The history of Karabakh is rooted in an antiquity, and it is one of the historic provinces of Azerbaijan, an important political, culturel, and spiritual center.

Territorial claims of the Armenians against the Azerbaijani people and Azerbaijan are the main reasons for the so-called “Karabakh problem”.

Karabakh was inalienable part to all the state formations that have existed on the territory of northern Azerbaijan.

From 4th century B.C. to 8th century A.D. the territory of the current Nagorno- Karabakh region of Azerbaijan was one of the provinces of Caucasian Albania, the most ancient state of Northern Azerbaijan. After the fall of the independent Albanian state, Karabakh being inseparable from Azerbaijan both geographically and politically, was a part to the Azerbaijani state of Sajids, in 10th - to the state of Salarids, and in 11-12th centuries - to the state of Sheddadids. During 12-13th centuries Karabakh constituted part of the Atabey-Ildenizids state, in the second half of the 13th century- beginning of 15th century, during the existence of the Mongolian Khalugoid state- part of the Jalairds’ state. In the 15th century it existed within the states of Gharagounlou and Aghgounlou, and during 16th and 17th centuries Karabakh, as a part of the Karabakh beylerbeyyat (duchy), was within the Sefevi state. The latter consisted of 4 beylerbeyyats: Shirvani, Karabakhi, Erivani and Tabrizi, when a part of the Karabakhi beylerbeyyat was ruled by the representatives of the Turkic Ziyad-oglu tribe, subordinated to Kajars from 16th till 19th century. In the second half of the 18th century Karabakh belonged to the khanate (principality) and along whit the latter was incorporated into Russia.