About the ―Salyan Genocide, 1918 of Azerbaijanis in historical sources and scientific references

On August 31, 1918, in accordance with the decision signed by Fatali Khan Khoyski, the chairman of the government of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, in the city of Ganja, an Extraordinary Investigation Commission (EIC) consisting of 7 people was established. The EIC initially operated as an official investigative body under the ministries of foreign affairs and then justice of the Government of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic from July 15, 1918 to April 1920. Its main purpose was to investigate the crimes of the Armenian Dashnaks against the lives and property of Azerbaijanis. In addition, Alimardan bey Alakbar bey ohlu Topchubashov (1862-1934) presented the materials and photographs prepared by the Extraordinary Investigation Commission to the Paris Peace Conference. As well as a special organization was established under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to convey these truths to the world community, and March 31, 1919 and 1920, was twice celebrated as a day of national mourning by the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic.

The March 31 Genocide of Azerbaijanis in the Documents of the Extraordinary Commission of Inquiry

In general, when looking at the FTK documents related to the 1918 genocide of Azerbaijanis, A. Pashayev's investigations, and especially Alakbar bey Khasmammadov's (1870-1925) other letter to the Minister of Justice on June 4, 1919, reported that the work of preparing draft decisions based on the investigation materials had begun in order to hold the participants in the crimes committed against Muslims accountable. The commission members prepared a total of 128 draft decisions. Of these, 1 was prepared for Baku city, 23 for Shamakhi city and Shamakhi district villages, 23 for Guba district villages, 1 for Guba district, 4 for Javad district, 18 for Goychay district, 1 for Ganja district, 1 for Nukha (Shaki) district, 2 for Arash district, 1 for Javanshir district, 1 for Shusha district, 11 for Jabrayil district, 10 for Zangezur district, and 65 for Zangezur district. On August 27, 1919, a report compiled by Ch. Klassovsky, a member of the extraordinary investigation commission, on the activities of the commission, indicated that the materials collected by the commission consisted of 36 volumes and 3,500 sheets. The materials reflecting the violent events committed in and around Baku city were 6 volumes and 740 sheets. These materials were 4 volumes 340 sheets on Kurdamir and other villages of Goychay district, 7 volumes 925 sheets on Shamakhi city and Shamakhi district, 2 volumes 80 sheets on the destroyed villages of Zangezur district, 3 volumes 451 sheets on Guba city and Guba district, etc. 128 reports and draft decisions were prepared on initiating criminal cases against persons who were organizers and participants in criminal acts committed against Azerbaijanis. Three of them concerned crimes committed in Baku, Shamakhi and Guba cities, and the rest in villages included in various districts. In these decisions, the issue of bringing 194 people to criminal responsibility was raised.

It should be noted that although the 36-volume investigation materials of the Extraordinary Investigation Commission (EIC) established on July 15, 1918, indicate that investigations were also conducted in the Goychay and Javad districts, the documents on these districts did not remain in the republic and were considered lost for a long time. Only after a long search were the photographs taken by the EIC discovered in Paris, in the archive of Ali Mardan bey Topchubashov.

Thus, it was possible to obtain information about the 1918 genocides in two other Azerbaijani provinces based only on the documents sent to Paris from the Goychay and Javad provinces - mainly witness statements of people who were subjected to genocide and reports of investigators who conducted investigations in these provinces.

After the April coup in Azerbaijan, Dashnak Armenian terrorists murdered Fatali Khan Khoyski (1875-1920), the first chairman of the government of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Hasan Bey Aghayev (1875-1920), the chairman of the parliament, and Behdud Khan Javanshir, who was the Minister of Internal Affairs in Khoyski's second government cabinet, in 1920 and 1921 in Tbilisi and Istanbul, precisely for the September events of 1918..

