The book "Azerbaijan Is Not Turk – It Is Turkish-Speaking" has reportedly caused controversy after being made available for sale at the Tabriz International Book Fair.
According to Azerbaijani websites, including Tabriz Voice and Gunaz TV, a large number of visitors to the book fair expressed objections to the display of the book.
The 103-page book, written by Kiyamehr Firouzi and published by Tehran-based Behnegar Publishing, has sparked significant backlash.
The book’s content is summarized on its back cover as follows:
“Pan-Turkists attempt to portray Azerbaijan as being racially and linguistically distinct from Iran. However, the truth is that Azerbaijan is an inseparable part of Iranian culture. The Azerbaijani population belongs to the Aryan race, and until the 4th century, they spoke Azeri, a dialect of Persian. The Turkish language only spread in Azerbaijan after the Seljuk incursions in the 4th century...”
Link to the original text in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
“Azərbaycan Türk deyil” adlı kitab Təbrizdə qalmaqal yaradıb