The people of Transcaucasia follow a number of different religions. However, most of the region’s people belong to either the Christian or the Islamic faith. These faiths arrived in the region at an early date, because Transcaucasia is close to the areas in Southwest Asia
Western Asia
Western Asia, West Asia, Southwestern Asia or Southwest Asia is the westernmost subregion of Asia. The concept is in limited use, as it significantly overlaps with the Middle East, the main difference usually being the exclusion of the majority of Egypt, which would be counted as par…
What languages are spoken in Transcaucasia?
The Indo-European, Caucasian, and Altaic language families are the region's most common. The people of Transcaucasia follow a number of different religions. However, most of the region's people belong to either the Christian or the Islamic faith.
How many countries are there in Transcaucasia?
Transcaucasia. It includes three independent states: Georgia in the northwest, Azerbaijan in the east, and Armenia, situated largely on a high mountainous plateau south of Georgia and west of Azerbaijan. Together these countries have an area of about 71,850 square miles (186,100 square kilometres).
How was ethnic and cultural diversity preserved in Transcaucasia?
Ethnic and cultural diversity in Transcaucasia was preserved by the geographic isolation of the many small ethnic groups that settled in the region’s inhospitable mountainous terrain. During the 18th century Russia occupied the northern Caucasus, annexing part of Georgia in 1801.
What is Transcaucasia and why is it important?
People have long used Transcaucasia as a migration route, especially as a gateway between Europe and Asia. Trade routes near the Black Sea led to the thriving commercial regions of Mediterranean Europe.
What are the 2 largest religions in the Caucasus Mountains area?
Traditionally, the major religions in the Caucasus have been Islam (notably the Turkic groups), the Eastern Orthodox church (chiefly Georgians), the Armenian Apostolic church, and Judaism. There are also numerous minority sects.
Why are there so many cultures present in Transcaucasia?
Ethnic and cultural diversity in Transcaucasia was preserved by the geographic isolation of the many small ethnic groups that settled in the region's inhospitable mountainous terrain. During the 18th century Russia occupied the northern Caucasus, annexing part of Georgia in 1801.
Is Caucasus a religion?
Caucasian Neopaganism is a category including movements of modern revival of the autochthonous religions of the indigenous peoples of the Caucasus....Circassian PaganismClassificationPaganTheologyMonotheistic with minor gods with the role of angelsLanguageAdyghe, Kabardian2 more rows
Which two seas is Transcaucasia located between?
Transcaucasia is situated between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea which helped inspire migration routes.
How do Transcaucasia republics differ in terms of religion?
` How do Transcaucasia's republics differ in terms of religion? Armenia and Georgia are among the oldest Christian states in the world, while the majority of people on Azerbaijan are muslims.
What languages are spoken in Transcaucasia?
Turkic. Several Turkic languages are spoken in the Caucasus. Of these, Azerbaijani is predominant, with around 9 million speakers in Azerbaijan and more than 10 million in North Western Iran. Other Turkic languages spoken include Karachay-Balkar, Kumyk, Nogai, Turkish, Turkmen and Urum.
What are the three main religions in the Middle East?
Three of the world's major religions -- the monotheist traditions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam -- were all born in the Middle East and are all inextricably linked to one another.
When did Islam come to Caucasus?
7th century ADIn the mid 7th century AD, as part of the Muslim conquest of Persia, Islam was introduced to the Caucasus region, parts of which were later permanently incorporated by Russia.
What are the caucuses?
The Caucasus, a mountainous isthmus of land sandwiched between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, is a region that includes parts of six countries – Russia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Turkey and Iran.
What independent countries make up the region of Transcaucasia?
The independent countries of Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan make up the region of Transcaucasia. Although they are independent countries, they are included in this chapter because they have more ties to Russia than to the region of Southwest Asia to their south.
Why is Transcaucasia referred to in this way?
Why is Transcaucasia referred to in this way? D. Because it is a cousin of Transylvania, but in a different part of the world. mountains, rivers, lakes, valleys, etc.
How do you spell Caucasus?
the Caucasus. Also called Caucasus Mountains. a mountain range in Caucasia, between the Black and Caspian seas, along the border between the Russian Federation, Georgia, and Azerbaijan.
