This unique collection of essays by leading international scholars gives a profound introduction into the great diversity and richness of facets forming the study of one of earth's most exciting areas, the Iranian and Caucasian lands. Each of the 37 contributions sheds light on a very special topic, the range of which comprises historical, cultural, ethnographical, religious, political and last but not least literary and linguistic issues, beginning from the late antiquity up to current times. Especially during the last decennia these two regions gained greater interest worldwide due to...

The geographical region of the Southern Caucasus, the lowlands between the Black and the Caspian Sees and the Armenian and Anatolian highlands is located on the peripheries of Europe from Asia. This region shares a common pre-history, with pre-Christian and pre-Muslim cultures and beliefs. The later periods, however, starting from the pre-Christian Iranian dominations, followed by the Arab conquest and the later campaigns of Seljuks, Mongols and Ottomans, had a heavy impact on the development of the region’s various ethnic languages and cultures.

Nevertheless, many similarities can be...