Extraordinary Investigation Commission

At the entrance of the hall, photographs of the members of the Extraordinary Investigation Commission (EIC) (F. Khoyski, M. Hajinski, Kh. Khasmammadov, A. Khasmammadov, I. Shahmaliyev, M. Tekinski, N. Mikhaylov, A. Khanbudaqov) and documents are displayed. The government of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR) considered it necessary to respond to the bloody events taking place in the country and, on July 15, 1918, adopted a decision to establish the Extraordinary Investigation Commission in order to investigate acts of violence committed against the Muslim population and their property by Armenian bandit groups acting under the Bolshevik name since the outbreak of the First World War. The chairman of the EIC was the well-known lawyer Alakbar bey Khasmammadov. Although the commission was established with 7 members, later other representatives of the investigative, prosecutorial, and judicial bodies of the cities of Baku and Ganja were involved in the work. The EIC had a multinational composition, consisting mainly of Poles, Russians, Germans, Lithuanian Tatars, and Azerbaijani lawyers educated in Russia. During its period of activity, from July 15, 1918 to November 1, 1919, the EIC collected 36 volumes of investigative materials. Brutal crimes committed by Armenians in Baku, Shamakhi, Quba, Goychay, Javad, Nukha, Lankaran, Ganja, Karabakh, and Zangezur were investigated. As a result of the EIC’s work, 128 reports and draft decisions were prepared, and on their basis criminal cases were brought against 194 individuals found guilty of various crimes.

Map

The next exhibition displays a map of Azerbaijan covering the years 1918–1920, with the regions where genocides were committed in 1918 marked with red symbols. In addition, boards providing brief information about the history of Azerbaijan are presented to visitors in Azerbaijani, Russian, Turkish, and English.

Decree

The following exhibition reflects the fact that the Republic of Azerbaijan, as the successor of the ADR, accepted it as a decree of history to give a political assessment to the genocide events as a logical continuation of the unfinished task of the past. It includes a photograph of the National Leader Heydar Aliyev, the founder and architect of the modern Azerbaijani state, and the decree he issued on March 26, 1998 “On the Genocide of Azerbaijanis on March 31” in three languages (Azerbaijani, Russian, English).

Quba district

An entire wall of the museum gallery is dedicated to exhibitions about Quba district, consisting of 4 sections. The first section reflects the condition of Quba as an administrative-territorial unit in 1918. Quba district (Quba, Qusar, Shabran, Khachmaz, Siyazan) existed until 1929 during the periods of Tsarist Russia, the ADR, and the Azerbaijan SSR. The genocides committed in Quba district in 1918 are marked on the map with special red signs. According to initial information, it was noted that 122 villages in the district were subjected to looting and destruction, but as a result of more precise investigations, it was proven that the number of these villages was 167. A total of 38 settlements in Quba city and surrounding villages, 27 in Qusar, 65 in Khachmaz, 21 in Shabran, and 16 in Siyazan were destroyed.

Population of Quba district

Extensive information is provided about the life of the population of Quba district before 1918. According to 1916 data, of the 198,204 inhabitants of Quba district, 64.15% were Azerbaijanis and Tats, 24.72% were Lezgins, Gryz, Budugh, Jek, Avars, and others, 7.58% were Jews, 2.71% were Russians, and 0.76% were Armenians. This section features photographs of various nationalities and ethnic groups.

Witness testimonies

A brief description of the destruction, violence, and genocide committed in Quba district, as well as documents, photographs of living witnesses, and interrogation records of these events collected by the Extraordinary Investigation Commission, are displayed.

Defenders

The fourth section provides information about the defenders of Quba district. On the orders of Baku Soviet leader S. Shaumyan, Hamazasp’s 3,000-member Armenian bandit force committed brutal killings and robberies in Quba district over a two-week period, from late April to mid-May 1918. Hamazasp, who harbored a particular hatred toward Turks, aimed primarily to carry out punitive measures and deliberately reduce the Muslim population. His detachments cruelly murdered people regardless of whether they were children, women, or elderly, mutilated the bodies, and did not even allow the dead to be buried.

The exhibition also includes a document reflecting that Azerbaijanis, even under the most difficult and tragic circumstances, remained faithful to their humanistic values and demonstrated tolerance. This document, signed and sealed by 90 Armenian residents of Kilvar village in Devechi (present-day Shabran district), confirms that Hamdulla Efendi Efendizade protected them and saved their lives from danger, and is presented as an example of humanity.

Photographs of the defenders of Quba district—A. Zizikski, H. Efendizade, Sh. Efendizade, M. Ibrahimov, and others—are also presented here. The struggle of the defense units against Dashnak Armenians is described, and a view of the “Bloody Valley” between the villages of Digah and Xucbala, where fierce battles took place, is shown.

