Caucasians study history of Albania together
Baku, Because history does not loose actuality even in future.

24th of October the hall of Azerbaijan's Presidium of Academy of Sciences was held a presentation of "The Caucasian Albania Research Center". At presentation participated prominent Albanian experts of Azerbaijan and Georgia., ambassadors of foreign states, accredited in Azerbaijan Republic, representatives of world oil companies, famous figures of science and culture, media employees and public of republic.

Presentation "CRCA"

       General Director of "The Caucasian Albania Research Centre" , doctor of historical sciences, professor Farida Mamedova's speech. CARC presentation /Baku 24 October 2000/

The professor Farida Mamedova

Caucasian Albania - one of the most ancient and important state formations of Caucasus, North Azerbaijan and nation of Dagestan.        Historically had grown up, that precisely Azrebaijan became a heir of all governmental formations on this territory.

       Existed one thousand years (IV c B.C. - VIII c A.D.), Albanian state had a stable territory from Arax river - in the south till Derbent - in the north; had rulers with a right for heritage of political authority in person of albanian rulers and afterwards replaced them great princes of the country; Minted its own coins; had independent ideology - auto grey muletted Albanian apostol church. 

      Because of the fact that Albania, as Caucasus generally, was included into arena of geopolitical interests of rome-byzantine world and Persia, and with a purpose of country's independence conservation, of albanian originality, rulers of Albania from existing in the country religious confessions chose Christianity, were its consequent champions, which spreaded in I -II cc, announced by its governmental religion in Albania in 314. 

      By this religious politics albanian rulers isolated population of Albania from cultural ideological rapprochement with population of zoroastrical Persia. 

      Population of Albania contained three ethical layers - Caucasian, Iranian and Turkish, which gradually renewed and filled with new turkish tribes. To the end of albanian period turkish layer bacame the leading one. 

    Arabs put the end to Albanian state. Albanians by accepting islam, were assimilated by turkish tribes which accepted islam as well. But part of albans lived in Maly Caucasus - in Karabagh, could save their originality, revive albanian state from IX c till XV c., and after to be saved as five albanian feudal meliks from XV till XIX c. These later albanians saved their religion, Albanian auto grey mulleted apostol church till 1836 and , mainly, they saved albanian self-consciousness. 

     Statement, that albanian society disolved in other ethos, even didn't remain a trace would be wrong. Albanians - one of the main creators of antique and early and middleaged culture of Azerbaijan, Dagestan's nations, and also ones from ancestors of azerbaijanian nation and nations of Dagestan. By this is explained a place of albanians in history of Azerbaijan and cultural history of all humanity. In this is the actuality of albanian centre's creature.

       In Azerbaijan and Caucasus saved a lot of direct descendants of alans - gels, legees (lezgins), krizees, khinalugees, alpans and uddins. Except uddins, all of them, by accepting islam, transformatted. Only uddins saved their religion, language, self-consciousness and that's why in Albanian study they are given priority.

       Zurab Kanananchev's speech on presentation of "The Caucasian Albania Research Center" Baku, 24 October 2000

The historian Zurab Kananchev

One of the most beautiful and paradise places of the world is considered Trans-Caucasus. History of this region goes deeply by its roofs to the deep ancient times and land between two rivers Kura and Arax is one of the most ancient hearth of civilisation. Precisely here inhabited one of autokhtons of Caucasus - utis, ancestors of modern uddins.

Autokhtonity of this ethical group is confirmed as by data of anthropology, which relates them to caucascians, and also by genetical kin of uddin language with caucasian languages's family. Aboriginality of this nation on the territory of south-eastern Caucasus is confirmed by data of writen sources. 

For the first time mentions about uddins we meet with "Father of History" Herodot (V c B.C.), who localizes them in XIV satrapy of Akhemenid power. By unanimous evidence of antique and early, middleages authors (Strabon, Pliniy Elder, Claudiy Ptolemey, Aziniy Kvadrat and almost all armenian historians V-X c., albanian historian Moisey Kalankantuyskiy (Utiyskiy) on the territory of Azerbaijan together with other albanian tribes lived utis (uddins). Uddins are also considered one of the creators of state - Caucasian Albania (III c B.C. -VIII c A.D.). In the period if this state's existence they habited territory from Caspian Sea till Main Caucasian Mountain Ridge, on the left coast and right coast of Kura till Alazan river. 

In the beginning of IV c albanians, including uddins, accept Christianity from sirian missionaries. In V c at the base of ancient uddin language, related to north-eastern Caucasian language family, were created albanian alphabet, which contained 52 letters and written language. On this written language was original literature, became known albanian writers and historians, poets and rhetoricians, were translated books, functioned schools, passed church service. In 705 arabs subordinated Albanian apostol church to Armenian Catholicos, what became a break of hierarchical principal, which Albanian church didn't follow. Started cultural-ideological assimilation - armenization of albanian Christian population including uddins. Beginning with XI c albanian patriarchs made decisions without informing armenian Catholicos. In XIII c increases authority of Gandzasar episcopacy and Gandzasar becomes a centre of Albanian church and residence of Catholicos. In connection with conquer of Caucasian Albania's territory by Arab Khalifat at the end of VII-beginning of VIII c a great part of local population, including uddins, accepted islam, joined into single ethos - azerbaijanians. But part of uddins saved previous faith and up to present time, as small ethos with its language, material and spiritual culture, ethopsychology, compactly lives within borders of modern Azerbaijan, in Nij settlement (4500 people) and regional centre of Oguz (100 people). Another part in 20s of XX c resettled from Oguz (former Vartashen) to Georgia, where according to data for 1989 lived about 800 people. 

Saving at the duration of 2000 years culture, religion, language, uddins is an unique constitutive part of humanity. Unfortunately, at the duration of centuries political cataclysms leaded to the fact that uddins from great ethical group of Caucasus turned to one of small populated nations, in front of which raised a danger of ethical originality's lose. That's why our nation, as small it could be, shouldn't loose it unique, by centuries accepted appearance and character. 

A big injustice related to uddins - Christians, descendants of ancient albanians was a decision of saint Sinod of Russian Orthodox church from 1836 about liquidation of independent Albanian church and its transfer to bosom of Ichmezdin Catholicos, began a process of mass grigorization of uddins. Liquidation of Albanian auto grey mullted Catholicos leaded at the end to the fact that on the territory of compact settlement of uddins, is not only absent religious-culted institutions of local albanian origin but also stopped church service, lost a feeling of ethical community at the base of spiritual unity.

In the connection with this circumstance one of initial steps should be considered restoration of Albaninian church's temples. By this way is given an opportunity to uddins to realize their religious requirements. Also we need to mark up, that together with restoration of albanian churches for uddins of Azerbaijan a big sense acquires renaissance of Albanian auto grey mullted church, one of the oldest on Earth, which will help to save spiritual culture of this ethos. 

It is necessary to realize the actions, directed to publishment of literature (incuding religious character - Bible) and school supplies on uddin language for local citizens, to print collection of uddin folklor.

       At present time humanity realizes, that conservation of small in numbers nations is the most important necessity, and variety and multicolority of ethoses - is a wealth of any state. Rights defence of small in numbers ethos's on the territory of multinational states becomes the most important condition of stability's conservation in the world. That's why it should be marked up, that creature of political, economical and social-cultural conditions for free development of this ethical group, as uddins, is as actual today, as never.