The Yeraz people, sometimes called Yer-az or Yerazi, are an Azerbaijani sub-group, also referred to as a

clan A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, a clan may claim descent from a founding member or apical ancestor who serves as a symbol of the clan's unity. Many societie ...

, consisting of Azerbaijanis originally from present-day

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

. The term Yeraz in the

Azerbaijani language Azerbaijani ( ; , , ) or Azeri ( ), also referred to as Azerbaijani Turkic or Azerbaijani Turkish (, , ), is a Turkic languages, Turkic language from the Oghuz languages, Oghuz sub-branch. It is spoken primarily by the Azerbaijanis, Azerbaij ...

derives from "Azerbaijani from

Yerevan Yerevan ( , , ; ; sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia, as well as one of the world's List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerev ...

", and used even if the person does not hail from the city of Yerevan itself.Political glossary
Conciliation Resources, Accessed January 14, 2011. Due to longtime historic tensions between neighboring Armenia and

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...

, virtually all the Yeraz have left Armenia for

and other countries before tensions exploded with the

First Nagorno-Karabakh War The First Nagorno-Karabakh War was an ethnic conflict, ethnic and territorial conflict that took place from February 1988 to May 1994, in the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh in southwestern Azerbaijan, between the majority ethnic Armenians of Nag ...

. Because they developed with some different customs and cuisine from Azerbaijanis in Azerbaijan, the Yerazi have maintained a cohesive sub-culture within the country. Due to tension and cultural differences between Azerbaijanis from Azerbaijan and Azerbaijanis from Armenia, the term "Yeraz" can be construed as a pejorative.Azerbaijan: Vulnerable Stability
Europe Report N°207,

International Crisis Group The International Crisis Group (ICG; also known as the Crisis Group) is a global non-profit, non-governmental organisation founded in 1995. It is a think tank, used by policymakers and academics, conducting research and analysis on global crises. ...

, September 3, 2010, Accessed January 14, 2011.

History

The Azerbaijani community in Armenia represented a large number but has been virtually non-existent since 1988–1991, when the overwhelming majority of Azerbaijanis fled the country as a result of the First Nagorno-Karabakh War and the ongoing conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a United Nations agency mandated to aid and protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities, and stateless people, and to assist in their voluntary repatriation, l ...

(UNHCR) estimates the current population of Azerbaijanis in Armenia to be somewhere between 30 and a few hundred persons, with majority of them living in rural areas and being members of mixed couples (mostly Azerbaijani women married to Armenian men), as well as elderly and sick, and thus unable to leave the country. Most of them are also reported to have changed their names and maintain a low profile to avoid discrimination.International Protection Considerations Regarding Armenian Asylum-Seekers and Refugees
. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Geneva: September 2003

Political power

In Azerbaijan, the Yeraz form a cohesive political clan that, along with the Nakhchivani clan, has dominated Azerbaijani politics since Soviet times.Azerbaijan Update
, The European Forum for Democracy and Solidarity, November 24, 2006, ''Accessed Dec. 14, 2006''.Ben Wetherall

Global Insight, ''Accessed Dec. 14, 2006''. Though born in Nakhchivan, the family of

Heydar Aliyev Heydar Alirza oghlu Aliyev (10 May 1923 – 12 December 2003) was an Azerbaijani politician who was a Soviet party boss in the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic from 1969 to 1982, and the third president of Azerbaijan from October 1993 to ...

, longtime President of Azerbaijan and father of its current President, originated from Armenia; as a result he essentially had a double-origin and strong political base in Azerbaijan's Western clans.Azerbaijan: Turning Over a New Leaf?
, Europe Report N°156, International Crisis Group, May 12, 2004, ''Accessed Dec. 14, 2006''. As the distribution of power in Azerbaijani politics is based on clan and familial ties,Philip Stephens

''Financial Times'', October 28, 2005, ''Accessed Dec. 14, 2006''. these two Western Azerbaijani clans have pushed other clans from power and formed a pyramidal web of patronage built around Nakhichevanis and Yerazi clan groups.Head of State: President Ilham Aliyev, October 2003-
International Crisis Group, September 22, 2004, ''Accessed Dec. 14, 2006''. The leader of the Yeraz clan is Jalal Aliyev, uncle of Azerbaijani President

Ilham Aliyev Ilham Heydar Oghlu Aliyev (born 24 December 1961) is an Azerbaijani politician who has been the fourth president of Azerbaijan since 2003. He is also the leader of the New Azerbaijan Party since 2005. The son and second child of former Aze ...

. Ramiz Mehtiev, the head of the President's Executive Body, is another prominent member. Before Jalal Aliyev, the unofficial leader of the Yerazi was Ali Insanov, a co-founder of the ruling

New Azerbaijan Party The New Azerbaijan Party (, YAP) is the ruling political party in Azerbaijan, founded on 21 November 1992 under the leadership of Heydar Aliyev. After his election as President of Azerbaijan on 3 October 1993, and the party's victory at 1995 parl ...

and the former Health Minister of Azerbaijan for 12 years. Insanov and influential bureaucrat Akif Muradverdiyev were considered among the most powerful members of the Yerazi clan until they were sacked by President Ilham Aliyev for corruption before the November 2005 parliamentary elections.Rovshan Ismayilov
Azerbaijan: Two More officials Sacked
Eurasianet, October 20, 2005, ''Accessed Dec. 14, 2006''. The Yeraz have two non-political movements: "Ağrıdağ" (an Azerbaijani name for

Mount Ararat Mount Ararat, also known as Masis or Mount Ağrı, is a snow-capped and dormant compound volcano in Eastern Turkey, easternmost Turkey. It consists of two major volcanic cones: Greater Ararat and Little Ararat. Greater Ararat is the highest p ...

) and the "Irevan Birliyi" (Yerevan Unity). Founded by Insanov, Ağrıdağ acted as a vehicle to spread the clan's influence at the national level, particularly over the country's health system.

References

{{Azerbaijani tribes Politics of Azerbaijan Society of Azerbaijan Yeraz Azerbaijani tribes Azerbaijani words and phrases

History

Political power

See also

References