Paris Peace Conference

The next exhibition presents photographs of the delegation that participated in the 1919 Paris Peace Conference (A. Topchubashov—chairman, A. Atamalibeyov, Y. Mehdiyev, J. Hajibeyli, A. Sheikhulislamov, M. Maharramov), as well as historical maps of the Caucasus showing the borders of the ADR (in French and Ottoman Turkish). The delegation’s main objective was not only to present Azerbaijan as an independent state, but also to inform the international community about the crimes committed against the Azerbaijani people by Armenian-Dashnak forces in 1918. For this purpose, part of the EIC materials was sent to Paris through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan along with the delegation. These materials consisted of a 6-volume collection of documents and 102 photographs reflecting the genocides committed in Baku, Shamakhi, Quba, Goychay, and Javad in 1918. The Azerbaijani delegation fulfilled its mission, and copies of the documents were presented to the heads of major powers and various international organizations. All the materials sent from Baku to Paris were discovered in 2011 in Topchubashov’s personal archive in France by Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor Solmaz Rustamova (Tohidi), and were returned to the homeland 94 years later. Copies of those documents and photographs are presented in the museum exhibition exactly as in the originals. A documentary film reflecting the genocide events is continuously shown in the hall.

Faces

The next exhibition represents the emotions and feelings of modern Azerbaijani people in response to this tragedy. These faces, displayed on a rusty iron panel, reflect what this tragedy evokes within both the young and older generations of the Azerbaijani nation. While surprise, astonishment, and fear can be seen in the faces of the young, the faces of the older generation reflect anger, grief, and pain to the same degree.

Perpetrators of the genocide

The following exhibition provides information about the names of the leaders and perpetrators of the genocides committed in 1918 (Shaumyan, Hamazasp, Korganov, Andranik, Lalayan, Mikoyan, etc.) and about the essence of the genocide policy they carried out.

Weapons

Armenians who viewed Azerbaijan as a potential territory for the state of “Greater Armenia” and at the same time sought to reduce the Muslim population in the region as much as possible through genocide used every means to achieve their aims. Baku Soviet leader Shaumyan, who was trying to implement this plan, cooperated closely with all Armenian forces in the Caucasus, including members of the Dashnaksutyun party. Abusing the authority granted to him, he carried out punitive actions with exceptional cruelty in various regions of Azerbaijan. Thus, the tragic events of 1918 were carried out by the Bolshevik-Dashnak tandem. Beginning in March 1918, the mass slaughter of the Muslim population was committed by troops consisting of 70% Armenian soldiers and led by Armenian officers. The fact that the specific identities of the leaders and perpetrators of the Armenian armed units that committed genocide in Azerbaijan are known disproves claims that this tragedy was supposedly carried out by the “Armenian common people.” This section also displays examples of cold and firearms, as well as torture instruments used by Armenian bandits during the genocides of that period.

Javad district

The topic of the districts of Baku Governorate continues with the exhibition dedicated to Javad district. Javad district covered the territory of present-day Salyan, Saatli, Imishli, Sabirabad, and Jalilabad districts. The textual part of the Javad district exhibition provides information about the district and the national-religious composition of its population. From March until the middle of June 1918, Armenians carried out genocide against the Muslim population in Javad district, and after Salyan came under Bolshevik control in April of that year, the civilian population of this district was subjected to even greater persecution. This situation continued until our lands were liberated by the Azerbaijani-Turkish troops. During the work of the EIC, part of the Muslim villages was still under Armenian control, so it was not possible to determine the exact extent of the damage inflicted on the villages or the exact list of those killed. However, it was not difficult to imagine the scale of the atrocities and vandalism committed by Armenians against the local Muslim population. In this regard, it is enough to review the interrogation and forensic medical examination protocol of 18-year-old Sureyya Mashadi Dadash gizi, a resident of Khojali village in Javad district, displayed in the exhibition. The killings were accompanied by particular cruelty: people were impaled on bayonets, hacked with daggers, beheaded, and burned.

Goychay district

In 1918, as an administrative-territorial unit within the Baku Governorate of the ADR, it covered the territory of present-day Goychay, Kurdamir, and Zardab districts. The exhibition provides information about the national-religious composition of the population of the district’s administrative territory (Muslims, Armenians, Russians, Jews). The presence of several railway stations passing through the Goychay territory made it easier even during World War I for Armenian armed groups moving to and from the front to attack this region. From June 1918, under the pretext of establishing Bolshevik power, the Armenians became even more brutal. Thus, 84 properties were burned in Arab-Mehdibey village, property was looted, and 83 people were killed. Twenty residents of Jahri village were subjected to unbearable torture before being killed. Their noses and ears were cut off, and their skull bones were broken. The same atrocities were committed in Kurdamir village as well. The EIC’s investigation documents from that region, as well as photographs of burned village mosques, private property, homes, and human corpses, are reflected on the display board. Only as a result of the decisive battles fought between June 16 and 30, 1918 in the direction of Goychay settlement and Garamaryam village between the army of the Baku Soviet and the Caucasian Islamic Army did the liberation of our lands from Bolshevik-Dashnak forces begin.

