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â€˜Religions in The Caucasusâ€™ book published

16 December 2016 13:30 (UTC +04:00)

TEAS Press Publishing House has published the “Religions in The Caucasus” book in English in connection with the year of multiculturalism in Azerbaijan.

The book was published based on materials from a international conference held in SOAS University of London (School of Oriental and African Studies), the TEAS Press Publishing House told APA on Friday.

The book contains articles on the history of confessions in the Caucasus by renowned Azerbaijani and world theologians, historians, archeologists, and ethnographers.

The articles are classified in the chapters “Ancient confessions: Zoroastrianism and Judaism,” “Christianity in the Caucasus,” “Islam in the Caucasus,” “Confessions in the Caucasus in the early nineteenth and twentieth centuries,” and “Common problems of religion.”

The Albanian Church and its eparchies by Farida Mamedova, a corresponding member of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences and head of department of the National Aviation Academy, The Albanian writing by Frankfurt University Prof. Jost Gippert and Bernard Outtier, Director of French National Centre for Scientific Research and doctor of historical and philological studies, the Georgian Apostolic Autocephalous Orthodox Church by Liana Melikishvili, a corresponding member of the Georgian National Academy of Sciences and doctor of historical sciences, the Evangelization of Caucasus by François Teillamont, ancient history teacher of the University of Rouen, Christianity in Caucasus in the first half of the nineteenth century by Marcin Rzepka, vice-director of Pontifical University of John Paul II, Islam in Caucasus by Vasim Mammadaliyev, dean of theology faculty at Baku State University and a full member of Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, and articles by other authors are a huge contribution to Caucasian religious studies.

The book also contains illustrations on the prominent religious institutions in the Caucasus.

Tale Heydarov, founder and chairman of The European Azerbaijan Society (TEAS), in his preface to the book spoke about the history of religions in the Caucasus and the necessity of studying the modern situation as well as the importance of Azerbaijan’s multicultural and tolerant traditions.

“The society of Azerbaijan, a South Caucasian country located between Europe and Asia, and East and West, has had multicultural traditions since ancient times. This tradition, which emerged in the ancient times, gradually became a lifestyle in Azerbaijan and has become a developed system in the modern time. Azerbaijan’s multicultural model has well-survived the trials of history and always been preserved. This model of multiculturalism is an essential way out of problems in the light of the ongoing ethnic, confessional, and political conflicts and raging terrorism, at the time of growing confrontation between Middle East migrants and European countries,” wrote Tale Heydarov.