1918: Lankaran and Mughan are on fire (Fifth part)

Involved in the struggle against outlanders and protection of local Turkic and Talysh population were in Astara: squads of  Huseyn Ramazanov, Huseyn Alikhanov and Fattah Rasulov; in Sabitaj (Astrkhanbazar): squads of Boyukhan and former police officer Qulam Tagiyev; in Zuvand: squads of Sahveran Asgar oglu and Yunis as well as of Asadkhan and  Haji Mirkhan, Togra khanym Talyshkhanova. She was a widow of big landowner of Lankaran district, Mir Ahmad khan Talyshkhanov. The area around Lankaran has been extensive land of Mir Ahmed Talishkhanov, including on the territory of the Archivan village.[1] Also, it is worth citing a squad of Hajibaba Shahhuseyn ogly from Pirzakucha; a squad of Khalil İbrahimi, a famous Musavatist-journalist from Vaqo village; a squad of Sanan Rahimov from Garmaturk, etc. In 1917-1918 and up to the first half of 1921an anti-bolshevik squad of Huseyn Ramazanov amounted to 800 men and most of them were Talysh fighters. At that moment, squads of Shirnaly khan, Huseynali khan, Rahim khan and Rashid khan came from Iran in order to protect Moslem population of Lankaran against attacks of foreigners. [2]

Taking the lead in the fighting in adjucent villages of Lankaran, Makarov announced that brothers Shirali and Musa Akhundov were staying in Girdanid in the reviwed period; however, in 1918 they declared that they were not involved in the Sovietization process.[3]  By some accounts, in spite of the fact that Shirali Akhundov paid respect to the red army men, his brother Musa Akhundov was on the opposite side in Girdanid and even headed an armed squad to fight Bolsheviks. Materials on the activity of Musa Akhundov are indicative that Shirali Akhundov allegedly worked as chairman of the executive power of Lankaran district after the region Sovietization while Musa Akhundov and his squad were allegedly provided with red guerillsa cards.[4] In general, exploration of the said documents revealed that Shirali Akhundov was not actively involved both in the first stage of Lankaran developments in 1918 and in its second stage in 1919. It has to be kept in mind that Akhundov was born in 1886, a village of Razigirdani near Istisu, Lankaran district. In the reviewed period adjacent villages were subordinated to Asgar khan and Abdullah khan Talyshkhanovs. He was one of a few educated persons involved in the Lankaran developments, so he had to confess that when the 1917 revolution events broke out “there were no educated persons among Talyshes”.[5] In his memoirs Shirali Akhundov wrote that he had primary education in a Moslem school of his native village by adding that “pur village was not far from Istisu with its three sulphur springs. In summer, people used to visit the place for treatment. While at Istisu, I came to know an Armenian merchant, Vakhramov by name. He raised up no seed, so he asked my father to give me to him. He certified my father of taking me to the town (Lankaran – J.H.) and settling in a school. In September 1903 he settled me in a two-year Russian-Tatar school in Lankaran. I attended the school till 1905. I faced difficulties during my school studies. Thus, I was a Talysh by nationality and when I finished school I could not even speak the Azerbaijani language. Old Vakhramov died, his family sold up everything and moved to Baku. They wanted to me with them but my father turned down their request. I wanted to study at a three-year school. Teachers of this school, Abdul Muslim Magomayev and Panah Qasimov helped me to study, so  I finished the school in 1908 and took on a job of interpreter of a forest warden with 6 manats wage a month.”[6] Note that among my school teachers there were not only Magomayev and Qasimov but well-known enlightener of  Lankaran Teymur bey Bayramalibeyov.[7]

Despite military muscle-flexing and ammunition supplies, no Soviet power had set in Lankaran and Mughan  in 1918. Why? The first reason was that the Soviet power in the form of the Baku Council of Peoples’ Commissars was based on flimsy grounds. In Qriqori Arustamov’s opinion, the second error lay in the fact that the red army men and other Soviet forces reclined too much on doubtful supporters  - socialist-revolutionaries and mensheviks, and as a consequence Baku failed to be supplied with bread. He added that even Japaridze declared upon arrival that socialist-revolutionary Sukharikov worked had and that he needed help. In Arustamov’s view, this error came as a result of bolsheviks’ misinformation about the situation in Mughan . As for the third error, it stemmed from the fact that the Shevkunov’s squad declined from getting into communication with Turkic villagers; even worse, the Shevkunov’s squad failed to prevent acts of hostility against Turkic villagers.  Arustamov wrote: “I vividly remember that in the first month of our stay here village Garmaturk outside of Lankaran was repeatedly shelled. Note that actions of that nature led to intensifying contradictions between us and Turkic villages.” To his thinking, the fourth error was tenuous relationship between Mughan - Lankaran and Baku and the fact that except for Qadirli and Japaridze, no leaders of the Commune had ever visited Mughan. As viewed by Arustamov, the fifth error stemmed from the fact that organization structure of bolsheviks in Mughan  was infirm and no party cells were active in the region.[8]

