A research seminar titled “Our History Preserved in Christian Rituals” was held at the Faculty of Philology of Baku State University. The seminar was led by Meti Osmanoglu, Associate Professor of the Department of History of Azerbaijani Literature, and dedicated to Science Day.

During the seminar, Osmanoglu noted that traces of the Azerbaijani Turkic language can frequently be found in 19th-century sources reflecting the everyday and ceremonial life of the Christian peoples of the Caucasus. According to observations by the German traveler and writer Friedrich Bodenstedt, many songs and epics performed at Christian gatherings in Yerevan at that time were sung in Azerbaijani Turkic.

The speaker emphasized that expressions such as “Allah verdi!” and “Yaxşı yol!” have long existed in the culture of Caucasian gatherings. These expressions, he noted, function not only as elements of everyday communication but also as carriers of collective memory and historical-cultural traditions. Historical sources indicate that before raising a toast at gatherings, the phrase “Allah verdi!” and the response “Yaxşı yol!” were used as part of an ancient ritual passed down through generations.

Osmanoglu stressed that such examples suggest that at a certain period in history the Azerbaijani language held a significant position as a ritual language among the Christian communities of the Caucasus.

Supporting his arguments, the scholar also referred to a Georgian legend published in the Russian press in the early 20th century and discussed the Azerbaijani Turks living in the Kakheti region of Georgia, as well as the activities of Christian missionaries in the area.

It was noted that a comparative analysis of historical sources makes it possible to identify Turkic traces in the cultural history of the Caucasus more clearly. Language, folklore, and ritual traditions play an important role in understanding the shared historical memory of the region’s peoples.

The seminar concluded with a discussion and a question-and-answer session.