Azal

Azal may refer to:

Azal (Bible)

Azal (אצל), or Azel, is a location mentioned in the Book of Zechariah 14:5, in Bibles that use the Hebrew Masoretic Text as the source for this verse. In Bibles that follow the Greek Septuagint (LXX) rendering, depending upon the source manuscript used, Azal is transcribed Jasol (ιασολ, pronounced "Yasol"), Jasod (a corruption of Jasol), or Asael (ασαηλ):

Theories on location

No written work prior to the late 19th-century definitively identifies what, or where, Azal is or was. The Holman Bible Dictionary asserts as one possibility that the phrase normally translated “to Azal” (אל־אצל) is a preposition, instead of a location. The Douay–Rheims Bible, a translation into English from the Latin Vulgate, also follows this usage. Most Bible commentators of the late 19th century considered Azal to be a place near Jerusalem.Cyril of Alexandria (c. 376 – 444) wrote in his commentary on Zechariah 14 that Azal was known to be “a town situated at the far point of the mountain".

In 1850, Rabbi Joseph Schwarz claimed that Azal was modern Azaria, situated a half mile southeast of the Mount of Corruption (southernmost peak of the Mount of Olives).Charles Simon Clermont-Ganneau, the linguist and archaeologist responsible for identifying the site of the ancient Canaanite city of Gezer and preserving the Mesha Stele's inscriptions, claimed that Schwarz was referring to al-Eizariya, the traditional Bethany of New Testament times. However, al-Eizariya lies several kilometers due east of the Mount of Corruption, not a half mile southeast of it, as Schwarz claimed.

Azerbaijan Airlines

Azerbaijan Airlines (Azerbaijani: Azərbaycan Hava Yolları), also known as AZAL, is the flag carrier of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest airline. Based in Baku, adjacent to Heydar Aliyev International Airport, the carrier operates a fleet of 30 aircraft to 57 destinations across Asia, the CIS, Europe and the USA. Azerbaijan Airlines is a member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

History

On 20 October 1910, a plane flew over Baku for the first time. After this introduction of aviation to Azerbaijan, it took only 13 years for the new mode of transportation to acquire an official status in the region: the Caucasus Joint Stock Company of Civil Aviation - ZAKAVIA - was established in 1923. It was founded by Mughan Melioration Construction, the Caspian Shipping Company, and AzNeft (Azerbaijan Oil Company). ZAKAVIA planes were intended to conduct aerial surveys, deliver emergency goods, and carry mail.

In 1926, regular flights began on the Mineralnye Vody–Grozny–Makhachkala–Baku–Yevlakh–Tbilisi route. Airports were opened in Baku, Yevlakh, and Shaki, where Dornier Komet III and Dornier Merkur planes were based. The successful completion of a flight largely depended on the skill of the pilots, as the aircraft had no navigation equipment at the time. Pilots used roads, railway lines, local terrain and other features as landmarks. Despite the imperfections, the international air-route Kharkiv-Baku-Bandar-e Pahlavi was opened in 1929, while in 1933, the first flight to Moscow over the Caucasus ridge was carried out, shortening the distance of the route by 1100 km. A regular air route between Baku and Moscow was opened in 1937; it was operated by local aircraft Kharkov KhAI-1 and Putilov Stal-3, which carried 15 passengers a day.