In addition to animosities between Mughan  and Lankaran Russian – Turkic and Talysh populations, there was enmity between two villages - Privolni subbotniks and  Prishib Molokans caused by entrenchment names of Russians.[9] However, this misguided policy was acknowledged by bolsheviks earlier 1930s. After the bolshevik experiment performed by socialist-revolutionaries proved unsuccessful, in September 1918 scores of  “revolutionaries” arrived in Baku and next intended to move to Russia. Thus, Lozov who with his gang fought against the Moslem population in Mughan  moved northwards to join there with the Bicherakhov army. Many people joined him and headed for Russia.[10]

After the Turks abandoned Baku, British deployed in Enzeli manifested interest in Lankaran and Mughan  processes with an eye on subsequent invasion of Baku. As far back as in July 1918, following the collapse of the Baku Council of People’s Commissars there were made first attempts to invite Britishers visit Lankaran and Mughan. According to Saratikov’s sanctions, while at Mughan the socialist-revolutionaries and mensheviks together with  monarchists in August sent, in July 1918, their representatives Krestovski and Livshin on board of “Winter” ship to Enzeli with a view of inviting British to the region. Ilyashevich's son was also included in the representation. Upon arrival, they presented an Ilyashevich’s letter to Denstervile which suggested Britishers to occupy first Mughan  and then Baku. Representatives of Col. Ilyashevich explained their plan as being due to the fact that Mughan  was a center of bread provision.[11]

Gen.Densterville notes that “the aid suggested by Mughan  representatives would be of great value for Baku, thus, their colony was located on the right hand of the Caucasian Islamic Army road to Baku. As a gift they provided our army with flour and other products provided that their military instructors be sent to Mughan. In reply to their proposals and with the purpose of familiarizing with local conditions in Lankaran I sent a small group of officers and soldiers to the district.”[12] With a small supply of weapons the British mission in Mughan was headed by a British army artillery captain Stepanov, Russian by nationality, and Lieutenant of the diplomatic service Gurland, who knows Russian well.[13]  An extraordinary military congress with the participation of British representatives was held in Mughan. Attending the congress were bolshevik faction in the person of Sidomonov, Qayk Arustamov, Faykovskiy; socialist-revolutionaries and Mensheviks in the person of Sukharikov, Kropatov, Ilyashevich, etc. However, skirmish broke out in the beginning of the congress where Shevkuov’ squad opened fire to wound monarchist Mironov following which the socialist-revolutionaries with a full bench abandoned the congress. In an effort to attract Britishers a well-known socialist-revolutionary of Mughan  Najarov agitated for the establishment of monarchy which, in his view, was better than the bolshevik administration.[14] However, the Dunster force expedition targeted Baku only, and the British had no complementary enhancement to send to Mughan . Just in September 1918 a small detachment led by Col. Rawlinson went to the northern part of Mughan  in an attempt to engineer acts of sabotage behind the back of Turks, blow up a railway and break off connections between the Caucasian Islamic Army and Arax.[15] When Mughan's “defenders" complain about the lack of British forces, arriving at Mughan as part of a British military mission in the summer of 1918 major Kent of the British General staff said that, Russians "always create all their own sorrows and misfortunes, and then blame others for it... You Russians are generally more willing to accept someone else's rule over you than your own."[16] 

After the collapse of the puppet Central Caspian Government and the liberation of Baku the block of four’s defeat in the war generated a new political situation. Under the Mondros treaty, Britain-led allied troops were due to enter Baku. Three days before the military campaign, on November 14, 1918 British consul to Iran, Hewelcke received a delegation from Lankaran composed of Teymur bey Bayramalibeyov, Akhund Molla Ali Tagizade and Yusif Qaribzadeh. Teymur bey produced documents to the British consul testifying to bloody crimes of bolsheviks, Dashnaks, Russian monarchists, including atrocities of an armed gang of bandits of the so-called communard Avetisov in respect of the peace Moslem population of Mughan  and Lankaran. Teymur bey informed the British consul that entry of British onto Azerbaijan would step up ill intentions of the mentioned forces. In turn, the consul noted that at present the issues had presently been discussed together with the Azerbaijani government in Enzeli. The consul promised that he would inform the British command about aspirations of Lankaran population.[17]