Why is Transcaucasia referred to in this way?
Why is Transcaucasia referred to in this way? D. Because it is a cousin of Transylvania, but in a different part of the world. mountains, rivers, lakes, valleys, etc.
What are some of Transcaucasia main agricultural products?
Agriculture. Tea, citrus fruits, the oil-bearing tung tree, and bamboo are grown in the humid subtropical lowlands and foothills of Transcaucasia. Other areas produce tobacco, corn (maize), grapes, and various fruits.
How do you pronounce Transcaucasia?
0:051:02How To Say Transcaucasia - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipYou trans or Transcaucasia you trans or Transcaucasian you.MoreYou trans or Transcaucasia you trans or Transcaucasian you.
What are some important cultural characteristics of Russia and the Western republics?
Russia and the Western Republics are home to a great number of religions. Most Russians follow Orthodox Christianity, a religion Russia adopted in the 10th century. But the region is home to many other religions, including Buddhism and Islam. Judaism is also an important religion in the region.
What happened to Transcaucasian republics after the Russian Revolution?
After the Russian Revolution in 1917, the Transcaucasian republics enjoyed a brief period of independence. By the early 1920s, however, the Red Army—the name of the Soviet military—had taken control of the region.
Why do Georgians do supras?
Georgians take the toasts very seriously because they show a respect for tradition, eloquence, and the value of bringing people together— a goal of great importance for the future of the region.
Why is Azerbaijan called the Land of Flames?
The republic's founders chose the name because of the fires that erupted seemingly by magic from both the rocks and the waters of the Caspian Sea. The fires were the result of underground oil and gas deposits.
What is the gateway to migration?
A Gateway of Migration. People have long used Transcaucasia as a migration route, especially as a gateway between Europe and Asia. Trade routes near the Black Sea led to the thriving commercial regions of Mediterranean Europe. And trade routes leading to the Far East began on the shores of the Caspian Sea.
Why did people die in famines?
Many people lost their lives in famines triggered by the shift to collective farming or were killed because of their political beliefs. The republics of Transcaucasia regained their political independence in 1991 after the fall of the Soviet Union.
What happened after the collapse of the USSR?
However, after the collapse of the USSR in 1991, tensions among different groups have resulted in violence. Civil war broke out in Georgia, and Armenia fought a bitter war with Azerbaijan over a disputed territory called Nagorno-Karabakh. The story of conflict is not new to Transcaucasia.
How many people live in Transcaucasia?
A VARIETY OF CULTURES. Because of the presence of so many trade routes, Transcaucasia has been affected by many different peoples and cultures. Today, more than 50 different peoples live in the region. Migrants brought a great variety of languages to the region.
Languages of Transcaucasia: the horsemen of distinctness
Despite their proximity, Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan share nothing in terms of language. All three derived from three different primary languages. Georgian, the literary and common language of the Kartvelian languages, is not known to be linked to any other language.
The religious bond
While Christianity is not a European religion per se, European culture and heritage are highly influenced by Christianity. Georgia’s main religion is under the influence of the Eastern Orthodox Church, which shares close links with Eastern Europe and most of the Balkans.
Transcaucasia and its art
Another manifestation of culture, perhaps the most visible, is art. Religious buildings are, of course, influenced by Christianity in both Armenia and Georgia. Other building styles are distinctively Georgian or Armenian, but both are influenced in a way by Byzantine architecture, linking them to European culture.
What is the name of the region that converges with Europe and Asia?
The great historic barrier of the Caucasus Mountains rises up across the wide isthmus separating the Black and Caspian seas where Europe and Asia converge. Caucasia, the region including the mountain ranges of the Caucasus, comprises both Transcaucasia and the land north of the Caucasus, known as Ciscaucasia or Northern Caucasia.
Where do the Kura and Aras rivers flow?
From their western sources in the Armenian Highland, the Kura and Aras rivers both flow around the Lesser Caucasus —the Kura to the north of the range and the Aras to the south—before their confluence in the east. Load Next Page.
What are the two ranges of the Caucasus Mountains?
