The_Land_of_Fire

<i>The Land of Fire</i>

The Land of Fire

Adopted motto of Azerbaijan


The Land of Fire (Azerbaijani: Odlar Yurdu) is the adopted motto of Azerbaijan.

Natural gas fires in Yanar Dag, Baku, Azerbaijan

Historical and political development

The etymology of the phrase is thought to be related to Atropates, who ruled over the region of Atropatene (present Iranian Azerbaijan). The name "Atropates" itself is the Greek transliteration of an Old Iranian, probably Median, compounded name with the meaning "Protected by the (Holy) Fire" or "The Land of the (Holy) Fire".[1] The Greek name is mentioned by Diodorus Siculus and Strabo. Over the span of millennia the name evolved to Āturpātākān then to Ādharbādhagān, Ādharbāyagān, Āzarbāydjān and present-day Azerbaijan. The word is translatable as "The Guardian" of fire or "The Land of the Fire"[1] in Modern Persian.[2]

Some critics have argued that the phrase is a reference either to the natural burning of surface oil deposits or to the oil-fueled fires in temples of the once-dominant Zoroastrianism.[3][4]

The symbolism of the term has been widely used in most fields such as in heraldry, the shield in national emblem of Azerbaijan contains the image of a fire in the center of an eight-point star against a background of the colors of the Azerbaijani flag.[5]

Promotional usage

Atlético players with kits stating "Azerbaijan Land of Fire"

After Azerbaijan's independence from Soviet Union, the phrase was used as a touristic campaign to promote the country as a tourist destination and as a location for industry. The phrase appeared in many touristic promotions, the most notable on Atlético Madrid's shirts between the 2012–13 and 2013–14 seasons.[6][7] In 2014, the phrase appeared on Sheffield Wednesday and Lens shirts after the clubs' promised but subsequently cancelled takeover by Azerbaijani businessman Hafiz Mammadov.[8][9]

The motto "Light your fire!", used to promote the Eurovision Song Contest 2012, which was held in Baku, was based on the "Land of Fire" concept.[10]

European calques

The "Land of Flames" expression became the origin for the literary expressions denoting Azerbaijan in a number of European languages, such as in Russian language Strana Ogney (Страна Огней, i.e. "Country of the Fires").[11]

See also


References

  1. "Azerbaijan: Early History: Persian and Greek Influences". U.S. Library of Congress. Retrieved June 7, 2006.
  2. Tyrrell, Maliheh S. (2000). Aesopian Literary Dimensions of Azerbaijani Literature of the Soviet Period, 1920-1990. Lexington Books. p. 34.
  3. "Azerbaijan". www.about.com. About.com. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  4. "THE NATIONAL SYMBOLS OF THE REPUBLIC OF AZERBAIJAN". www.azerbaijan.az. Archived from the original on 16 June 2007. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  5. Gibson, Owen. "Azerbaijan's sponsorship of Atlético Madrid proves spectacular success". www.theguardian.com. Retrieved 3 July 2014.
  6. "'Azerbaijan Land of Fire' on new Owls strip". www.swfc.co.uk. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
  7. "Atlético Madrid, Lens, Euro 2016... L'Azerbaïdjan est-il le nouveau Qatar du foot ?". www.huffingtonpost.fr (in French). Retrieved 10 August 2014.
  8. Siim, Jarmo (25 January 2012). "Baku 2012: Light your fire!". European Broadcasting Union. Retrieved 25 January 2012.
  9. Страна огней: Азербайджан. www.nat-geo.ru (in Russian). National Geographic. Retrieved 3 July 2014.

Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article The_Land_of_Fire, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.