March 1918: Azerbaijan Without Azerbaijanis Aslan Khalilov Ph.D
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As it happened March 1918: Azerbaijan without Azerbaijanis Aslan KHALIloV Ph.D. in History AFTER THE RUssian REVOLUTIONS OF THE EARLY 20TH CENTURY, THE SOUTH CAUcasUS was ENGULFED IN ANARCHY AND ARBITRARiness. TAKING ADVantaGE OF that, ARMENIANS staRTED TO IMPLEMENT THEIR MUCH-COVETED DREAM OF CReatinG A “GReat ARMENIA FROM THE SEA TO THE SEA”, PRIMARILY at THE EXPENSE OF AZERbaiJANI LANDS WHERE A SIGNIFicant ARMENIAN POPULatiON APPEARED ONLY at THE dawn OF THE 19TH CENTURY. THIS IDEA became THE MAIN SLOGAN FOR ALL ARMENIAN POLiticaL PARTIES AND ORGANIZatiONS - FROM Dashnaks TO THE BOLSHEVIKS. s is known, Soviet power was established in and around ABaku on 2 November 1917. The Baku Council was headed by Armenian activists who called themselves Bolsheviks - Shaumyan, Mikoyan, Amiryan, Kamo and oth- ers. After seizing power, they used it as an instrument in exterminating the Muslim population. The anti- Azerbaijani policy of S. Shaumyan and the likes climaxed in the early 1918: from March to July, acting on behalf of Soviet power, Armenians Building of the Achig Soz newspaper unleashed genocide against the 22 www.irs-az.com Building of the Kaspiy newspaper on Nikolayevskaya Street Muslim population of the entire crushed. Dashnaktsutyun also and three bayonet wounds on Baku province. had three to four thousand na- the body... In another place, he The heavily armed Armenian tional units at its disposal. Their found a young Muslim woman units dealt the first blow to Baku. A participation lent the civil war the with a slit throat. The woman’s member of the Emergency Investi- nature of an ethnic massacre, but one-year-old baby was slaugh- gation Commission, lawyer A. Kluge it was unavoidable. We did that tered with a dagger and placed confirms in his report “On violence on purpose. Muslim paupers suf- on top of his killed mother. There against the Muslim population of fered greatly...” were numerous bodies of Muslim Baku”, based on numerous witness Kluge says in his report that the women with cut off breasts, nose, accounts and examination of massa- Muslim population was massacred ears... In one place he discovered cre sites, that over 11,000 of innocent in most horrific ways, while help- a child burned on the stove, in an- Azerbaijanis were killed by armed Armenian gangs in late March and accORDING TO EYE-witnesses, THERE WERE MUTILated BODIES THROUGH- early April 1918 alone. Most of those OUT THE CITY killed were extremely poor. Some background to the massacre was ac- less old men, women and children other there was a boy pinned to knowledged by Shaumyan himself suffered the worst. “According to the ground with wooden stakes in a report to the Council of People’s Heydar Gulyiev, he found terribly pierced through his stomach.” Commissars on 13 April 13 1918: “... mutilated corpses when visiting As if these atrocities against There was a fierce battle in Baku Muslim homes in different parts Azerbaijanis weren’t enough, Arme- for three days – 30, 31 March of the city. He found the body of nian units burned and destroyed and 1 April... The results are bril- his nephew Bashir Jafarov with the best buildings owned by the liant for us. The enemy has been his head cut off, a severed hand Muslims. Kluge’s report suggests www.irs-az.com 23 As it happened The Ismayilliye Palace that the I smailliye building, the ments of the early 1918, Kluge pro- ans. As confirmed by the events Kaspiy newspaper where 5,000 vides witness accounts and numer- that unfolded in the aftermath of copies of the Koran were stored, ous documents confirming that the 17 (30) March 1918, the killing of hotels Islamiye, Dagestan, Iskend- campaign was not spontaneous, Muslims and the destruction of eriye and others were burnt out. but had been carefully prepared Muslim homes were carried out Armenian soldiers looted the prop- in advance. Along with political or- throughout the city according to erty of the killed Azerbaijanis and ganizations and armed Armenian a preexisting plan masterminded destroyed everything they could lay units, many ordinary Armenian resi- by Armenian troops and the Ar- menian population of Baku.” THE EVents OF MARCH 1918 HAD BEEN ON THE ARMENIAN AGenda FROM The mass killings of Azerbaijanis 1917 and the looting of their property continued until September 1918. their hands on. This is confirmed by dents of Baku were actively involved Baku resident Sadig Bey Mamed Rza Kluge’s report. “Breaking into Mus- in the massacre. “The events of Bey oglu left Baku for the Pirshaga lim homes, Armenians took over March had been on the agenda settlement in late August 1918. In all valuables, while the rest was of Dashnaktsutyun and the Ar- the Mammadli village, he and 20 broken