M. Riza Heyet – Varlıq Magazine – Spring and Autumn 1997
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| Mehemmed Riza Heyet |
The true name of our mother tongue is clear to the majority of our people—particularly to those who have not read, or rather have been unable to read, the fabricated history books. For centuries, our people have identified themselves as Turks and called their language Turkish (Türki or Türkçe), affirming this openly and courageously at all times and in all places. Unfortunately, however, today our mother tongue is referred to by various names in both Northern Azerbaijan and Iran, with each person naming it according to their own preference. This process of fabrication began in 1936 at Stalin’s direction. With the intention of separating the Muslim Turkic peoples from one another and severing their ties to their past, Stalin ordered the name “Turk” to be erased throughout the Soviet Union; consequently, our language, which had always been called Turkish, was officially registered as the “Azerbaijani language” from that day onward.
In the climate of terror created by Stalin’s rule, openly opposing this change was virtually impossible. Over time, the new terminology became normalized, while the word “Turk” increasingly came to be understood as referring exclusively to the people of Türkiye. Consequently, many people gradually became distanced from their own Turkish identity and history. The anti-Turkishness propaganda campaign had such a powerful and lasting influence that, even after Northern Azerbaijan gained independence, the issue remained the subject of extensive debate and persisted as an unresolved problem.
Within a short period, this process also exerted its influence in Iran. Those drawn to communism, who accepted everything uttered by Stalin as absolute truth, preferred the term “Azerbaijani” to “Turkish” and avoided using the word “Turk” in their writings.
Despite all this, the word “Turk” (Türki) continued to live in the people’s spoken language. Naturally, this did not please the racist Pahlavi regime. Consequently, the Pahlavis implemented in Iran the same policy that had been pursued—and, in their view, successfully applied—in the Soviet Union. By telling our people, “You are not Turks; the Mongols forcibly imposed this language upon you,” they attempted to turn them into mankurts, alienated from their identity and historical memory.
In this process, the fabricated term “Azari,” invented by Kasravi, made their task easier. Consequently, this campaign also accelerated in Iran, and a number of uninformed individuals joined it. As briefly explained above, this practice of “naming” was by no means scientific; it was the product of political agendas.
Fortunately, the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran and, on the other side, Northern Azerbaijan’s liberation from communism and Russian imperial rule and its attainment of independence created favorable conditions for resolving this question scientifically and independently of politics.
The continued use of competing names—including “Azerbaijani,” “Azari,” “Azeri,” and “the Azerbaijani language”—remains a source of concern for many who care deeply about their mother tongue. Clarifying this issue must therefore be regarded as an urgent intellectual and cultural task.
As in three other major fields of activity, Varlıq magazine has undertaken sustained work on this question. Through the publication of rigorously researched articles, it has sought to reaffirm the historically appropriate name of our language.
Building upon those studies, the present article approaches the question from a different perspective. By examining the works of major poets, from Nizami Ganjavi to Shahriyar, it seeks to clarify the historical name of our language through the poets’ own words.
1. Nizami Ganjavi:
Although he wrote his works in Persian, Nizami Ganjavi is one of the poets who used the word “Turk” both literally and metaphorically the most. He openly expressed his Turkish identity in all of his works and always took pride in it.
Considering the time and environment in which Nizami lived, this becomes even more significant. It is known that although Nizami wanted to get closer to the people and their language, he was discouraged from writing in Turkish by the ruling elite. This issue is reflected in his work Layli and Majnun, through the voice of the Shirvanshah:
در زيور پارسى و تازى
اين تازه عروس را طرازی
ترکى صفت وفاى ما نيست
ترکانه صفت سزاى ما نيست
“With the ornaments of Persian and Arabic,
This new bride (language) is adorned.
Loyalty in Turkish style is not our way,
Behaving like Turks is not fitting for us.”
Elsewhere, Nizami complains about the environment's failure to value the Turkish language properly:
ترکى را در اين حبش نخرند
لاجرم دوغبای خوش نخورند
“In this Abyssinian land, no one buys Turkish,
They don’t even consider it a decent food.”
(Meaning: “No one buys my Turkish in this black land; no one even considers it as decent as doghba (a meal).”)
Nizami also emphasizes that the heroes of his works are of Turkish origin. M.A. Rasulzadeh writes:
“Even in the most fantastical tale of the Haft Peykar (Seven Beauties), the Black Pavilion princess is a delicate Turkic queen named 'Turkanaaz' (the Turkish Coquette):”
گفت، من ترک نازنين اندام
از پدر ترکناز دارم نام
“She said: I am a graceful-bodied Turk,Named Turkanaaz by my father.”
