1. about the subject

Development of historical works (III–mil. - IX cent. B.C)

The establishment and development of Atropatena and Albania laid the groundwork for the formation of historical thought and the elaboration of the first historical works. This period, which lasted more than a thousand years, can be divided into two phases: 1) IV – m.III BC; 2) III mil.– VII century.

Historical insights into the first period have reached us through the works of ancient historians and various genres of folk-lore.
The second phase is also of special interest. Azerbaijan is not mentioned in the works on the history of the USSR, which include historical knowledge of the Armenians and the Azeris. Of course, it is impossible to agree with such a statement. In fact, this phase also occupies an important part in the history of Azerbaijan. This was due to a number of reasons.
First, Christianity was adopted in Albania. The Bible had a profound effect on the development of historical knowledge.
Second, the Albanian language became the state language in Albania (Caucasus). In the V century of the millennium, the Albanian language had reached such a level of development that the alphabet was developed. In the 5th and 7th centuries, the Albanian script became more widespread.
Despite some information about the Albanian alphabet, it became known to the world of science only in 1937. I.Abuladze discovered it in a textbook of the XV century in Matenadaran (Irevan).
Numerous literatures, including historical works, were written in the Albanian alphabet. Albanian books of the V-VI centuries were found.
In the III-VII centuries, Atropatena played an important role in the system of the Sassanid Empire. the Sassanid Empire drew special attention on the recording and evaluation of historical events.
During this period, Avesta was rewritten, and fire-worship became the state religion. Historically, ideas of fire worshipers and the Christian were quite different.
In the 7th-9th centuries, Azerbaijan fell into the system of the Arab caliphate, and then the states of Shirvanshahs, Sa'ils, Salaris, Ravvadis and Shaddadis were established. Historical knowledge spread in Arab caliphate. Events in the history of Azerbaijan, description of these events had a special place in the history of the Caliphate. In this period, Zoroastrianism, Christianity and Islam shared the same land in a unique way. The holy book of Islam, the Kur'an, played a major role. "Kuran" mentions the facts about the creation of the world, creation of a man, the nature of historical events, etc. Thus, philosophical thought in Azerbaijan also was enriched.
The "History of Albania" might be described as a classical piece of special historical works. The authors of this work are Moisey Kalankatuklu and Moisey Dashuranli.
The "History of Albania" has been the subject of extensive research in terms of historiography and source material.
Without a certain tradition in Albania, it would not have been possible to develop the work like “The History of Albania”. The sources used in its work also confirm this fact. F. Mammadova wrote:
The following sources were applied in the History of Albania: 1) folk tales and stories; 2) Epistolary novels written by clergymen and noblemen and kept in the archives of monasteries and castles; 3) information provided by the authors and witnesses; 4) Albanian hagiography, life and tortures of Albanian saints; 5) Albanian Chronicles (Albanian Catholicos Viro's Chronicle). According to the chronology, the works cover the period from the Bible up to the end of X century. The History of Albania describes the historical events in sequence. The attitude towards the historical events of that period is reflected in the literature. The elegy of Davday about Javanshir, the rule of Albania is also interesting from a historical point of view.
Folk literature also attracts attention. The epic "Kitabi Dede Gorgud" is directly linked to this period. The epic was formed orally in the VI-VIII centuries, was fully developed in the VI-IX centuries, before the X century (probably in the VIII century).
The events described in this epic cover the VI-VIII centuries. However, in some cases there are episodes that were added later and reconciled with later historical events. From this point of view, "Kitabi-Dede Gorgud" is similar to the cross-section of a tree: the ancient core layer chosen as the main ring is followed by the new, clearly visible layers, which differ in their color and character.
The legends collected under the title "Legends of Yanardagh" are of special interest. “… It covers the beliefs associated with fire-worship in Azerbaijan. Many of these legends describe the Arab caliphate and caliphs. "The Legend of Aldada", "The Legend of Mahpeiker" and "Aldada and the Mountain of Bakhtiyar" refer to Zoroastrianism, fire-worship.