Genocide of Azerbaijanis in Goychay

On June 14, 1918, the Goychay district was subjected to a powerful attack by Armenian groups operating under the guise of “Bolshevik troops”. Armenian groups, who broke the resistance of the residents of the Kurdamir settlement of the Goychay district, committed inhumane atrocities here. As a result, 56 houses and shops, 127 properties, and 2 mosque buildings were completely burned down, and all the remaining houses and properties were destroyed, looted, and robbed. The complete destruction of both the Kurdamir station and the village, as well as the extermination of the remaining population, was prevented by Russians in the Red Army units and Iranian (Southern Azerbaijani) workers who partially collaborated with the Bolsheviks. The documents of the Extraordinary Commission of Inquiry contain testimonies about the conflicts that occurred in Kurdamir “between Russian and Azerbaijani Bolsheviks and Armenians” on the grounds of ending the national massacres, and even the shooting of several Armenian soldiers.

In addition to Kurdamir, the villages of Chayli, Garavelli, Garabucaq, Mustafali, Khalil-Gasimbey, Arab-Mehdibeyli, Dadeli and others of the Goychay district were also subjected to Armenian attacks and suffered human casualties. For example, in the village of Arab-Mehdibeyli, 84 houses were destroyed and burned, and 83 residents of the village, including 78 men, 4 women and 1 boy, were killed.

The battles fought between the Baku Soviet Army and the Caucasian Islamic troops near the village of Garamaryam in the Goychay district in the summer of 1918 turned out to be decisive in favor of the Azerbaijanis and laid the foundation for the liberation of the Azerbaijani lands from the enemy.2

The commission began extensive investigative work in September-October 1918. Thus, on October 26, 1918, a member of the commission, N.M. Mikhailov, reported on the investigative work carried out in the Goychay district from September 22 to October 23 of that year. He indicated in the report that during this period, more than 500 witnesses were questioned, and the Kurdamir railway station and 7 villages belonging to the Kurdamir police district (Kurdamir, Garabucaq, Mustafali, Khalilli, Gasim bey, Arab Mehdibey, Dadali) were inspected. On November 22, 1918, the chairman of the Extraordinary

Investigation Commission, Alakbar Khasmammadov, wrote to the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Azerbaijan in his reports to the Baku governorate, Goychay district in Kurdamir, Garabucaq, Arab Mehdibey, etc³. provides detailed information on the initial status of the investigation into the violence committed against Azerbaijanis in the villages of Shamakhi, the city of Shamakhi and the Muslim villages of the Shamakhi district, as well as in the city of Baku. ⁴

The policy of the Republic of Azerbaijan regarding the March 31 genocide of Azerbaijanis

The decree of the National Leader Heydar Aliyev on the "Genocide of Azerbaijanis" issued on March 26, 1998,5

The decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev dated January 18, 2008 “On the 100th anniversary of the 1918 Genocide of Azerbaijanis”6

It has played a very important historical, political and legal role in the investigation of criminal and terrorist acts of Armenians, as well as in communicating them to international organizations and the world community. The Armenian genocide grave discovered in Guba on April 1, 2007 was approved in 2009 by the order of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the “Plan of measures to perpetuate the memory of the victims of mass murder in the Guba region” and the opening of the Guba Genocide Memorial Complex took place on September 18, 2013. Along with Azerbaijanis, representatives of Lezgi, Jews, Tat and other ethnic groups living in a compact manner in Guba were also mercilessly killed and buried in the mass grave.

On March 29, 2008, the decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev on the 100th anniversary of the 1918 genocide of Azerbaijanis states: “Armenian nationalists have carried out ethnic cleansing, deportations and genocides against our compatriots at various stages of history in order to realize the mythical idea of “Greater Armenia”. One of the most terrible tragedies inflicted on the Azerbaijani people is the mass massacres committed with particular cruelty by the Dashnak-Bolshevik armed groups operating under the mandate of the Baku Soviet 100 years ago - in March-April 1918. In those days, tens of thousands of civilians were killed in Baku city, as well as in other cities and districts included in the Baku province, precisely because of their ethnic and religious affiliation, residential areas were destroyed, cultural monuments, mosques and cemeteries were razed to the ground. In subsequent periods, Armenian nationalists, who became even more perverted, continued their inhumane actions, They carried out mass murders, looting and ethnic cleansing in Zangezur, Nakhchivan, Shirvan, Iravan and other regions. The government of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic established an Extraordinary Investigation Commission to investigate the grave crimes committed by Armenians, and took a number of measures to preserve the truths revealed by the commission in the memory of the people and to convey them to the world community. However, after the collapse of the Democratic Republic, this process was stopped, and the full investigation of what happened and the appropriate political and legal assessment were prevented. Only 80 years later - on March 26, 1998, the Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan "On the Genocide of Azerbaijanis" signed by the national leader Heydar Aliyev gave an adequate political assessment to those terrible events and declared March 31 "Day of the Genocide of Azerbaijanis". Thanks to the research conducted over the past 20 years, a large number of new facts and documents have been collected, and a mass grave was discovered in the city of Guba. "The historical facts that have emerged have proven that the geography of the bloody actions carried out by Armenian nationalists in March-April 1918 and subsequent periods was much wider and the number of victims of the tragedy was much higher."

