research2

A Glance Through The Mists Of Time...

A Bit of Fantasy
As I have already noted on the first page, the idea that Azerbaijanians have something in common with the people of Ireland and Scotland, seems very unrealistic. I also need to admit that before I found a real link between them, I went through many hypotheses and ideas.

Dark or Fair?
Firstly, I need to note that many Azerbaijanian scientists propose the idea that the ancestors of our people were the Caucasian Albanians, and I also support their opinion.

One of the key points that I used as the guiding line was that ancient writers described the Caucasian Albanians as the people remarkable for their beauty, height, fair hair, and eyes. Very celtic description, isn't it? These characteristics are also considered as the distinctive features of the ancient indigenous inhabitants of the caucasian type.

Of course, it is possible to raise an objectiion here that modern azeri people can hardly be noted as a "fair" nation. But here we should take into consideration the arabic yoke of ancient Azerbaijan that lasted more than 100 years. Here we also can make a parallel with the Spain that was also conquered by the Arabs and that modern population is distinctive with the dark "coloring" too. But I'll speak about Spain later. Besides that, ancient Roman scientist Diodorus describes the Celts as "a very high and fair skinned people." However, he noted that their hair was not naturally blond, and they bleached it with special lime.

Different Ideas
In order to find the traces of the link between azeri and celtic peoples, I looked though many facts.
One of them was that during 3rd-4th centuries BC the Celts settled in the Galatia at the Asia Minor Peninsula (modern Turkey), and I decided that exactly at that period the contact between two people (the Celts and the Albanians) occured. I also came across picture of the ancient Albanian jewellery that looked like celtic torcs - open-ended necklaces and braceletes dated exactly 3rd-4th centuries BC. However, that was not the real link that I was looking for.

Eurica! The Scythians!
The main significant step in my research was made after I read the article in "Azerbaijan International" Magazine about Thor Heyerdahl's discoveries (look the previous page). It was stated there that the ancestors of the Celts were the Scythians!

So, the Scythians. Exactly this ancient people connected two unlinkable nations and allowed me to formulate my hypothesis. Well, as it is clear now, the Celts themselves didn't live on the territory of the Caucasian Albania (however, I need to note that later I found an evidence that it's also possible for the Celts to appear on the historical scene of Azerbaijan at that distant times), but their ancestors, the Scythians. It is already a proven fact that in the 70s of the 7th century BC there was a Scythan Kingdom on the territory of ancient Azerbaijan. Although, the Scythians greatly influenced the way of life of the ancient azeri people, their culture and especially the soldiering.

They Really Were Here!
In the ethnogeny of the Caucasian Albanians such tribes as Utiis, Caspians, Hers, Hardmans, Gels, Legs, Lpins and many others are present. I want to attract your attention to the tribe named the Gels.
It is easy to campare their name with the Gaels, the Celts of Ireland and Scotland, both ancient and modern (the Gaelic language is one of the two official languages of the present day Ireland). The name seems to be almost the same! Of course, it could be just a coincidence. But it's not. There is an evidence that the Scythians were the iranian speaking people. The ancient historians considered the Gels to be the Scythians, and in the area, where this tribe lived, the elements of the iranian language were present. Also, I need to note that some ancient scientist considered the Celts and the Scythians as one people, because they were very alike in their appearance.

Well, I will return to this conclusion later, after I give an overview of the origin of the Celts.

Caucasian Albania (or Aghbania) was an ancient state that covered what is now southern Dagestan and most of today's Azerbaijan of the Caucasus. Caucasian Albanians were one of the Ibero-Caucasian peoples, ancient and indigenous population of modern Southern Dagestan and Azerbaijan. This should not be confused with modern Albania and Albanians (Shqiptar?), who are a separate people from the Balkans and only share the name coincidentally.

Ancient tribes of the Caucasian Albania were: Hers, Gargars, Gels, Caspians, Uties, etc.

Kingdom of Caucasian Albania (Aghbania) was founded in the 3rd century BC.

In the 7th century AD Kingdom was abolished by Arabs.

