XVII century Azerbaijani culture through the eyes of european travelers

Abstract

At the beginning of the 16th century, due to the establishment of the Safavid Empire of Azerbaijan, the culture of the people also developed significantly, especially due to the strengthening of the centralized political structure. “Language commonality, which is one of the factors of the national stage of public unity” was a reality that closely united the people of Azerbaijan in the 17th century.In the 17th century, Azerbaijan was remaining one of the most important cultural centers of the Near and Middle East. The ongoing Safavid-Ottoman wars at that time dealt a crushing blow to the cultural development of the people. Many famous Azerbaijani scientists were captivated and taken to Istanbul, and some were transferred to Qazvin and Isfahan. Only in the middle of the 17th century there was a certain revival in the development of science and education in Azerbaijan. There were various educational institutions in the cities of the country, which were the centers of crafts, trade and culture. In the Middle Ages, all educational institutions, including madrassas, neighbour schools, tekyehs, were, of course, religious in nature.A careful analysis of the information provided by medieval historians and travelers leads to the conclusion that book printing was not only known in Azerbaijan in the middle of the 17th century, but even a printing press was brought here. The French traveler Chardin writes that the Safavid Empire, aware of the benefits of printing, was in favor of bringing it to Iran.Generally, the history of Azerbaijan in the Middle Ages (as well as in the XVII century) had the character of a scientific chronicle. However, even the mere recording of real events served to develop the historical thinking of the people, to ensure the connection of inheritance. The expansion of folk art, the spread of cultural potential in the Near and Middle East was one of the features of the development of Azerbaijani culture in the 17th century. Unfavorable socio-economic and political processes had a negative impact on the development of culture in the country.