Western Azerbaijan refers to the geographical area currently encompassed by the territory of the Republic of Armenia and historically inhabited by Azerbaijanis. Throughout different periods of history, the territory of the present-day Republic of Armenia formed part of the states of Urartu, the Sasanids, the Arab Caliphate, the Sajids, the Shaddadids, the Seljuks, the Eldanizids, the Ilkhanids, the Timurids, the Qara Qoyunlu, the Aq Qoyunlu, the Safavids, the Afsharids, the Qajars, and the Russian Empire. The first Armenian state in history was established only in 1918 in the South Caucasus on the historical lands of Azerbaijan.