Since the 8th century the Caucasian Albania existed as principalities of Aranshahs and Khachen, along with Turkic, Kurdish, and Arabic principalities: the Principality of Shedadians, the Principality of Shirvan, the Principality of Derbent, etc.

One of main regions of the Caucasian Albania - Hereti was a part of Georgia (Kakheti region of Eastern Georgia) since the end of the 7th century AD. Since 1921 the part of Hereti, now districts of Kakhi, Belakani and Zakatala, is a part of Azerbaijan.

Another historical part of Albania - Artzakh (present-day Azerbaijan) - is presently occupied by Armenian military forces. Armenian historians claim that Artzakh has always been a part of Armenia.

The Caucasian Albania was one of the first countries where Christianity was adopted from the end of the 4th century, when the Albanian Church was formed. The ancient church of Kish is the oldest church among the Eastern churches.

As a result of the expansion of Seljuks (Turks) on the territory of modern Azerbaijan in the 11th century happened assimilation of the indigenous Albanian population. Albanians played a significant role in today's Azeris' ethnogenesis.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caucasian_Albania

Going Deep Into The Mists
In order to answer the uneasy question about whom the Celts were, I referred to an ancient Irish manuscript named Lebor Gabala Erenn or The Book of Invasions. This annal begins from the events described in Bible and later tells about the ancestor of the Celts. According to the traditions of the Lebor Gabala Erren, the Irish were originated in Scythia and were the descendants of a King Feinius Farsaid, a King of Scythia. Feinius Farsaid and his son, Nel, went to Asia to work at the construction of the Tower of Nimrod (Tower of Babel in biblical history) and they were present at the subsequent dispersal of the races after the destruction of the tower. Feinius and his son, both learned the new languages which resulted from the dispersal, returned to Scythia where Feinius opened a great school of languages on the Scythian plain.

As time passed, his son Nel became such an expert in languages that pharaoh of Egypt invited him to his country to teach his people the new languages of the world. So, Nel went to Egypt and there he married Scota, pharaoh's daughter. Their son, Gaedel Glas who fashioned the Gaelic language out of the seventy-two languages.

After pharaoh was drowned in the Red Sea in pursuit of Moses and his band of Hebrews, Nel's great-grandson, Sru, fled from Egypt for fear of persecution by the Egyptians and with his son, Heber Scot, returned to Scythia. Eber Scot took by force the kingship of Scythia from the progeny of Nenual, Fenuis Farsaid's another son. After a few generations, a descendant of Heber Scot, named Agnomain, killed a rival for the kingship of Scythia (a kingsman) and in revenge was driven from the country. As Lebor Gabala Erren says, Agnomain and Lamfhind, his son, spent seven years wandering on the sea, which was the Caspian Sea!

Later the Scots (as Eber Scot named his people) or Gaels (after Gaedil) settled at the Iberian Peninsula - the area of Spain and Portugal today. So, they were there to settle and call home for the next 19 generations. It is also said that the root (etymon) of portugal comes from Port Of Gael.

After many centuries in Spain and Portugal, a Bard of the Scots prophesied another migration of the people to a Western Isle guarded by a ocean. Stirred by the Bard's vision and the need to find safer shores arond 600 BC, warriors were sent by ship to look after the promised land. And they found it in the west from the British Isles. After many battles with the people, who lived there (and in the Celtic legends this people is presented as the clan of gods, Tuatha de Danaan) the Scots Gaels became rulers of the best parts of the land of Iberia, which they would call Erin or Ireland.

And Again Albanians
There is also one interesting fact. Ireland and Scotland during their history had many different names. Ireland was called Iberia (Hibernia) or Erin. Scotland hasload a poetic name Caledonia. But besides that Scotland was called Alba. In the Gaelic language, which is used nowadays both in Scotland and Ireland, Scotland is Alba or Albainn, and Scotsman is Albannach. Moreover, on the map of Scotland and Ireland we can come across the Arran islands. Let me remind that the plain area in the center of Azerbaijan is also called Arran. And in history Arran was the legendary ancestor of the Caucasian Albanians. All this information is still the evidence of the connection between the Celts and Azeris.

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