Talk:History of Azerbaijan/Shervan

Shervan, Sharvan, or Shirvan, the old region and province, next to the Caspian Sea at the north of Kura (Kor) River, in Albania or Arran of early middle ages and the current Soviet Azerbaijan. The history and geography of the region is not well clear yet. Its old capital has been Shabaran, and in later times Shamakhi, and its northernmost position has been Darband (Bab al-Abvab) [Derbent]. The rulers of Shervan were called Shervanshahs.

After the fall of the Shervanshahs dynasty by the Safavid, Shervan became a province of Iran [Persia], but its (Sunni) dwellers revolted a few times against the rulers of the Shia government of Iran, and asked the Ottoman Sultan for help. In the first Iran-Ottoman wars, Ottoman Turks captured Shervan. In the Turks era, Shervan was extended from Shakki [Shaki/Sheki] in the northwest to Baku in the southeast (Darband [Derbent] had been separated from Shervan from longer ago and had become an independent province). According to the 1724 treaty between Russia and Ottomans, the shores of Shervan including Baku, which was occupied by the Russians at the time, was transferred to Russia and the rest of it (including its capital Shamakhi) was transferred to the Turks. In 1147 AH, Nadir Shah conquered Shamakhi and according to the Ganja Treaty (Shawwal of 1147 AH) the Russians relinquished the coastal regions to Iran without a fight. After the death (1160 AH) of Nadir, Iran's rule over the regions was weakened and new emirates rose there. From this time, the term Shervan was applied to the khanate of Shamakhi. Fatthali Khan, the khan (1758-1789 CE) of Quba, subjugated Darband [Derbent] and Shervan, and was even thinking about the throne of Iran in the last years of his life. After the Qajar dynasty unified Iran, successors of Fatthali faced the Iranian government on one side and Russia on the other. Finally, according to the Golestan Treaty (1228 AH), the Iranian government abandoned its claims on Darband, Quba, Shervan, and Baku. in 1820 the Russians occupied the areas; Mostafa Khan, the khan of Shamakhi, fled to Iran, and his domain became a part of Russia. Currently, the Shervan region is a part of Soviet Azerbaijan.

''The above article is based on the 1966 Persian Encyclopedia and may be a copyright violation. Please don't use for anything but reference.''