only nine Christian groups were officially registered and the majority of Protestant denominations are still struggling to obtain legal status. These difficulties notwithstanding, we believe that God would open more doors of ministry in the country through the prayers of His saints.

Prayer Points

In the light of what we know about the situation in Azerbaijan, let us intercede earnestly for the country and its people using the following prayer points:

1. Pray that God would empower Christian believers in Azerbaijan to be living witnesses of Christ by their conduct, utterances and demeanour;
2. Ask the Father to destroy the foundations of false religions in the lives of Christian believers and cause them to accept the faith that is in Christ Jesus alone;
3. Pray that God would pour out His Spirit on believers to embolden them to preach the gospel to their fellow citizens;
4. Pray that God would judge all demonic forces holding the people of Azerbaijan in captivity and destroy their influence on their lives;
5. Ask the Father to remove every blindfold of false religions from the hearts and minds of Azerbaijanis;
6. Pray that God would cause them to see themselves in the light of His word and repent of their sins;
7. Pray that the Holy Spirit would lead them into genuine repentance; and
8. Ask the Father to send workers into His harvest in the country.

Intercession Checklist

1. Select a city, town or region from the political map of Azerbaijan included in the article for focused prayer.
2. Present the chosen city, town or region to the Father and tell Him that you are claiming all souls in the selected space for Christ as His ambassador. This is in line with God’s charge to the Messiah in Psalm 2:8; “Ask of Me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession”. Scripture also exhorts us to make “supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks for all men, for kings and all who are in authority (1 Timothy 2:1-2a).

             *** Materials sourced from Azerbaijan, https://en.m.wikipedia.org; Where We Work/Azerbaijan – Mission Eurasia, https://missioneurasia.org.