It should be noted that two weeks before the meeting Teymur bey as authorized representative of the Lankaran Moslem society met in Baku with Nuru pasha and begged for help “in order to put an end to intolerable situation in Lankaran”. Nuru pasha said: tell your Moslems that it will not take them long to get aid from us.[18] On December 28 the same year a 50-member delegation from Mughan  and Lankaran met in Baku with Gen. Thomson. Teymur bey informed Thomson that “Moslems sure hoped that the allied forces you command will go to Lankaran and wean off us of bolsheviks. However, these expectations failed to be realized. Issues of greater importance than Lankaran ones made him remain in Baku. That’s why we decided to inform you that we, Lankaran Moslems, are in sorry plight. Soldiers blatantly oppress Moslems, misappropriate foods....As a result, the population is starving...Prisons are overcrowded with innocent Moslems and doomed to disappear...Soldiers are engaged in plundering. More than100 Moslem villages have been destroyed and burnt by Mughan  punitive detachments. Residents of the destroyed villages are prohibited to return home and restore their dwellings. Best fertile lands of the destroyed villages are given to Russian emigrants. Under such a decision, Moslem agriculturists have lost their lands. Soldiers gathered about 50 Moslem women and girls and assaulting their honor and reputation. They disarmed the Moslem population and instead armed the Russian population. Thus, the Moslem population failed to protect themselves against attacks of gangsters and faced plundering.”In the end of his meeting Teymur bey Bayramalibeyov told the General:  “I beg you to remove the bolshevik government from power in Lankaran, disarm local Russian and Moslem population. It is British soldiers and responsible representatives of the Azerbaijani government that are capable of protecting safety of the population of Lankaran and its villages. When adjusted for the fact that Lankaran district is an integral part of Azerbaijan, the government of Azerbaijan bears responsibility for country’s destiny.”[19]

Following the liberation of Baku the government of the Democratic Republic got down to restoring the sovereignty of Azerbaijan. At the first stage the government was assisted by the Caucasian Islamic Army. In Autumn 1918, with a view of bringing back law and order and ensuring sovereignty of the Republic, Gen. Habib bey Salimov arrived in Lankaran. In a short while a Salimov’s squad  dissolved the Mughan  district administration and restored the Azerbaijani administration in Lankaran. Note that a commander of the Turkish army, Col. Jamal bey gave Habib bey Salimov a big hand. Known under the name as Jamal pasha, Col. Jamal bey with Koran in his hand made the rounds of neighboring villages and managed to unite Moslem militant groups on an area from Javad  district toAstara.[20] His squad was heartily welcomed by the whole Moslem population. In 1918, a former Turkish war prisoner, Huseyn Efendi jointly with Jamal pasha guided by “protection of Islamic interests” headed a militant group to fight a terror against the peace population of Lankaran committed by  bolshevik-socialist-revolutionary-dashnak gangs. Note that in the first years of Sovietization Jamal pasha was killed in Astara while former Turkish war prisoners around him fled to Iran.[21]

After the power of the Azerbaijani Democratic Republic had been established in Lankaran the governmental officials held meetings in the adjacent Russian villages and called locals to give up weapons and engaged in peaceful labor. Aged 17 during the Mughan  developments, Petrikov went over details of these meetings: “Musavat representatives arrived in Privolnı, held a meeting as stating that now we live in the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, from now on your main concern is plough, not gun, so we are committed to protecting your labor. A number of communists, for example, Ilya Kolosov, spoke at the meeting as exclaiming Long live  the Azerbaijani government.”[22] Note that governmental officials arrived in Privolni, arrested weapons in the town and sent them to Prishib.

After the Turkish troops left Azerbaijan in November the Denikin soldiers together with other outlanders stirred to activity again in Lankaran and Mughan .  Influential Russians of Mughan  -  Annikeyev brothers, Alekseyev, Nemtsov, Qorşenin and others demanded to unite with “true Russians” of Mughan , i.e. with Denikin forces. Denikin sent a directive to Col. Ilyashevich which ordered to equip a 4,000-strong militant group and send it to Zakaspiy.[23] On December 28, 1918 in the course of a congress held in Lankaran by Denikin followers there was applied an interesting representation quota. With one representative falling on each 5, 000 Moslems, a figure for Russian stood at one representative per each 50 Russians (?!). The congress declined from subordinating to the government of the Azerbaijani Democratic Republic, so the congress adopted an absurd decision on subordination of Mughan  to the Ufa government. A 30-member Council, 11-member district administration were formed, and Col. Ilyashevich received dictatorship powers.[24]