In Makhzan al-Asrar, the poet praises Turkish identity and portrays Turks as just people:
دولت ترکان چو بلندى گرفت
مملکت از داد پسندی گرفت
چونکه تو بيدادگرى پرورى
ترک نهاى هندوى غارتگرى
“When the power of the Turks rose high,
The state was ruled through justice.
Since you promote oppression,
You are no Turk but a plundering Hindu!”
In Eskandarnameh (The Book of Alexander), he also proudly mentions the Turks:
ز کوه خزر تا به درياى چين
همه ترک بر ترک بينم زمين
“From the Caspian mountains to the Chinese Sea,
I see Turk upon Turk across the land.”
In the same work, expressing his hatred for Russians, he again uses Turkish strength as a source of power:
ز پيکان ترکان اين مرحله
توان ريخت بر پاى روس آبله
“With the arrows of the Turks in this field,
You can pierce and blister the Russians’ feet.”
Elsewhere, Nizami openly declares his Turkish lineage:
پدر بر پدر مر مرا ترک بود
به فرزانگى هر يکى گرگ بود
“My fathers and grandfathers were Turks,
Each of them a wise and noble wolf.”
As we can see, our great poet has never called himself “Azari” or referred to his language as “Azerbaijani.” On the contrary, whenever he found the opportunity, he tried to emphasize his Turkish identity.
Moreover, Nizami frequently used Turkish expressions and proverbs in his works.
M.A. Rasulzadeh, in a short poem addressed to Nizami, highlights Nizami’s Turkish identity. This poem also shows Rasulzadeh’s view on the name of our language and is worth noting:
Farsçılığı yox onun
Türklüyə çox bağlıdır
Qafqaz deyə zövq alar
Rusdan canı dağlıdır
Gözəl qadın tipləri
Ya Türk, ya Qafqazlıdır
Şübhəsi yoxdur ki, o
Bir Azərbaycanlıdır.
“He does not lean toward Persian,
He is very attached to Turkishness.
He rejoices in the Caucasus,
His soul burns because of the Russians.
Beautiful women’s types,
Are either Turkish or Caucasian.
There’s no doubt that he,
Is an Azerbaijani.”
2 – Amir Ali-Shir Nava’i:
As mentioned above, by Stalin’s decree, the term “Turkish language” was replaced with various dialect names. Just as it came to be called “Azerbaijani” in Azerbaijan, it was labeled “Uzbek” in Uzbekistan. However, before this political renaming, expressions such as “Uzbek language” or “Uzbek Turkish” were never used anywhere.
Amir Ali-Shir Nava’i, the greatest poet of the Uzbeks (Chaghatays) and, indeed, one of the most magnificent literary figures of all Turkic peoples, clearly expressed his thoughts about the name of our language. In the introduction to his Layli and Majnun, while explaining his reason for writing it, he says:
چون فارسى اردى نکته شوقى
آزراق ايدى آندا تورک ذوقى
اول تيل بيله نظم بولدى ملفوظ
کيم فارسى آنقلار اولدى محظوظ
من تورکجه باشلابان روايت
قيلديم بو فسانهنى حکايت
کيم شهرتى چون جهانا تولقاى
تورک ائليگه داقى بهره بولقاى
نئچون کى بو گون جهاندا اتراک
کؤپ دور خوش طبع و صافى ادراک
"Since Persian had its share of eloquence,
There was little appreciation for Turkish elegance.
Verses were always crafted in that tongue,
And those who knew Persian found delight in it.
I began this story in Turkish,
And narrated the tale in this language,
So that as its fame spreads across the world,
It would bring benefit to the Turkish people too,
Because today, in this world, the Turks
Are numerous, talented, and pure in understanding."
In his well-known Sa’ad and Iskandar (Asad-u Iskandar) masnavi, he writes:
Sanā ança ḥaqq lütfi vāqe‘ durur
Ki tā Türk elfāzı şāyi‘ durur
Bu til birlə tā nazm ärür xalq işi
Yəqin qilmamış xalq sən tək kişi
"Such divine grace has been bestowed upon you,
That the Turkish words are now widely used.
Through this language, poetry has become a people’s craft,
There has been no man among the people like you."
In the introduction to his work Muhakamat al-Lughatayn (The Comparison of the Two Languages), Nava’i seeks to explain why poets refrained from writing in Turkish. He argues that the Turkish language is immensely beautiful and rich. From the following lines, it is also clear that Nava’i never called his language “Chaghatay” or “Uzbek.”