About the history ofJavad district

Javad uyezd was organized according to the decree of Russian Tsar Alexander II (1855-81) on changing the administration of Transcaucasia and the Caucasus dated December 9, 1867. In February 1868, Javad uyezd was created within the Baku governorate. It was the largest uyezd of the Baku governorate. According to the data of 1870, its area was 9837.5 sq. versts. This constituted 28.69% of the territory of the governorate. According to the calculation made on the basis of the results of the cameral description of 1859-1863, Javad uyezd had 13142 courtyards and a population of 60966 people. According to the Caucasian calendar (1917), the area of Javad uyezd was 8396.97 sq. versts (1441.5 sq. versts less than in 1870). At that time, the population of the district was 162,305 people. The district administration system existed. The main occupation of the population since ancient times was cattle breeding and partly agriculture and fishing. There were protests against the tsarist administration in Javad district. In 1920, Javad district was included in the Azerbaijan SSR and named Salyan. It was abolished in 1929. Salyan district was replaced by Mughan district within the same administrative territory by the decision of the VI All-Azerbaijani Congress of Soviets dated April 8, 1929. District heads - Mohsun Israfilbeyov (extraordinary commissioner) (1918-1918) Mr. Rustambekov, view (1918-1919) Muhammad bey Suleymanbeyov (October 14, 1919-1920) Lutvali bey Zulgadarov( February 14, 1920 - March 19, 1920 )Mustafa bey Gabulov( March 19, 1920 - May 29, 1920).

Salyan genocide7

• ^{7    7}Salyan district, established on August 8, 1930, is located south of Baku. The district borders Shirvan city, Hajigabul district to the north, Neftchala district to the south, Bilasuvar and Sabirabad districts to the west. It borders Garadagh district of Baku city and the Caspian Sea to the east. The district is located in the area where the TRACECA (Caucasus) transport corridor passes, making its geographical position even more favorable. The Kura River divides the district into 2 parts. The district is located at 49.4° -48.8° east longitude and 39.5° - 39.9° north latitude. The center is the city of Salyan.

