Azerbaijan: The Country Between Worlds

Why does Azerbaijan appear on both sides of the Iranian border—and what does that reveal about the country’s past?

In this special edition episode of Thoughtful Explorations, two curious co-hosts follow the story from ancient Iranian kingdoms and Turkic migrations to the Safavids, Russian conquest, Baku’s oil boom and Soviet rule. Along the way, they explore language, religion, identity and the complicated relationships linking Azerbaijan with Iran, Turkey, Russia and Armenia.

What begins as a question about a map becomes an exploration of how countries—and the stories they tell about themselves—are made. One small country, many overlapping worlds.