Azeri

The Azeri, or Azerbaijani people, are an ethnic group primarily associated with the Republic of Azerbaijan and with northwestern Iran. They form one of the largest Turkic peoples, with sizable communities in neighboring regions and a widespread diaspora. In Azerbaijan, most people identify as Azeri, while in Iran they constitute the country’s largest ethnic minority. Estimates of the total Azeri population worldwide run into tens of millions.

The Azeri language, or Azerbaijani, is a Turkic language in the Oghuz branch. It has two major standard varieties: Northern Azerbaijani, spoken in the Republic of Azerbaijan, and Southern Azerbaijani, spoken in Iran. The varieties are closely related and largely mutually intelligible, though they differ in vocabulary, pronunciation, and script. Northern Azerbaijani uses a Latin-based alphabet; Southern Azerbaijani uses a Perso-Arabic script.

Cultural and social life among Azeri people includes distinctive music, literature, cuisine, and crafts such as carpet weaving. The region has a long literary and artistic heritage, with influential poets and a robust contemporary cultural scene. Azerbaijani identity is tied to the lands of the South Caucasus and to Iranian Azerbaijan, reflecting diverse historical experiences and regional practices within a single linguistic community.

Ethnically Turkic, Azeri origins trace back to medieval migrations within the broader Turkic world. Today, Azeri identity encompasses a range of regional practices and dialects, united by language and shared historical experiences across Azerbaijan, Iranian Azerbaijan, and the wider diaspora.