Caspian Republic

Introduction . Azerbaijan is a birthplace of many ancient cultures and civilizations, such as Shulaveri-Shomu and Kura–Araxes cultures, Mannea, Urartu, Media, Atropaterna, Caucasian Albania, etc. Through the history there have been many speculations about the origin of Azerbaijanis: Persians who adopted the Turkic language; Seljuk Turks who came from Central Asia and settled in Transcaucasia. None of these hypothesis came true. Recent DNA analysis show that Azerbaijanis are the aboriginal people who live in their ancestral land for many years. So who are the Azerbaijanis, their national identity, and their place in the history? The original name of Greater Azerbaijan (both Iranian Azerbaijan and Republic of Azerbaijan) was Caspiane according to Strabo (Book 11, Chapter 2, Section 15), who lived 63 BC – c. AD 24, the name its also used to refer to Caspian Mountains (Caucasian Mountains) and Caspian Sea: "According to Eratosthenes, the Caucasus is called "Caspiu