Ingiloys or
Ingiloi are an ethnic group of
GeorgianThe Georgians are an ethnic group that have originated in Georgia, where they constitute a majority of the population. Large Georgian communities are also present throughout Russia, European Union, United States, and South America....
descent, living in northwestern
AzerbaijanAzerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
. Ingiloys speak Ingiloy dialect of
Georgian languageGeorgian is the native language of the Georgians and the official language of Georgia, a country in the Caucasus.Georgian is the primary language of about 4 million people in Georgia itself, and of another 500,000 abroad...
.
Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic DictionaryThe Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary is, in its scope and style, the Russian counterpart to the Encyclopædia Britannica. It contains 121,240 articles, 7,800 images, and 235 maps...
states that Ingiloys are an aleternative name to
MuslimA Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
Georgians. By religion, Ingiloys are divided to Christians and Sunni Muslims. Muslim Ingiloys identify themselves as
AzerbaijaniThe Azerbaijanis are a Turkic-speaking people living mainly in northwestern Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan, as well as in the neighbourhood states, Georgia, Russia and formerly Armenia. Commonly referred to as Azeris or Azerbaijani Turks , they also live in a wider area from the Caucasus to...
, Christian Ingiloys identify themselves as Georgians.
Muslim Ingiloys live in Balakan and Zaqatala rayons, Christian Ingiloys live in Qakh Rayon. The majority of Muslim Ingiloys live in Aliabad and
MosulMosul is a village and municipality in the Zaqatala Rayon of Azerbaijan. It has a population of 2,842....
villages of Zaqatala rayon and
İtitalaİtitala is a village and municipality in the Balakan Rayon of Azerbaijan. It has a population of 2,115....
of Balakan rayon and Christian Ingiloys in
Qax İngiloyQax İngiloy is a village and municipality in the Qakh Rayon of Azerbaijan. It has a population of 2,747....
, Böyük Alatəmir,
QaxbaşQaxbaş isa village and the most populous municipality, except for the capital Qax, in the Qakh Rayon of Azerbaijan. It has a population of 2,983. The municipality consists of the villages of Qaxbaş and Kiçik Alatəmir....
, Əlibəyli, Meşəbaş, Zəyəm, Xələftala, Qarameşə, Qımır of Qakh rayon.
As a result of missionary activities of the Orthodox Christianity Restoration Society, Ingiloys converted to Christianity in 1860, creating 12
laitiesIn religious organizations, the laity comprises all people who are not in the clergy. A person who is a member of a religious order who is not ordained legitimate clergy is considered as a member of the laity, even though they are members of a religious order .In the past in Christian cultures, the...
, but in 1863, 9 of them converted back to Islam. In 1892, 62 converted to Christianity.
Dynamics of Georgian population increases in Azerbaijan
| 1926 |
1939 |
1959 |
1970 |
1979 |
1989 |
1999 |
| 9500 |
10 196 |
9526 |
13 595 |
11 412 |
14 197 |
14 900 |
In the village Əlibəyli, there is Qakh State Georgian Drama Theatre. In 2009, documentary called "Ingiloys", dedicated to history, culture, traditions of this ethnic group was filmed in
AzerbaijanfilmAzerbaijanfilm is an Azerbaijani state film production company. It was established in 1920 as a photo-cinema department at Azerbaijan SSR People's Commissariat, and in 1923 renamed to "Azerbaijani Photo-Cinema Office"...
.
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