Salyan. There are various opinions and considerations about the etymology of the word. Russian researcher K. Sadovsky, who visited Salyan in 1880, claimed that the word Salyan originated from the Persian word "sal"-il, or "salyane" - meaning annual tax. I. Yagello, the author of the "Complete Persian, Arabic Russian Dictionary", Mahammad Huseyn Tabrizi, the author of the book "Burhane Qate", and Naji, the author of the "Dictionary of Naji", also shared the same opinion with K. Sadovsky. Nabi Nabiyev, the author of the book "Geographical Names", connects the meaning of the word Salyan with the "ferry place" (the place where rafts moor to the shore) or the name of the Sal tribe. The Sal tribe is the name of a Turkic-speaking tribe that lived in Azerbaijan. World-famous Turkologist Murad Acı claims that the word Salyan is related to the name of the Sal tribe. Linguist K. Ramazanov says that this geographical name is derived from the word sal-bare and refers to "the place where the raft takes shelter". * Fish, caviar, oil and salt extracted from the Babazanan mountain were exported from Salyan to Ardabil, Tabriz, Derbent and other cities. Historical sources state that in 1295–1304, the Elkhanid ruler, Sultan Muhammad Kazan Khan, who took the name Mahmud after converting to Islam, founded a city in 1295 at the mouth of the Kura River, in the area where Salyan is now located. Salyan was named Mahmudabad in honor of Kazan Khan, and the city wasIt was named Mughan, Hushtasfi and Mahmudabad, and later it was named Salyan. In 1680, by the Shah's decree, the Salyan and Guba khanates were united and placed under the rule of Huseyn Khan I, with the city of Khudat as its center. (He married the daughter of Salyan qazi Huseyn Khan Rudbari and adopted Shiism as a gift) Guba Khan I Huseyn had a daughter from his marriage with the daughter of Salyan qazi. Later, as a rule, the governors of Salyan were appointed from the descendants of Huseyn Khan's daughter. In 1735, Salyan was separated from the Guba khanate and became directly subordinate to the central government as an independent administrative entity. In those years, the governor of the city was Hasanbey Khan. From 1757 to 1768, the ruler of Salyan was Kalba Ali Khan, from 1782 to 1782, the Khan of Salyan was Gubad Khan, and from 1782 to 1791, the Khan of Salyan was Sheikh Ali Khan, who later became the Khan of Guba. In 1852, the area of the city of Salyan was 150 desyatins (approximately 1,600 km²), of which 95 desyatins were under construction. In 1852, there were 1,125 private houses in Salyan, of which 1,118 belonged to Muslims and 7 to other nationalities. In the same year, there were 7 mosques, 3 caravanserais, 1 market, 5 baths, 28 private Muslim schools, 5 squares, 32 streets, and 24 gardens in Salyan. In 1863, the city administration was transferred to the police-pristav usul department, and from that year the expansion of the city began. In the 1863 cameral census, it is noted that

Armenian-Dashnak bandits arrived at the mouth of the Kura River from Baku in June 1918 via the Caspian Sea with 2 armored and 4 transport ships. The documents list the names of the ships as “Krasnovodsk”, “Yelets”, “Iraq”, “Bakinets”, “Salyanets”, “Demosfen”. The ships crossed the Kura River and Armenian-Dashnak bandits attacked the villages around the river, looting the population's property and brutally killing people.8 The direction taken by the Armenian-Dashnak bandits and their armed formations was from Neftchala to the Bank.9

there were 1292 houses and 10634 residents in the city of Salyan. In February 1868, Javad district was created within the Baku governorate during the Tsarist Russia, and Salyan became the administrative and cultural center of this district. In 1881, the total land area of the city was 800 dessiatines. In that year, it is reported that Salyan consisted of 12 quarters, had 35 streets, 2 squares, 1 market, 2 Muslim and 1 Christian cemeteries, 1 Russian and 12 Turkish schools. In 1881, there were 2323 brick houses in Salyan. In 1897, Salyan had a population of 11787 people. For the first time in all of southern Russia and the Caucasus, a metrological station was established in Salyan in 1864. Salyan has been considered a city since 1916. It was a Disaster Center from 1916 to 1930. Salyan district was established on August 8, 1930. Until 1973, the territory of the current Neftchala district also belonged to Salyan district (except for 1939-1959).

Gazelle, safsar, steppe cat, red-tailed gerbil, Asia Minor gerbil, Levantine grebe, eel, turac, reed warbler, golden wagtail, seagull, Syrian garlic frog, Euphrates tern, skull-shaped hawk, as well as many water and marsh birds listed in the International Red Book - pink pelican, black stork, golden goose, little swan, etc. are animals. Kursangi, Bandovan, Galmas, Mishovdag, Durovdag (Ilandag), Agzibir, Aralıq, Babazanen, Kirlig, Dovshandag mud volcanoes are located here. The breccia of the Babazanen mud volcano is used by the local population for medicinal purposes. The mud and salt water of the volcano have a positive effect on the treatment of rheumatism and joint diseases. In the Kursangi area, Tombs of the 2nd–3rd centuries and a settlement dating back to the medieval period have been discovered. At the highest point of the settlement, there are remains of a fortress wall dating back to the 9th–13th centuries, built of baked bricks. In the area of Bandovan Cape (Shirvan National Park) and at sea, there are settlements dating back to the 9th–13th centuries. Remains of a chuvustan-type building dating back to the Shirvanshahs period, a potter's sphere, unglazed and glazed earthenware vessels, tools, glass ornaments, copper and silver coins have been discovered. In Salyan, there are historical monuments such as the medieval Garabaghly settlement in the village of Garabaghly, the Upper Khalaj settlement near the village of Khalaj, the Khurshud necropolis near the village of Khurshud, and the Marishli settlement near the village of Marishli