"I began contemplating my mother tongue. When I dove into the depths of Turkish, my eyes beheld a world higher than even the 18,000 realms. The skies that expanded within the ornaments and beauties of this world were higher than even the ninth heaven. There, I found so many virtues, so many noble treasures. The pearls of this treasury shone brighter than the finest gems in the stars. I walked through the rose gardens of this world. Its roses glowed brighter than the sun in the sky. There were so many invisible, untouchable marvels everywhere...
But the guardians of this treasure were bloodthirsty dragons, and its flowers were surrounded by countless thorns. Seeing this, I reflected and said: it seems our Turkic poets have abandoned this language out of fear of these dangerous, thorny paths.
… I galloped the horse of my nature in the space of Turkish, and gave wings to the bird of my imagination. My conscience gathered from this treasure the most precious stones and noble pearls. My soul wandered endlessly among the radiant flowers of this rose garden, intoxicated by its divine scents."
"Let no one assume that I love Turkish simply because I am a Turk, or because my nature is inclined toward Turkish words, or because I do not know Persian. In truth, no one has strived as much as I have to learn Persian. No one has studied its right and wrong as deeply as I have."
3. Muhammad Fuzuli
Fuzuli, Azerbaijan’s greatest lyric poet, was not originally from Azerbaijan. As is well known, he was one of the Turks of Iraq and belonged to the Bayat tribe. Yet no other poet has been embraced by Azerbaijanis as intimately as Fuzuli. This is because Fuzuli’s language is our language, and his ancestry is our ancestry. He is the poet of our language. Fuzuli’s position regarding the name of our language is therefore of particular importance. How, then, did Fuzuli identify himself and his language?
اى فيض رسان عرب و تورک و عجم
قيلدين عربى افصح اهل عالم
ائتمين فصحاى عجمى عيسى دم
من «تورک» زباندان التفاين ائيلهمه کم
O You who bestow grace upon Arab, Turk, and Persian,
You made Arabic speakers the most eloquent people in the world.
You gave the eloquent poets of Persia the breath of Jesus;
Do not withhold Your favor from me because I speak Turkish.
This is Fuzuli’s prayer—and what a beautiful prayer it is!
Explaining why he composed Leyli and Majnun, Muhammad Fuzuli writes:
لئيلى-مجنون عجمده چوخدور
اتراکده اول فسانه يوخدور
Tales of Leyli and Majnun abound among the Persians,
But among the Turks, that legend is absent.
Elsewhere, he writes:
اول سببدن فارسى لفظيله چوخدور نظم کيم
نظم نازک تورک لفظيله ايکن دوشوار اولور
منده توفيق اولسا بو دوشوارى آسان ائيلهرم
نوبهار اولجاق تيکاندان برگ گل اظهار اولور
For this reason, much poetry has been composed in Persian,
For delicate verse is difficult when fashioned from Turkish words.
If I am granted success, I shall make this difficulty easy— As spring arrives and leaves and flowers emerge from the thorn.
4. Sayyid Abul-Qasim Nabati
In my opinion, the following poem by Nabati requires no explanation:
بچه تورکم، دیلیم تورکی، کلامیم هجو مجو
خان چوبانی، جان آلان، جان جانی، گؤزلر گؤزلیم
I am a Turkish boy, my language is Turkish, and my words are playful verse;
A khan’s shepherd, a taker of hearts, the soul of my soul, my beautiful-eyed beloved.
5. Sayyid Azim Shirvani
Sayyid Azim was one of Azerbaijan’s distinguished poets and the teacher of Sabir. He translated Ubayd Zakani’s celebrated work The Mouse and the Cat (Mush o Gorbeh) from Persian and composed a brief verse introduction to it. In this introduction, he states that he translated the work not into “Azerbaijani” or “Azeri,” but into Turkish:
نقل ائلهییم، گل سنه بیر داستان
فارسی ایله نقل ائلهییب باستان
تورکی ایله من اونو تحریر ائدیم
کؤنلونو شاد ائت، سنه تقریر ائدیم...
Come, let me relate a tale to you,
One that the ancients narrated in Persian.
I have now written it in Turkish;
Rejoice, for I have recounted it to you.
6. Mirza Alakbar Sabir
Sabir was a great poet renowned for his intellectual insight, critical thought, worldview, and engagement with social questions. As in other matters, he also adopted a realistic position on the question of language. One example is his objection to someone’s use of the phrase “translated from Ottoman into Turkish”:
عثمانلیجادان ترجمه تورکه بونو بیلمم
گئرچک یازییور گنجهلی، یا اینکه هنگ دیر؟
ممکن ایکی دیل بیر-بیرینه ترجمه، اما
عثمانلیجادان ترجمه تورکه نه دئمکدیر؟
“Translated from Ottoman into Turkish”—this I cannot understand.
