The national animal of Azerbaijan is the Karabakh horse. This animal is an important national symbol and is of huge cultural significance to the people of Azerbaijani. They are mountain-steppe racing and riding horses, named after the region from which they originate. They are well known for their good speed and temperament.
Horses have been important to countless different cultures throughout our planet’s history, though there are some notable exceptions.
Azerbaijan certainly is not one such exception, though, and they are enamored with their national animal and horse.
Since time immemorial the country has been famed for its horses.
Let’s find out more.
What is the national animal of Azerbaijan?
The national animal of Azerbaijan is the Karabakh horse.
This is a breed of horse that is very common in Azerbaijan and was originally bred there.
This part of the world has always been known for its quality horses.
Indeed, even the ancient Greek historian Strabo describes the province as supplying the most cavalry to the kingdom.
These horses are chestnut-golden in color, usually with a slender build that makes them very fast.
Numerous studies in the 19th Century showed the Karabakh horse to be closely related to the Akhal-Teke, bred in Turkmenistan, and the Turkoman horse, bred in Iran.
The breed as we know it today gained most of its distinct characteristics thanks to breeding in the 18th and 19th Centuries.
They became popular in Europe during the 19th Century for a variety of purposes though mostly for riding or racing.
Their numbers have waxed and waned over the years since, coming in and out of popularity, though they have never stopped being important in Azerbaijan.
While Karabakh was part of the Russian Empire, the ruler of the region was not interested in creating or maintaining stud farms.
This led to the beginning of a decrease in the number of horses in this region.
In the 20th Century, civil and ethnic wars in the region caused the number of these horses to sharply decline.
The biggest breeding enterprise was destroyed and the horses were ultimately interbred with other breeds which led to many changes including smaller size.
So, the history of this horse has certainly been turbulent.
They have been an important part of Azerbaijani local life for at least two thousand years, though, even long before the modern nation-state of Azerbaijan existed.
Why, then, are they the national animal today?
Why is the Karabakh horse the national animal of Azerbaijan?
The Karabakh horse is, simply put, a national Azerbaijani institution.
As mentioned, the quality of the horses in this part of the world has been an important institution since antiquity.
Though horses were naturally once a lot more important to the world than they are today, they remain important in many different ways.
Horse racing continues to be a huge industry, and these horses are very popular for racing.
They are simply, then, part of the national identity and hold a place in Azerbaijani hearts in a way that most national animals generally don’t.
National animals often tend to be wildlife rather than domestic animals, so you can see that it is a very important point of national pride that these animals be given this status.
They are one of the country’s greatest exports historically speaking, and they are fairly recognized as an excellent breed of horse in many different ways.
They are particularly important to the Agdam and Shaki districts, and the horse appears in literature and on postage stamps.
The horse also appears on the logo of Qarabag FK, a popular football team in Azerbaijan.
Simply put, then, these horses are a point of prestige in Azerbaijan.
How much does a Karabakh horse cost?
Prices are naturally going to range quite a bit, and individual horses will often have greater prestige than others.
At least, though, you could expect to pay around $2,500 for a Karabakh horse as a starting price.
In order to preserve the breed many Azerbaijanis have chosen to sell these horses for a lower price, which is where this would come in.
On the other hand, some individual Karabakh horses have sold at auction for as much as $17,000.
So, as you can see, there’s a lot of variation and some are more expensive than others.
How many Karabakh horses are there?
The number of Karabakh horses has unfortunately declined a great deal over the last century.
It’s estimated today that there are around 1,000 total left in the world.
Most of these are still to be found in Azerbaijan itself, but as mentioned they are making a concerted effort to get the breed out to other people in the world to preserve it.
Whether these numbers will significantly increase in the future is hard to say.
The breed certainly is still popular and does still hold an important prestige, but equally so do countless other breeds—only time will really tell.
So, though not a species in its own right, this particular breed of horse is nonetheless uniquely important to Azerbaijani culture and history.
They have been tightly interwoven with the country’s culture for a very long time and are widely regarded as extremely important to Azerbaijan today.
Whether it’s for racing or just for riding, everyone in Azerbaijan is likely to know what a Karabakh horse is, where it comes from, and just why it’s so important to the country’s national identity.