Tapmacalar

It seems there is a oral tradition (şifahi xalq ədəbiyyatı) of telling riddles in Azerbaijani.You can find books of riddles in Azerbaijan that are not only fun to figure out but are great for building vocabulary. Altun Kitab press publishes a small red paperback with 639 riddles. They are listed by themes such as Bitkilər (plants), Geyim və bəzək şeyləri (clothing and jewelry), and Xörəklər və qida məhsulları (Meals and food products). Look for it in bookshops. Here are some that I have figured out (OK, for some I peeked at the answers in the back of the book). I'll list examples here and answers on the following page. Warning: some are very specific to Azerbaijani culture!

1. Axşam gedər, Səhər gələr.

2. Aləmə işıq salır, Axşam gül kimi solur.

3. Yupyumru fincan, İçi dolu mərcan.

4. Adam deyil, hey qaçir, Meşə deyil, səs salır.

5. Bizim evdə dörd gəlin var, Dördü də bir boy-buxunda.

6. Üzük aldım, qaşı yox, Təpə gördüm, daşı yox, O nədir ki, ağlayır, Gözlərinin yaşı yox?

7. Bizdə bir kişi var, Çoxluca gözu var. 

8. Bizdə bir kişi var, Dörd qıçı var.

9. Bizdə bir kişi var, Qırx iki dişi var.

10. Baxsan onun üzünə, Görünərsən gözünə.

1. In the evening it goes, in the morning it comes. The sun (günəş)

2. It spread light on the world, it fades like a flower in the evening. The sun (günəş)

3. It's a very round saucer, filled with coral. Pomegranate (nar)

4. It's not a man, but it always runs; it's not a forest, but it makes a sound. (çay)

5. In our house there are four who came, four also bearing one. Walls (divar)

6. I bought a ring, without a stone; I found a hill, not of stone; What is this, that cries, but doesn't have tears? Kamancha (kamança)

7. At our place there is a man who has many eyes. Sieve (əşsüzən)

8. At our place there is a man who has four legs. Chair (stol)

9. At our place there is a man who has 42 teeth. Comb (daraq)

10. If you look at his face, you will appear. Mirror (güzgü)