and set alight. In the low- menian National Council from other Azerbaijanis were captured by er part of the city, there was no 1917. They repeatedly tried to 17 Armenian soldiers and taken to Muslim home left intact except provoke the Muslim population the Zabrat village where they were for the house of Haji Zeynalabdin to stage an uprising only to phys- tied together with a rope and fired Tagiyev... The Muslim population ically destroy it first in Baku and on from rifles. When the victims col- of Baku suffered losses of at least then around the city, capture all lapsed, they were stabbed with bay- 400 million rubles in old prices.” of its property and pass the po- onets, daggers and swords. While describing the develop- litical dominance on to Armeni- Also attacked by Armenians 24 www.irs-az.com Scores of Muslims fell victim to Armenian atrocities were Shamakhi and Guba districts. stormed the Muslim (lower) part of Shamakhi Muslims was stopped In late March 1918, Shaumyan sent the city and began to burn houses only with the arrival of a detach- Armenian units to Shamakhi alleg- and kill men, women and children. ment of Azerbaijani troops. Arme- edly to establish Soviet rule there. A member of the Emergency In- nians hurriedly left the crumbling Instead, they teamed up with local vestigation Commission under the city, retreating towards the Molokan Armenians and unleashed a mas- Azerbaijan government, A. Novatski, village of Kozlichay (Hilmilli). But sacre in the province, killing tens of said in a report on the destruction the Azerbaijani unit had to leave thousands of civilian Muslims with- of Shamakhi and the violence un- the town soon, and Armenian of- out heeding much attention to their leashed against the Muslim popula- fensive resumed with fresh feroc- gender, age or political affiliation. tion: “Every step of their advance ity. The chairman of the Emergency On 31 March 1918, the center of the was accompanied by the burning Investigation Commission, Alekper province, Shamakhi, was destroyed. of houses, killing of civilians and Bey Khasmammadov, wrote in a In the early hours of the day, local looting. The fire spread through- message to the commander of al- residents were awakened by the out the city and there was noth- lied troops in Baku on 9 December 1918: “... On orders from S. Lalayev, EVERY steP OF THEIR ADVANCE was accOMPANIED BY THE BURNING OF his soldiers seized young Muslim HOUSES, KILLING OF CIVILIANS AND LOOTING. women, took them to his house in Shemakha, stripped them, forced thunder of machine guns. It turned ing left of it by the next morning. them to drink alcohol and then out that armed Armenians attacked People were killed in their houses raped them. Some were then killed, the city from the Armenian village and on the street. The killings others were thrown from a high bal- of Matrasy and sealed it from all were incredibly cruel. Valuable cony onto the street.” sides. Led by G. Korganov, T. Amirov, property was plundered…” During the Armenian attack on S. Lalayev and others, the attackers The blood-bath against the Shamakhi, a number of prominent www.irs-az.com 25 As it happened The inside of the Ismayilliye Palace was in complete ruins representatives of the local popula- September 1919: “I witnessed the cut off his tongue, ears and nose...” tion were killed, including mayor murder of well-known and high- S. Lalayev (Lalayan), acting to- Teymur Bey Khudaverdiyev, a mem- ly respected mullah Jafar Gulu gether with local Armenian leaders ber of the first State Duma Mamed Akhund and about 400 women Gyulbandyan, Arzumanyan, Doliyan, Tagi Aliyev, Haji Baba Abbasov, Ashraf and children. They were hiding Petrosyan, Karapetyan, etc., ordered Hajiyev, Haji Jafar Gulu Akhund, who in a local mosque but Armenians to encircle all 13 mosques that shel- was tortured to death. Here is a wit- stormed it and killed them all. Be- tered women, children and the el- ness account of Nasrulla Haji Sul- fore killing Akhund, they knocked derly in Shamakhi. The Armenians tan oglu from his testimony on 29 out his teeth, pulled off his beard, set fire to the mosques, killing eve- ryone trying to escape... A total of several thousand peo- ple were killed in the first and sec- ond Armenian attacks on Shamakhi. The Muslim part of the town was razed to the ground. Killings and violence continued in many villages of the Shamakhi Province. In mid- April 1918, Armenians attacked the village of Navagi where they mas- sacred local civilians – those fleeing were shot, those who fell into their hands were killed with bayonets and daggers, while women were raped. A total of 555 men, 260 women and 140 children were killed. 26 www.irs-az.com joined forces, irrespective of politi- cal and social standing, to eradicate the Muslim population of Shamakhi and Guba provinces.