• ⁸    Talibli S.A. Crimes against humanity (XX century). (in Turkish/Azerbaijani-Persian languages), Tabriz, Aydinkitab Publishing House, 2023, 540 p.

• ⁹ ** To the Bank — An urban-type settlement in the Banka administrative district of the Neftchala district of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Banka is a settlement with a rich history and a former

They attacked the villages of Seyidlar, Uzunbabali, Tatarmahall, Khilli, Abasalli, Garali, Qazvinli, Garabucaq, Surra, Arabbabirkhanli, Jangan, Kura, and Garagashli, committing robbery, robbery, brutal massacre, and genocide.10

Mehman Suleymanov writes about the “Battle of Salyan” that “While the battles were going on around Goychay, a battle took place between the Bolshevik-Dashnak troops and the Turkish-Azerbaijani army units along the Kur River, near Salyan. It was not by chance that a new front was opened in this direction when the main forces gathered around Goychay. Both sides attached great importance to maintaining control over this region. On the one hand, this was due to the desire to benefit from the abundant grain reserves of Mughan. In order not to suffer from hunger in the coming winter, both sides wanted to fishing industry center. It is located on the left bank of the Kura River, in the South-Eastern Shirvan Plain. The most famous settlement of Neftchala is famous for its black caviar. In the past, specially packaged caviar from the Banka settlement was sent as a private gift to world leaders such as Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (1878-1953), Margaret Hilda Thatcher (1925-2013), and Mohandas Karamchand "Mahatma" Gandhi (1869-1948).

The history of the bank begins in the first half of the 19th century. The factor that gave impetus to the development of fishing in the settlement in the 19th century was the creation of "Bozhi Promysel", founded in 1842 in the nearby Tatar neighborhood village. According to the records about the settlements of Neftchala in the collection "Lists of inhabited places of the Russian Empire, 1859-1864 gg. Baku province, Tbilisi, 1870", published in Tbilisi in 1870, in 1859 there was 1 house in the North East Bank (its previous name). The inhabitants of this house were take control of Mughan’s grain reserves. On the other hand, maintaining control over the territories along the Kur River was also necessary for the Caucasian Islamic Army in terms of security. Most importantly, protecting the security of the Yevlakh bridge, which had important strategic importance, was related to ensuring the security of the points along the Kur River in the Javadi district. When the Baku Bolsheviks, as well as the leaders of the Bolshevik-Dashnak troops, failed to reach Yevlakh and capture the bridge over the Kur River in their attack towards Ganja, They resorted to other means. They wanted to take the ships they had from the Caspian Sea to the Kura River and send special detachments to Yevlakh in this way and blow up their Yevlakh bridge. The command of the Caucasian Islamic Army learned about this and took the necessary security measures. A detachment was organized in Javad under the command of Major Nazim Ramazanov, who had served in the Tsarist army. The detachment was given the 28th battalion of the 10th Caucasian Infantry Regiment, a machine gun platoon from the 30th battalion, and two Russian cannons. 140 man unit of Azerbaijani cavalry was also under the command of N. Ramazanov. This detachment had already taken up its positions in Javad district on June 16. The detachment was supposed to ensure the safety of movement on the Kura River by trying to ensure order in the region and prevent the movement of Bolshevik ships to Yevlakh. The need for grain prompted the Baku commissars to dominate this region. As soon as the organization of the Soviet detachment, which would be engaged in the protection and supply of grain reserves, was completed, it was immediately sent to the region. This detachment arrived in the village of Garabujaq on June 26. The next day, on June 27, the personnel of the Soviet detachment began to move forward along both banks of the Kura River. Two versts before the village of Surra, the fighters of Ramazanov's detachment, standing at the guard posts, opened fire on the Soviet detachment. A two-hour battle ensued between the parties. Therefore, the units of N. Ramazanov's detachment here, unable to withstand the pressure of the Bolshevik forces, retreated.11

