Tales from the Western Caspian

I am always fascinated by Baku, Azerbaijan. I don't know the reason why, probably because Azerbaijan will remind you of a lot of things. It is Transcaucasia, it was part of Persian empire, it was part of the Soviet, it is part of Turkish-speaking world and it is part of the Muslim world. I even began to notice nowadays that people begin to refer to Azerbaijan as Europe instead of Asia. Will the fate of Azerbaijan be similar to Turkey? Will Azerbaijan initiate the intention of joining the EU as well? I do hope that this article will be read with a make belief background music of Alihan Samedov, whose rendering of duduk (or balaban) is so mesmerising and touching that could easily bring one to tears.

Early this year (February 2007), I visited Iran. I was watching the graphic movement of the plane on the monitor while on board of the plane. Azerbaijan looks so close to Iran. In fact, Tehran, my intended destination looks so close to the Caspian. I was thinking of taking a bus or train once I arrived in Tehran and cross the lake by a boat. That was a wishful thinking of a simple mind. Once I arrived in Tehran I realised that my plan is not going to be materialised. Most Iranians do not speak English and I don't speak Persian except for a few words just to impress my hosts in Tehran.

While I was in Tehran, I was told that the distance from Tehran to the Caspian is about 400 kilometres. Things look so simple on the map and the information was sufficient enough to make me cancel my plan and to let my dream shattered. I will never give up. But if I learn Russian and Turkish well, my journey one day to Azerbaijan will be more meaningful.

Has anyone read the novel, "Ali and Nino" by Kurban Said? It is a love story with a pre-Soviet backdrop, having an Azeri man and Georgian woman in the leading roles. I must say the storyline will fit without a doubt a Bollywood formula movie but the thoughts of Ali, the hero and of Nino, the heroine was written in a very humourous and refined manner. It is the story of east meets west. There is some controversy of who is the real author of the book. Though majority of people (the literatis, of course) in the West believe that it was written by an Azeri Jewish man by the name of Lev Nussimbaum, with the assistance of an Austrian baroness, Elfriede Ehrenfels. But some claimed that it was written by a true blue Azeri man. If it is written by Lev Nussimbaum, I must say that I am impressed with his knowledge about Islam. In fact Lev Nussimbaum did really convert to Islam and adopt a Turkish name, Essad Bey. I like the name "Kurban Said" especially if it is pronounced in my dialect, the northerner dialect of Malay. It will be "Koor-baan Sa-id", a bit like Arabic but without the guttural sound. But some say the real pronunciation is "Goor-ban Sa-yeed", which has some Persian or Central Asian influence.

Last night I was watching an Azeri video clip, titled 'cay' which means 'tea'. I believe it must be a comical song, judging from the merry environment and the mood that the video exudes. But the song is a far cry from the sophistication of "Ali and Nino". But "Ali and Nino" if I am not mistaken was originally written in German (it must be German, since it is co-written with an Austrian baroness) and translated into English (and other languages too). Too bad, despite having an Azeri backdrop does not contribute much to the Azeri language literature. The 'cay' video although amused me but caused me some disappointments. But my disappointment was short-lived after watching the performance of Aziza Mustafazadeh, an Azeri jazz singer. I am not a big fan of jazz but she reveals a lot of sophistication and her style is truly Azeri. She does not try to sound 'black'.

And does anyone know that Shahbanu Farah Pahlavi (or more popularly known as Farah Diba in the media) was born to an Azeri born father? In fact, Azerbaijan was once upon a time part of the Qajar empire of Persia.

Another famous person who was born in the Azerbaijan is the medieval poet Nizami. Nizami wrote the world acclaimed, "Laila Majnun" (or Leyli Majnun in Persian) in poetry form. He wrote it in Persian and in fact, Nizami is a Kurdish.

Some even alleged that the European Jews are not at all Semitic but in fact are descendants of the Khazar Turks of the Caspian. The Khazar Turks are believed to be the ancestors of the Azeris. Among the most famous proponent of this theory is Sir Arthur Koestler. The Persians in fact are referring to the Caspian Sea as the "Khazar Sea". I will not make any comment on this, only a nationwide DNA test in Israel will justify this claim. If it is true then the European Jews or the Ashkenazims are the long lost cousins of the modern day Azeris.