Is the writer from Ganja serious, or is this merely a joke?
It is possible to translate one language into another, but
What does “translated from Ottoman into Turkish” mean?
As the poem demonstrates, even when the language of the Anatolian Turks was called “Ottoman,” the language of Azerbaijanis was called Turkish. Moreover, this designation was used not by someone from Türkiye, but by Sabir, Azerbaijan’s own national poet.
Another example from Sabir reads:
تصنیف اولونوب تازه کتب تورک دیلینده
هر کس اوخویوب علمله بیدار اولاجاقدیر
New books have been composed in the Turkish language;
By reading them, everyone will be awakened through knowledge.
7. Mirza Ali Möcüz Shabustari
دیلیم تورکی، سؤزوم ساده، اؤزوم صهبایه دیلداده
منیم تک شاعیرین البته اولار کاساد بازاری
دونن شعریله بیر نامه آپاردیم شاه ایرانه
دئدی: «تورکی نمیدانم، مرا تو بچه پنداری؟»
اؤزو تورک اوغلو تورک، اما دئییر تورکی جهالتدیر
خدایا، مضمحل قیل تختدن بو آل قاجاری
My language is Turkish, my words are simple, and my heart belongs to wine;
A poet like me will naturally find little demand in the marketplace.
Yesterday, I took a letter written in verse to the Shah of Iran;
He said, “I do not know Turkish—do you take me for a child?”
Though he himself is a Turk, the son of a Turk, he calls Turkish ignorance.
O God, overthrow this Qajar dynasty from the throne!
8. Mirza Ali Laʿli
ائرتده قویدو علیم اسلامی «شرق روس»
یوزدن نقابین آچدی بو «تورکی» زبان عروس
In the morning, Sharq-e Rus placed Islamic knowledge in my hands;
This Turkish-speaking bride lifted the veil from her face.
9. Almas İldırım
منیم ایمانیم بیر، عشقیم، اؤزوم بیر
بیر چشمهدن آخدیم، قاینار گؤزوم بیر
تورک اوغلو تورکم من، مردم، سؤزوم بیر
یول وئر، یول وئر، اؤز یوردوما گئدیم من
My faith is one, my love is one, and I am one;
I flowed from a single spring; the source from which I rise is one.
I am a Turk, the son of a Turk; my people and my word are one.
Make way, make way, and let me return to my homeland.
فیرتینالی بورالیسن
اسکی درددن یارالیسن
سوران اولسا هارالیسن
سؤیله تورکدور سویوم، آراز
سنه اولماز دویوم، آراز
Stormy is this land of yours;
You are wounded by an ancient sorrow.
Should anyone ask where you are from,
Say, “My lineage is Turkish,” Araz.
I can never have enough of you, Araz.
10. Ahmad Javad
When Azerbaijan was occupied by the British, Ahmad Javad expressed his opposition in the following verses. At the same time, he identified himself and the people of Azerbaijan as Turks:
داماغیندا چاناققالا آغیسی
سنمیسن تورک ائلینین یاغیسی؟
اسلام دنیاسینی اصلوم چاغینی
اؤلوم نیتی ایله یاخان انگلیس........................................
سن باغلا هر یولو، سونگوم تئز آچار
اوچ آیدا گلنلر اوچ گونده قاچار
ظن ائتمه قورشونوم هاوالی اوچار
تورکدور بو قورشونو آتان، انگلیس
With the agony of Çanakkale still fresh in your memory,
Are you the enemy of the Turkish people?
O Englishman, you who set out with murderous intent
To burn the noblest age of the Islamic world!........................................
Block every road—my bayonet will soon open the way;
Those who arrived in three months will flee in three days.
Do not imagine that my bullet flies without purpose:
The one firing this bullet is a Turk, O Englishman!
Elsewhere, he writes:
اوخونور آلنیندا درین بیر تاسا (کدر)
قوجا تورک، سن نهدن باتدین بو یاسا؟
A profound sorrow can be read upon your brow;
Ancient Turk, why have you fallen into such mourning?
11. Samad Vurgun
From “The Burned Books”:
... سؤیله، سنمی خور باخیرسان منیم شعر دیلیمه؟
قوجا شرقین شؤهرتیدیر فضولینین غزلی!
سنمی «ترک...» دئییرسن اولوسوما، ائلیمه؟
«داهیلره سود وئرمیشدیر آذربایجان گؤزلی»
قوجا شرقین شؤهرتیدیر فضولینین غزلی!