Trending generally from northwest to southeast, the Caucasus Mountains consist of two ranges—the Greater Caucasus in the north and the Lesser, or Little, Caucasus in the south. The watershed of the Greater Caucasus, the backbone of the system, traditionally has been part of the line dividing Europe and Asia, but the whole region has been so subject ...
What are the three states in Transcaucasia?
Transcaucasia, Russian Zakavkazye, small but densely populated region to the south of the Caucasus Mountains. It includes three independent states: Georgia in the northwest, Azerbaijan in the east, and Armenia, situated largely on a high mountainous plateau south of Georgia and west of Azerbaijan. Together these countries have an area ...
Which river is located in the middle of the Caucasus?
South of the range on the Caspian side the Shirak Steppe, between the Greater and Lesser Caucasus ranges, falls sharply into the Kura-Aras (Kür-Araz) Lowland, an extensive depression in the centre of which the Kura (Kür, or Mtkvari) River receives its major right-bank tributary, the Aras (Araks, or Araz) River.
What was the post-independence period in Transcaucasia?
The postindependence period in Transcaucasia, however, was marked by instability, economic decline, ethnic violence, and war, as the government of Georgia battled separatist movements in Abkhazia and South Ossetia and Armenians and Azerbaijanis fought over Nagorno-Karabakh, a predominantly Armenian enclave in Azerbaijan.
How many square miles are there in Transcaucasia?
Together these countries have an area of about 71,850 square miles (186,100 square kilometres). Transcaucasia, also known as Southern Caucasia, is bounded on the north by Russia, on the east by the Caspian Sea, on the south by Iran and Turkey, and on the west by the Black Sea.
What was the goal of the bureaucratic circles of St. Petersburg?
Petersburg, in turn, were aiming, on the contrary, for as much decentralization of Muslim religious institutions, with a concomitant reduction in the number of clergy and the retention of full government control over them.
What is the imperial bureaucratic lexicon?
The imperial bureaucratic lexicon included in this concept all leaders of mosques and houses of prayers. Mullahs were: the imams of mosques who called to prayer (muezzins), washers of bodies of the dead (‘amala-yi-mauta), madrassa teachers (muallims) and performers of mourning for Imam al-Hussein (Marsiya-khany).
What was the administration of the Muslim communities of Transcaucasia?
The administration of the Muslim communities (Shia and Sunni) of Transcaucasia was coordinated with the overall system of state control of the communities of other faiths that was established back during the reign of Catherine II. [1] . The process of including Muslims in various classes with the distribution of the relevant rights and duties, ...
What are the two parallel worlds of Transcaucasia?
They were, on the one hand, the world of the Russian civilian and military bureaucracy and the lawmakers who determined and designed Islamic reality in ...
Why was the government ineffective in regulating the religious life of the empire's Muslims?
The alienation between the worlds was the primary reason for the ineffectiveness of the legislative activity aimed at regulating the religious life of the empire’s Muslims, which inevitably resulted in a permanent growth of a lack of understanding and rejection by the local populace of the government’s legislative initiatives.
When did the religious boards move to Baku?
During 1917-1918 the religious boards moved to Baku. The subject of religious governance of the Muslim communities in Transcaucasia during the 19th century and early 20th has been left virtually uncovered in the works of Russian historians and scholars of Islam. Certain topics have been touched on in works on the history ...
When were the Sunni and Shia clergy established?
After lengthy preparatory work, the statutes on governance of the Sunni and Shia Muslim clergy were officially approved on April 5, 1872, and on January 2, 1873, the relevant religious boards were opened in Tiflis. Their jurisdiction covered Muslims in the Baku, Yelisavetpol, Tiflis and Erivan gubernias.
A Gateway of Migration
A History of Outside Control
- Over the centuries, Transcaucasia has been a place where the borders of rival empireshave come together. Imperial armies have repeatedly invaded the region to protect and extend those borders.
Economic Potential
- Today, economic activity in the Transcaucasian republics ranges from the tourism and wine industries of subtropical Georgia to large-scaleoil production in Azerbaijan.
Modern Life in Transcaucasia
- Although times are tough for many, the region has much to offer, including a well-educated population and a reputation for hospitality.