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According to Ottoman historian İbrahim Peçevi in Tarîh-i Peçevî, Sultan Suleiman wrote to his army after the Tabriz campaign, describing the region’s population and soldiers as infidels and stating that, based on mufti fatwas, their blood and property were lawful. Source: Tarîh-i Peçevî.

Let us begin with a fundamental question: from whom do the Azerbaijanis descend?

Azerbaijan is an ancient and culturally rich land. Throughout history, numerous peoples inhabited its territory, including the Scythians, Medes, Caucasian Albanians, and others. The final stage in this long historical process was shaped by the Turkic Oghuz tribes from Turkestan, who played a decisive role in the ethnogenesis of the Azerbaijani Turks.

Below is an excerpt concerning the ethnogenesis and formation of the Azerbaijani people from the Great Soviet Encyclopedia (3rd edition, Vol. 1, pp. 807–808):

“The ethnogenesis of the Azerbaijanis involved the ancient indigenous population of Atropatene and Caucasian Albania, mixed with Iranian- and Turkic-speaking tribes that entered the region during the 1st millennium BCE and the 1st millennium CE (Cimmerians, Scythians, Huns, Bulgars, Khazars, Oghuz, Pechenegs, and others). The formation of the Azerbaijani people was largely completed in the 11th–13th centuries as a result of the invasions and settlement of a new wave of Turkic-speaking peoples in Azerbaijan, especially the Seljuks.”

What conclusion may be drawn from this? The Azerbaijani people represent a synthesis of indigenous and nomadic populations, in which the nation-forming element was predominantly nomadic and Turkic.

From this, we arrive at the following model regarding the origins of the Azerbaijani Turks:

Turkic (Oghuz / Turkmen) + indigenous populations.

It is also important to note that the migration of Turkic peoples into Azerbaijan did not occur solely from Turkestan, but also from Anatolia. Many Azerbaijani Turkic tribal groups were formed in Anatolia itself, including the Tekeli, Bayat, and others.

Why did these migrations occur? One major factor was religion. Some Turkmen tribes adhered to Sunni Islam, while others followed Shiite Islam, resulting in repeated sectarian conflicts. Migration occurred in both directions. For example, the ancestors of the Kurasunnis migrated from South Azerbaijan into Anatolia due to sectarian tensions, particularly during the Ottoman–Safavid rivalry. It is important to understand that the formation of the Azerbaijani nation took place gradually between the 11th and 15th centuries.

This also leads us to another important question raised in the title of this series:

Who were the “Turkmens,” the “Qizilbash,” and the “Seljuks”?

Let us begin with the Seljuks.

The Seljuks were among the first Oghuz Turkic groups to migrate into Azerbaijan and Anatolia. They became the historical foundation for the presence of both modern Azerbaijanis and Turks in the region. Indeed, the Seljuks are also regarded as among the ancestors of modern Turks. Their empire, the Seljuk State (Āl-e Seljuq), extended from Kashgar in Uyghur lands to İznik in Anatolia. They were also referred to as “Turkmens,” “Turkomans,” or “Turkimans.”

The origin of the term “Turkmen” is commonly explained in two ways.

According to one interpretation, “Turkman / Turkmen” referred to Oghuz Turks who accepted Islam:

TURK + IMAN (faith in Islam)

Another theory suggests that when an Oghuz Turk was asked, “Who are you?”, he would respond:
“Türkəm Mən” (“I am a Turk”),
which gradually evolved into Turkmen / Turkoman.

This term has historically been used in reference to Azerbaijanis for centuries and was one of the names by which our ancestors identified themselves.

Now, who were the Qizilbash?

The word “Qizilbash” literally means “Red-Headed” in Azerbaijani Turkic. The Qizilbash were a confederation of Turkmen nomadic tribes such as the Ustajlu, Afshar, Rumlu, Zulkadar, Tekeli, and others. We intend to dedicate a separate article to these tribes in the future.

The Qizilbash adhered to Shiite Islam and even possessed their own Azerbaijani spiritual invocation regarding their sheikhs:

“Qurban olduğum, sədəqə olduğum pirim, mürşidim”
(“My spiritual guide and teacher, for whom I would sacrifice myself.”)

They wore distinctive red headgear wrapped with cloth containing twelve red stripes, symbolizing the Twelve Imams of Shiite Islam.

Over time, the Qizilbash became the military and ideological foundation of the future Turkic Safavid state.

Telegram: Gyzylbashlar 1501

The Venetian traveler Angiolello described Shah Ismail I as follows:

“This Safavid Shah is handsome, gracious, and charming. He is not very tall, but his body is well-proportioned and harmonious. He has a sturdy build, broad shoulders, and reddish hair. From his beard and mustache, he keeps only the mustache. He is left-handed. In battle, he is fearless like a fighting rooster and stronger than all of his commanders. He is also an exceptional archer: out of ten apples used as targets, he strikes seven.”

— Venetians: Venetian Travels in Iran, p. 339.

Today marks the anniversary of his death, but his name and legacy still endure centuries later.

Tabriz is an Azerbaijani city in Iran, one of the most significant cities in the history of our people. It served as the capital of our great ancestors, such as the Atabegs, the Safavids, the Aq Qoyunlu, and the Kara Qoyunlu.