Tell me, is it you who looks contemptuously upon the language of my poetry?
Fuzuli’s ghazals are the glory of the ancient East!
Is it you who calls my nation and my people “Turk…”?
“The beauty of Azerbaijan has nursed great geniuses”;
Fuzuli’s ghazals are the glory of the ancient East!
12. Mohammad-Hossein Shahriyar
Although one might find Azerbaijanis who have never read Shahriyar’s poetry, it would be difficult to find anyone who has never heard it recited. At a time when our language was prohibited, he created its masterpiece, Greetings to Heydar Baba, and played a major role in the revival of Turkish. As he himself writes:
تورکونون ده جانین آلمیشدی حیاسیز طاغوت
من حیات آلدیم اونا، حق اوچون احیا ائلهدیم
The shameless tyrant had nearly taken the life of Turkish as well;
I gave it new life and revived it for the sake of truth.
Like the poets who preceded him, Shahriyar called his mother tongue Turkish. Not once did he use such designations as “Azerbaijani,” “Azari,” or “the Azerbaijani language”:
تورکون دیلی تک سئوگیلی، ایستکلی دیل اولماز
اؤزگه دیله قاتسان بو اصیل دیل اصیل اولماز
No language is as beloved and cherished as the language of the Turk;
If you mix this noble language with another, it can no longer remain pure.
تورکون مثلی، فولکلورو دنیادا تکدی
خان یورقانی کند ایچره مثلدیر، میتیل اولماز
Turkish proverbs and folklore are unique in the world;
They are like a khan’s quilt in a village—they can never be reduced to a rag.
تورکو، والله، آنالار اوخشاری، لایلاى دیلیدیر
دردیمی من بو دوا ایله مداوا ائلهدیم
By God, Turkish is the language of mothers’ caresses and lullabies;
With this remedy, I have healed my pain.
بیز ده اسلاما قاییتدیقدا گلین البیر اولاق
تورکلرین هر ایکی دنیاسی قایتسین یئرینه
As we return to Islam, let us join hands in unity, So that both worlds of the Turks may be restored to their rightful place.
At the conclusion of our article, we would like to draw attention to several points and leave the final judgment to our readers.
As is well known, a language is generally named not after a country or a particular geographical region, but after the people who speak it. Just as expressions such as “the language of Iran,” “the language of Arabia,” “the language of Syria,” “the language of America,” or “the language of Qatar” sound absurd, the expression “the language of Azerbaijan” is equally absurd. As for the designation “Azerbaijani,” it must be said that the difference between “Azerbaijani” and “the language of Azerbaijan” is comparable to the difference between “Persian” and “the language of Persia.” It is therefore, at the very least, equally ridiculous.
The term “Azari” is entirely fabricated, since it is the name of neither a country or territory nor a people. No country or people known as “Azar” or “Azari” exists. Because the word “Azari” resembles “Azerbaijan,” however, it has caused some people to mistakenly accept it.
As noted earlier, the overwhelming majority of our people have for centuries identified themselves as Turks and called their language Turkish. All our poets—including those who wrote in Persian—likewise referred to our language as “the Turkish language.” We should therefore call the language bequeathed to us by our ancestors by the same name they themselves used. Only when comparatively distinguishing it from one or more other varieties of Turkish may we call it “Azerbaijani Turkish.”
See, among others, Dr. Javad Heyat, “On the Name and Status of Azerbaijani Turkish,” Varlıq, nos. 3–4, 1361 [1982–83].
Mohammad Amin Rasulzadeh, The Azerbaijani Poet Nizami, Millî Eğitim Basımevi, Ankara, 1951.
Ibid.
In our oral folk literature, the word qurd (“wolf”) has often carried the meaning of “wise” or “knowledgeable.” Nizami likewise employed the Persian word gorg (“wolf”) in a Turkish figurative sense.
For further information, see Dr. Javad Heyat, “Turkish Words, Concepts, and Proverbs in Nizami’s Khamsa,” Varlıq, nos. 1–8, 1370 [1991–92].
Ali-Shir Nava’i, Leyli and Majnun, prepared by Ülkü Çelik, Turkish Language Association Publications, Ankara, 1996.
Mövlud Uluğ Tekinyılmaz, The Common Ancestors of the Turkic Peoples, translated into Azerbaijani Turkish by Dr. Fazıl Qaraoğlu, Göytürk Publications, Baku, 1997.
Şərqi-Rus was a Turkish-language newspaper published in Tiflis by Mohammad Agha Shahtakhtli between 1903 and 1905.
Original text: M. Heyat, “The True Name of Our Mother Tongue”