Evening star., 1922-08-30
EUROPE'S TAMP|C0
NOT REVOLT AREI.
Azerbaijan Under MART
Law Is Province in
Persia.

"Azeroaijan' still IS novel;, ';.
a newspaper date line so when cIhi
dispatches began carrying stories %
the same day about both AzerbalIans
the results are confusing.
so long AS the man in London.
Picking and Calcutta feels he Is pay
ing too much for gasoline becaus'
the bolsheviki hold the reins a
Baku. Azerbaijans capital and Eu-
ropes Tampico. the newborn nauoh
of the Caucasus will gain frequent
mention" says a bulletin from 'hs
National Geographic Society. ,,
:, However cable reports teiilnS
about the uprising of Lur tribesme'
in AEerbaijan arfd the proclamation
of martial law there, refer not i'
Georeia's neiphbor county. but 20 IN:
northwest province OF Persia.
Becomes Soviet Asset.
National Azerbaijan approStnalv-
ly comprises the two old Russia"
nroyinces of Eliza bethpol and Baku
In evolved from the effort, in lsl., OF
the peoples of Transcaucasia to fornl
a federated state. This experiment
was as short lived as the more re-
cent republic of Central America. anu
in the spring of 1915 AzerbaiJan os
ciared herself independent. Early
in 1920 Great Britain reoreanized the
de facto government of Azerbai9aii
and only few months later tha'
government was ousted oy the n
tive bolshevists and a treaty ~as s
concluded with soviet Russia, wu ,uias
relations with all other countries
were severed. Russia thencetoflh
nsed Azerbaijan as her calling caro
when she desired admission 10 III
ternational conferences to whleh s"F
had not been cordially inNitea.
Nl,a.h In a
rho worlds oil supply because Europe
considered that its petroleum pre-
vented a worldwide American 'oh
monopoly. Long before oil luorl-
Gated world commerce AzeroatoanEs
oil wrote history: Not SO many Years
the derricks and shafts ahd tank
cars of Surakhani solitary priest
performing the solemn ritual of tre
worshipers for 2.500 years. the
eternal fires of Baku's burning OIL
contributed the symbolism of Zoroas-
ter's cult; the thick water which
burst into flames when poured upon
an altar stone finds mention in the
Old Testament of the Hebrews: and
many authorities believe that petro-
leum was the basis of Greek fire.
Sen Set on Fire.
The priest has gone and his fires
that were supposed to have burned
guished. Neither may the sea be
set on fire any more lest the demon
stration of the ancient miracle may
. work another holocaust like. that
which has several times devastated
Baku. But the temple of the fire
worshipers. built in Marco Polos
dey and restored in the century o.
Shakespeare, still stands.
''The other Azerbaijan. a province
of Persia. is the historic soil of the
skyrocket kingdom of the Medes and
the whirlwind conquest of Tanner
lane. In this Azerbaijan Zoroaster.
who was content with one convert in
the first two decades of his ministry.
is supposed to have been born. and
here the modern adherents of his
ancient religion. the Ghebers, sur
vive. The faith of Zoroaster has its
latter-day stronghold in India. how
ever. among the Parsis.
persian Axerbaijan adjoins the
independent Azerbaijan upon the lar
ter's south. The national Azerbaijan
Is nearly as large as Indiana and has
an estimated population Of more than
two millions. Outside Baku and aside
from the busy railroad lines out of
Babu to Tifiis and the International
lied Black sea port of Bakum. the
country is typical of the Caucasus.
which has been most aptly compared
to stone pile in New England pas
ture where mice. gopners, wood
chucks and cottontails creep for
I safety.
Numerous tribes and fragments Of
races have found shelter in its noun
! tainous labyrinths and live seQuester-
! ed from the tides and modes of
civilization. Mohamme edanism is the
dominant religion in the towns. but
in the hills curious sects persist. even
/ the pagans, who hold weird feasts to
nature gods in sacred groves.
PERSIAN Azerbaijan has a slightly
smaller area. about that of South
Carolina, and about threefourths as
many people as its northern neigh
, Dor. Tabrix. second city of Persia,
| is capital of the province L is
bounded on the north by the Aras
river formerly a political demsrca-
/. tion line between Asia and Europe.
!, The slopes Of the Caucasus to the
north of the Aras merge 50 gently
into the hiliy. country 70 Che south
of the river that the outstanding
distinction between ths two Azerbai-
!, jans-that one was gsnerally consta-
cred to be in Europe until the time
Eof the world war snd the other In
4 Asia-becomes academic when on3
4 ~ u q i q