The article is devoted to the formation and development of Oriental studies in Azerbaijan. It gives a special place to his connection with the Turkic world and the culture of the Near and Middle East. Particular attention is paid to the personalities associated with the origin and formation of Azerbaijani Oriental studies from the second half of the 19th century up to the middle of the 20th century, as well as the First Turkological Congress of 1926; scientific institutions and departments, including the Oriental Faculty of Baku State University, the Society for the Survey and Study of Azerbaijan, the Azerbaijan State Research Institute, the Azerbaijan Branch of the Transcaucasian Branch of the USSR Academy of Sciences, the Azerbaijan Branch of the USSR Academy of Sciences, the development of Azerbaijani Oriental studies in the 1950s and 1960s, research in the field of Arabic studies, Turkology, Iranian studies, the contribution of Azerbaijani scholars in these areas of Oriental studies.