The Garachi (Azeri: Qaraçı), also spelled Karachi or Karaci, are a group of Romani people living in Azerbaijan. Little research has been done on the Garachi, and most of what is known about them is based on the works of the 19th-century Russian scholars Kerope Patkanov (himself a Rom) and Jean-Marie Chopin. It is noteworthy that the term Garachi is sometimes used to describe the Domari-speaking people of northern Iran, who were previously thought to be of Romani stock. The confusion is explained by the fact that both groups live in the regions populated mostly by Azeri-speakers who apply the word Garachi to all medieval collective migrants from the Indian subcontinent, including the Dom. For information on the Dom of Iran, see the article under Dom people. The Azerbaijani language, also called Azeri, Azari, Azeri Turkish, or Azerbaijani Turkish, is the official language of the Republic of Azerbaijan. ... Tzigane redirects here; for the composition by Maurice Ravel, see Tzigane (Ravel). ... Domari is an Indo-Aryan language closely related to Romani, Rajasthani and eastern Punjabi. ... The Azerbaijanis[15][16] are an ethnic group mainly found in northwestern Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan. ... Map of South Asia (see note) This article deals with the geophysical region in Asia. ... The Dom (or Domi) of the Middle East are part of the larger Roma (or Gypsies) ethnic group. ...

Origins and history

Even though the Garachi of Azerbaijan call themselves Dom (the name Garachi was given to them by the local population and derives from the Azeri word qara - "black" and the suffix -çı denoting the stem-word's function/occupation), they do not seem to share same origins with the Dom people. According to Jean-Marie Chopin, the Azerbaijani Garachi descend from the medieval Romani nomads of Central Asia.^[1] In 1944, Vasily Yan suggested that the Garachi in Azerbaijan and the Dom of Iran (sometimes referred to as the Garachi) differ in terms of their origins.^[2] The Azerbaijani language, also called Azeri, Azari, Azeri Turkish, or Azerbaijani Turkish, is the official language of the Republic of Azerbaijan. ... Map of Central Asia showing three sets of possible boundaries for the region Central Asia located as a region of the world Central Asia is a vast landlocked region of Asia. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ...

In 1887, Kerope Patkanov stated that the Garachi of the South Caucasus (then part of the Russian Empire) numbered 2,399 people living mostly in the Goychay uyezd (present-day Goychay, Ujar, Agsu, and Ismayilli rayons of Azerbaijan) and Nakhichevan. The largest Garachi settlement was named after them and was situated near Khachmaz.^[3] Their main occupation was the production of household items such as baskets, sieves and chewing gum made by men and sold by women in the neighbouring towns. Among other sources of income Patkanov lists fortune-telling and cattle larceny. Nomadic Garachi groups used to train animals and make street song-and-dance performances.^[4] This practice was described in the famous 1913 story Garaja giz ("Nigella") by the Azeri writer Suleyman Sani Akhundov.^[5] The Garachi claim to adhere to Shia Islam but in reality are non-religious for the most part. 1887 (MDCCCLXXXVII) is a common year starting on Saturday (click on link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. ... South Caucasus: Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan South Caucasus (also referred sometimes as Transcaucasus) is a name to the transitional region between Europe and Asia extending from the Greater Caucasus to the Turkish and Iranian borders, between the Black and Caspian seas. ... Anthem God Save the Tsar! The Russian Empire in 1914 Capital Saint Petersburg Language(s) Russian Government Monarchy Emperor  - 1721-1725 Peter the Great (first)  - 1894-1917 Nicholas II (last) History  - Established 22 October, 1721  - February Revolution 2 March, 1917 Area  - 1897 22,400,000 km2 8,648,688 sq... Goycay is a rayon of Azerbaijan. ... Ucar is a rayon, situated to the south of Goycay, in the centre of Azerbaijan. ... Agsu is a rayon in central Azerbaijan. ... Ismayilli is a rayon of Azerbaijan. ... The Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic (Azerbaijani: Naxçıvan Muxtar Respublikası, Armenian: Õ†Õ¡Õ­Õ«Õ»Ö‡Õ¡Õ¶Õ« Ô»Õ¶Ö„Õ¶Õ¡Õ¾Õ¡Ö€ Õ€Õ¡Õ¶Ö€Õ¡ÕºÕ¥Õ¿Õ¸Ö‚Õ©ÕµÕ¸Ö‚Õ¶, Russian: Нахичеванская Автономная Республика, Persian:جمهوری خودمختار نخجوان, Turkish: Nahçıvan Özerk Cumhuriyeti), known simply as Nakhichevan, is a landlocked exclave of Azerbaijan. ... Xacmaz is a rayon of Azerbaijan. ... For prophecy in the context of revealed religions see Prophet. ... In the United States, larceny is a common law crime involving stealing. ... Year 1913 (MCMXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ...