The next day, at 4 o'clock in the morning, fighting flared up again between the villages of Surra and Garabujaq. The incessant fire from warships stationed on the Kura River forced the Turkish-Azerbaijani troops to abandon their positions once again. While retreating, they took up new positions near the village of Arabgardashbeyli and attempted to block the Soviet detachment. However, this attempt also failed. (Izvestiya Bakinskogo Soveta, 1918, 2 July.)12 The Soviet detachment fighting here consisted of more than 2 thousand infantrymen, 12 machine guns, and 6 cannons. The detachment was also accompanied by two warships and a transport ship sailing on the Kura River. It was believed that the detachment consisted of 200 Russians, 300 Iranians, and the rest were Armenians. However, the Bolshevik commissar of Mugaran was not satisfied with this much force, and planned to increase the number of forces to 6 thousand by mobilizing among the Russian population of the region. The commissar wanted the weapons and ammunition necessary to arm so many forces from Baku.13.

Z. Ibrahimov writes in his work “The Struggle of Azerbaijani Workers for the Socialist Revolution (1917-1918)” 14 that when they were around Salyan, the Armenians, who formed the basis of the Soviet detachment, committed arbitrariness and massacred the civilian population. For example, Danilov, the commander of the first division of the 5th Red Battalion here, shot the population and plundered the villages. He imposed a compensation of 150 thousand rubles on the population of the village of Khilli in Javad district and forcibly collected a onetime compensation of 30 thousand rubles from the villagers. After the successful attack of the Turkish-Azerbaijani forces, the Armenian Danilov fled to Baku, taking with him the wealth he had accumulated through plunder.

While the fighting around the Karrar station was going on, the military situation around Salyan became complicated, and another battle took place here between the Bolshevik-Dashnak troops and the Turkish-Azerbaijani troops. A detachment formed from the 3rd and 5th battalions of the Red Army took up positions here. The commander of the detachment was the Armenian Ter-Avakimov, who had made a name for himself in the region with his Dashnak activities.15 E.A. Tovarzhevsky writes that "Against this group, a small unit of 35-40 people under the command of Nazim bay Ramazanov took position. This unit had two Maxim machine guns and two cannons. Nazim bay was assisted by another Azerbaijani officer, Sultan Huseynzade. On the eve of the start of the battle, a group of volunteers consisting of locals under the leadership of Sarkhan Shirvanli also joined the fight against the Bolsheviks."16

Ru§tu Turker notes in his work “The 5 th Caucasian Division on the Roads to Baku in the First World War” that the Turkish-Azerbaijani detachment, which was additionally joined by 100 Salyan residents, had occupied the village of Garagashly on the outskirts of Salyan and created defensive positions. The Red Army detachment attacked them here. The fighting between the opposing sides lasted for three days. The Red Army forces, while shelling Salyan with heavy artillery fire and causing destruction there, attacked the positions of the Turkish-Azerbaijani forces 3-4 times. However, each time they retreated, suffering heavy losses17. M. Suleymanov notes in his article “The Struggle of the Caucasian Islamic Army for the Territorial Integrity of Azerbaijan” that the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic and the Caucasian Islamic Army. Despite having a huge advantage, the Bolshevik forces retreated from Salyan on the 4th day of the fighting. Seeing that they were unable to break the resistance of the Turkish-Azerbaijani fighters, the detachment commander Ter-Avakimov ordered the 3rd battalion, mainly composed of Armenians, to leave their combat positions. Fearing that they would be justly punished for the disasters they had caused, the Dashnak elements abandoned their sick, wounded, weapons and equipment and tried to save their lives.

