Zoroastrianism in Azerbaijan of the world`s oldest religions Zoroastrianism was also practiced in the territory of Azerbaijan in ancient times. Zoroastrianism, sharing its name with its founder Iranian prophet Zoroaster (also known as Zarathustra), was the first monotheistic belief in the world and the official religion in Persia from 600 BCE to 650 CE. Zoroastrians believed that a god called Ahura Mazda (Wise Lord) created the universe. Sacred book of Zoroastrianism Avesta consists of two main sections: the oldest section contains the Gathas including seventeen hymns and the younger Avesta containing commentaries to the older one. It also includes myths, stories and details
Avesta collection now lies in the Royal Library, Denmark ('K'-series). Other large Avestan language manuscript collections are those of the British Museum ('L'-series), the K. R. Cama Oriental Library in Mumbai, the Meherji Rana library in Navsari, and at various university and national libraries in Europe. In its present form, the Avesta is a compilation from various sources, and its different parts date from different periods and vary widely in character. Only texts in the Avestan language are considered part of the Avesta. According to the "Denkard", the 21 "nask"s (books) mirror the structure of the 21-word-long "Ahuna Vairya" prayer: each