Language

Patkanov's analysis of the language of the Garachi (based on 101 common phrases) indicated that despite being Indo-Aryan, it is not mutually intelligible with any of the Romani or Domari dialects of the Balkans, Russia, or the Middle East. In addition to it, the Garachi observed by Patkanov spoke Azeri and sometimes Tat as a second and third language respectively. The Indo-Aryan languages form a subgroup of the Indo-Iranian languages, thus belonging to the Indo-European family of languages. ... Romani (or Romany) is the language of the Roma and Sinti, peoples often referred to in English as Gypsies. The Indo-Aryan Romani language should not be confused with either Romanian (spoken by Romanians), or Romansh (spoken in parts of southeastern Switzerland), both of which are Romance languages. ... Punkmorten 15:55, 9 February 2006 (UTC) Category: ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ... The Tat language or Tati is a Western Iranian language spoken by the Tat ethnic group in The Republic of Azerbaijan and Russia. ...

Present-day

Most Garachis nowadays are settled and live in communities in Yevlakh, Agdash, Gakh, Khachmaz and Baku suburbs numbering altogether around 2,000 people. Small communities in Shusha and Jabrayil were driven out by the Armenian forces during the Nagorno-Karabakh War. Nowadays the Garachi are undergoing cultural and linguistic assimilation by Azeris. Modern Garachi couples tend have 2 to 3 children as opposed to 5 and above, as was the case throughout their history.^[6] Yevlakh (Azeri: Yevlax) is a small town in Azerbaijan, 265 km west of capital Baku. ... Agdas is a rayon in central Azerbaijan. ... Qax is a rayon of Azerbaijan. ... Xacmaz is a rayon of Azerbaijan. ... Municipality: Baku Area: 1000 km² Altitude: -28 m Population: 2,074,300 census 2003 Population density: 1280 persons/km² Postal Code: AZ10 Area code: +99412 Municipality code: BA Latitude: 41° 01 52 N Longitude: 21° 20 25 E Weather types: 9 of 11 Mayor: Hajibala Abutalybov The Baku region. ... Azeri subdivsion Shusha rayon Nagrono Karabakh Republic Subdivsion Shushi province Elevation 1,400 m above sea level m Population  - City ~3,000 Shusha (Azerbaijani: ÅžuÅŸa, Armenian: Õ‡Õ¸Ö‚Õ·Õ«; translit. ... Cabrayil is a rayon of Azerbaijan. ... Combatants Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh1 Republic of Armenia 2 CIS mercenaries Republic of Azerbaijan Afghan Mujahideen 3 Chechen Volunteers 4 CIS mercenaries Commanders Samvel Babayan, Hemayag Haroyan, Monte Melkonian, Vazgen Sargsyan, Arkady Ter-Tatevosyan Ä°sgandar Hamidov, Suret Huseynov, Rahim Gaziev, Shamil Basayev Casualties 6,000 dead, 25,000 wounded 17...

References

1. ^ Chopin, Jean-Marie. New Articles on the Ancient History of the Caucasus and Its Inhabitats. St Petersburg, 1896
2. ^ (Russian) Turkestan Campaigns by Vasily Yan
3. ^ Patkanov, Kerope. Gypsies: Several Words on the Dialects of the Transcaucasian Gypsies, the Bosha and the Karachi. St. Petersburg, 1887
4. ^ (Russian) Gypsies and Crime by Oleg Kucheriavy
5. ^ (Azerbaijani) Nigella by Suleyman Sani Akhundov (full text)
6. ^ (Russian) Our Romani Neighbours by Kamal Ali. Echo. 30 December 2006. Retrieved 29 April 2007