The armed groups that seized power in the County did not allow the population to move freely and trade, setting up posts in different places. As a result of these riots, the County's connection with Baku was cut off. "Azerbaijan" newspaper wrote on November 8 that people live in fear in the district. It is not known how long this anarchy will last. If we do not get rid of this disaster soon, if the connection between Baku and Lankaran is not restored, if there is no law and order, we Muslims will be defeated and destroyed. Teymur bey Bayramalibeyov in the issue of the newspaper “Azerbaijan" (published in Russian) on November 10, 1918, told in detail about the violence against Muslims of the detachments of Ilyashevich and Avetisov in the Lankaran district. He noted that in Lankaran, Ilyashevich's group, which replaced Avetisov's group of robbers, instead of maintaining order among the population, attacks houses, robs Muslims, rapes women and takes them with them. He warned that the situation of the Muslim peasants was unbearable, since all weapons and even rifles were taken into their hands.[25]

In another issue of the newspaper” Azerbaijan“, Teymur bey Bayramalibeyov wrote about the situation in Lenkoran: "Avetisov's squad, taking advantage of the opportunities created for it, has not yet encountered any obstacles, is engaged in looting houses, continues to arrest and kill helpless Muslims. In early November, five Armenian armed, under the pretext of finding weapons hidden in homes, broke into the homes of Akbar Garibov and Khalil Najafgulu oglu at night and killed innocent owners, taking gold and other valuables. Neighbors who witnessed the incident were unable to help their neighbors because of fears that they would be killed by armed robbers. All these unpleasant events led to the decline of industry and trade in the city, and the import of bread and other foodstuffs was suspended. Avetisov's group confiscated the food brought to the city and sent it to the island of Sara for Ilyashevich's squad. And the city is raging price increases. Armenians and separatists burned Muslim villages (Khirmandali, Amenli, Gadirli, Gargalyg, Hasanli, Khyl, Alishanli, Yeddioymag and others) that did not obey the robbers. The acreage taken from the Muslim peasants was transferred to the Russian peasants, and the Muslim population of these villages was left without land and without protection. The Muslims who remain without output positions off see salvation in the unity, strength and will of the Azerbaijani Army and hope that with the help of this army they will be released and return to their native lands.” [26]

Faced with the necessity of leaving Petrovskiy in November 1918 a part of  Bicherakhov’s squad arrived in Sara island. In December 1918, through Gen. Lazar Bicherakhov’s assistance there was declared a government of Caucasian-Khazar Union; however, it was a formal government. A participant of all administrative structures established in Mughan  and Lankaran, Sukharikov was appointed a Minister of Land and a chairman of Mughan  district adminstration. The government was headed by left socialist-revolutionary Nikolai Tityushkin. It was alleged at a meeting of the new government in Mughan  that “Mughan  must be an integral part of Great Russia, Mughan  can be owned neither by Musavatists nor anybody else’. Mughan  should form a part of Great Russia.”[27] That was the end of the first stage of bloody events in Lankaran and Mughan  that took place under the guise the Soviet power.

On December 7, 1918, after the beginning of the work of the Azerbaijani Parliament, one of the first issues discussed was the tragedy of Lankaran and Mughan. On the occasion of the opening of the Parliament, Turkic and Talysh intellectuals from Lankaran and Astara sent greetings to the President of the Parliament. The greeting was signed by the Commissioner of Lankaran society Teymur bey Bayramalibeyov, Chairman of the Lankaran branch of the party ”Musavat“ Yusif bey Bayramalibeyov, Chairman of the Astara Executive Committee of the party Mashhadi Khalil Rzayev, Chairman of the social democratic party ”Hummet“ Agha  Mahammedov, Secretary of the ”Hummet“ Agha Akhundov and Ibrahim bey  Bayramalibeyov, Secretary of the Musavat party Haji Aga Mahammedov, the head of Lankaran municipality Dashdamirov.[28] Haji Mirza Selim Akhundzade, a member of the Parliament from Lankaran and Chairman of the "Umid" charitable society, established in Lankaran in 1917, described the tragic events that occurred in Lankaran and Mughan in 1918 at the 7th session of the Parliament (January 8, 1919).[29] Akhundzade read in detail the letter he had received about how the Muslim population of Lenkoran was being put to the fire and sword. He cites a number of facts testifying to looting and violence against the peaceful population of Lenkoran. He said: "I can't keep quiet about this. I am asked to help, but what can I do? Nothing I can do. All I can do is appeal to the government to take measures to ensure that the population of Lenkoran is freed from the red terror."[30]

In this connection in January 1, 1919 the first number of “Azerbaijan” newspaper published an article by Uzeyir Hajibeyli titled “Lankaran tragedy”.  However, “Mughan  Sovet Respublic” marked developments of more dramatic nature; as a matter of fact, the second stage of the “Molocan uprising” started in spring 1919 to oppose the Azerbaijani Republic.

End

First part.

Second part.

Third part

Fourth part