The mouth of the Kura River was liberated from the Bolshevik forces. Several ships and barges were sunk in its mouth to prevent Soviet warships from advancing upstream along the Kura River. The commander of the Salyan detachment wrote in his report to the command of the 5th Caucasian Division about the results of the battles at the mouth of the Kura River: "...Four machine guns, 63 infantry rifles, 100 crates of infantry and artillery shells, 7 small steamers, a quantity of gasoline, salted fish and other items were taken as booty from the driven enemy, and thirty-one men were captured, one Armenian and the others Iranian. Eleven soldiers, including two militiamen (Azerbaijani volunteers), were martyred, 1 officer and 13 soldiers were wounded.

The commander of the 3rd division of the 28th battalion, first lieutenant Basri Efendi, and the deputy commander of the 1st division of the 26th battalion, Hamdi Efendi, were asked to be awarded for their selflessness in this movement and war. M. Suleymanov writes that "both the results of the battles around Salyan-Banka and the great defeat around Shamakhi were associated with the unreliability of the Dashnak forces. But in fact, this success, which was of great importance in cleansing Azerbaijan from the Bolshevik-Dashnak forces, was the logical result of the organizational skills of the command of the Caucasian Islamic Army, the justified attack it carried out, as well as a demonstration of the fighting spirit, determination and courage of the soldiers and officers who took the front against the Bolshevik-Dashnak troops."18

Azer Turan has extensively studied the events of 1918 in his books “Caucasian Islamic Army in Salyan” and “Darülmöminin”. 19 On April 21, 1918, Soviet power was proclaimed in the city of Salyan, Javad uyezd. A

240-man military detachment was sent from Baku to Salyan under the leadership of Mashadi Azizbeyov, and a little later, on April 23, another detachment was sent from Lankaran, consisting of 200 fighters and a warship, by order of Korganov. The Red Guard was created in Salyan under the organization of Rashid Akhundov. On May 12, 1918, a congress of peasant deputies was held in the village of Khilli, Javad uyezd, under the chairmanship of Rashid Jabbarov, the commissar of the Executive Committee of the Baku Soviet of Workers, Red Soldiers and Sailors Deputies. Najafgulu Agayev and Agali Aliyev were elected secretaries of that congress, chaired by Rashid Jabbarov.

R. Aliyev emphasizes in his article “March 31 - the day of the genocide of Azerbaijanis. The Salyan battles that took place on the bloody page of history” that “the composition of the Turkish unit that took position in Kurgarashagly consisted of 40 soldiers, 2 “Maxim” machine guns and 2 cannons led by Ramazan bey. Ismet, Ahmed, Omar pashas showed heroism in this battle. Ramazan bey was assisted by the Azerbaijani officer Sultan Huseynzade. In addition, the 1st company of the 28th battalion of the 10th Caucasian Infantry Regiment, led by the former tsarist army officer, Major Nazim Ramazanov, a machine gun platoon from the 3rd battalion, 2 Russian cannons and a 140-man unit consisting of cavalry, and a group of volunteers organized by akhund Mirbagir Agha Aghazade and Seyid Mirashraf Agha Aghazade also fought against the Armenian executioners. Heroically in Arabbebirkhanli Agajan Nuhiyev, born in 1910, the son of Rustam bey, who fought, said that under the leadership of Agha Mirbagir Aga, the volunteers were divided into 3 groups. The first group was led by Rustam bey. The members of the group were: Agasy, Ahmad, Najafgulu, Mashadi Demir, Abhuseyn and others. The second group was led by Javanshir from Kurgaragashly. The members of the group were: Mamadali, Fatali and others. The third group was led by Kalbi Rashid (Gochu Rashid). The members of the group were Kalbi Alakbar, Khanhuseyn, Jabrail, Hasan and others. The members of the group had built a trench on the Lazan canal. They killed 35 Dashnak Armenians on the way to Khojaly. 250 volunteers were martyred in these battles. Salyan residents who were martyred in battles with the Dashnaks: Molla Abdulhasan, Molla Muhammad, Molla Ramazan, Molla Huseyn, Qahraman, Pilagha,

Haji Samadoglu, Miraslan, Agakishi Naghiyev, Qaranjug Asad, Kassab Gubad, Alakbar, Karbalai Javanshir, Dadash, Qaragöz Mammadhuseyn, Gubad, Alibey, Mirzali, Uruf, Faytonchu Yaser and others.20(Aliyev R. March 31 is the day of the genocide of Azerbaijanis. The Salyan battles, which took place on the bloody page of history21.

In this part of his memoirs, Rushdu Bey presents a document written by Ramazan Bey to the command of the 5th Caucasian Division about this last battle. Ramazan Bey wrote: “4 machine guns, 63 infantry rifles, 100 chests of infantry and artillery shells, 7 small boats, a quantity of gasoline, salted fish, etc. were seized from the driven enemy, and one man, one Armenian and the other a foreigner, was taken prisoner. From the detachment, 11 martyrs, two of whom were militia (Azerbaijani volunteers), 1 officer and 13 missing persons were killed. In this movement and war, the commander of the 3rd division of the 28th battalion, the first officer Besri, and the deputy commander of the 1st division of the 26th battalion, Hamdi Effendi, were asked to be awarded for their selfless and selfless service.”

Mir Bagir Agha sent his horseman Rashid from Salyan after the Turks to inform them of the troubles that were happening in the villages on the Kur coast. Our men believed this and said that the Armenians fired on Salyan so that the people of Salyan would hand over the Agha to them.22

Agazade Mir Bagir agha was a great cleric who earned the title of Garini-Ijtihad in Medina, a prominent religious figure of his time, and one of the Najaful-Ashraf scholars. He lived in Salyan and, of course, had a reliable reputation23. During the period of freedom, the Javad district chief, which consisted of 5 bailiffs, Mahammad bey Suleymanbeyov, administered the district through the Salyan (city bailiff Hajiyev, assistant Khalil Mammadov), the village of Xilli-Boylu Promisel (bailiff Hagverdiyev, assistant Hasanov), Javad, Mughan, and Tsalsuvar field bailiffs. Although this is the historical truth, in any case, all the villages and hamlets were reckoned with Mir Bagir agha, and naturally, the belief that “Agha Mir Bagir agha called the Turks” did not fade away in the hearts of the people. The Agha could call and they would listen to the Agha. The Agha could mobilize the people against the gaur, and of course, this is what happened. (Let's not forget that when the Armenians first came here, they went as far as Garagashli, committing violence, and in the Garagashli-Salyan direction, precisely in the region where the Agha's influence was established, the fugitive Usub's gang managed to push them back. The Salyan entrepreneur who followed the Turks on his personal ship was Imamverdi.) There was also Sultan Huseynzade, who helped the Turks in Salyan and whose name entered the military history of Azerbaijan, and Sarkhan Shirvanli, who made great sacrifices in recruiting volunteers to the Turkish army. All of this is in its place. In any case, Agha Mir Bagir agha, the man of miracles who was repressed in 1937, was in Salyan in those years, and the fact that the Caucasian Islamic Army was also an army acting on Islamic interests, and the fact that the Turkish soldiers participated not only in war, but in the holy war, in jihad, gives great confidence that they were in contact with Agha Mir Bagir agha.24

Conclusion

In my opinion, both Azerbaijan and the world community should be made aware of the historical circumstances under which the genocide of Azerbaijanis occurred, the causes, essence, and consequences of the genocide committed against the Turkish-Muslim population, and the goals of the Armenian-Dashnak, Bolshevik, and foreign forces. It is extremely important and significant to explain the goals of regional and international forces that support the implementation of the evil intentions of the Armenian aggressors, the essence and significance of the measures taken by the independent Republic of Azerbaijan regarding the genocide of Azerbaijanis, to explain to the international community the historical facts related to the genocide of Azerbaijanis, to substantiate the genocide of Azerbaijanis as a crime against humanity based on both Azerbaijani and foreign-language source studies, historiography, archival materials, scientific literature, periodical press, photos, materials of the Extraordinary Investigation Commission of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, as well as historical documents, and to convey in detail the historical truths about the genocide that occurred in the cities, settlements, villages of the Khoy, Salmas, Urmia regions of South Azerbaijan and other regions.