Shamakhi district

As an administrative-territorial unit, it covered the territories of present-day Shamakhi, Aghsu, Ismayilli, Gobustan, and Hajigabul districts. As in the other districts, the population of Shamakhi district was diverse in its national and religious composition. Despite the fact that Muslims formed the majority of the district population, they were unexpectedly attacked by Armenian-Bolshevik forces and faced unprecedented atrocities. The Shamakhi genocides began at the same time as the events in Baku; in March-April, the city of Shamakhi was plundered twice, while 110 villages of the district were ravaged several times. The genocides committed in the city of Shamakhi by Bolshevik-Dashnak bandits lasted several days, and the wealthy Muslim residential quarter “Piran-Shirvan” was completely destroyed by fire. Not satisfied even after the March massacres, the Armenians again attacked the city on April 10 under the leadership of S. Lalayev and T. Amirov. Shamakhi’s religious centers, including the 8-century-old “Juma Mosque,” were burned and destroyed. During this period, a total of 106 villages of Shamakhi district were devastated by Armenians, and 10,341 people were killed. These facts are presented in the exhibition through photographs.

Baku district

The topic of the districts of Baku Governorate concludes with the exhibition dedicated to Baku district. It provides information about the factors that conditioned the events in Baku city, where the 1918 genocide began, and about the March genocides. With a population of 442,097, Baku district was distinguished by its multinational composition. Although the population of Baku city increased due to incoming settlers in connection with a two-century relocation policy and the development of the oil industry from the second half of the 19th century, Muslims, especially Azerbaijanis, still constituted the majority of the population. The exhibition presents a map of Baku district, a diagram of the population’s national-religious composition, photographs of residents harmed by the genocide, and interrogation records. Seeking to strike a blow against the national liberation movement of the Azerbaijani people, destroy the social base of the Musavat party, and reduce the Muslim population as much as possible, the Bolshevik-Dashnak forces went into action. The provocation connected with the disarmament of the primarily Azerbaijani crew of the “Evelina” ship on March 26, 1918 became the pretext for a ten-thousand-strong Bolshevik-Armenian army to carry out massacres of Muslims. Over 3 days (March 30–April 2), 12,000 members of the city’s peaceful Muslim population were brutally killed. The fact that the victims included women, the elderly, and children refutes claims that a “civil war” was taking place in the city and proves that the massacres were directed en masse against the Muslim population. Under the leadership of the Armenian Dashnaksutyun party, the Armenian National Council, and Bolshevik executioners, all layers of the Azerbaijani population became victims of violence, injustice, and looting. The Baku neighborhoods of “Karpichkhana,” “Mammadli,” and others; the “Tazapir,” “Shah,” “Shamakhi,” “Haji Ajdar bey,” and “Bibiheybat” mosques; the editorial offices of the newspapers “Kaspi” and “Achiq soz”; and the buildings of the “Iskandariyya” and “Islamiyya” hotels were destroyed and burned. The exhibition includes photographs of many of the places mentioned. During March-September 1918, the genocides committed in Baku were also carried out in the villages of Baku (Mammadli, Ahmadli, Balakhani, Zarat, Sabunchu, Khirdalan, etc.). The total amount of damage in Baku district was approximately 400,000,000 rubles.

Mass grave

The 1st showcase presents images of the burial site discovered during construction in 2007.

Articles

The 2nd and 3rd wall showcases feature views of information from the press and well-known figures of the period regarding the genocides that took place in Azerbaijan in 1918. An article, poems, photographs, and copied issues expressing views on the events by M.A. Rasulzade, U. Hajibeyli, and M.H. Abdulsalimzade published in issue No. 147 of the newspaper “Azerbaijan” (March 31, 1919) are displayed. Newspapers such as “Istiqlal,” “Qardash qayghisi” (published in Tbilisi), “Nash golos,” and others also covered the genocide events in their pages.

Foreign statesmen

The 4th wall showcase presents part of an article written in the Tehran newspaper “Ajir” by our compatriot from South Azerbaijan, the prominent statesman S.C. Javadzade (Pishevari), as well as the impressions of Iran’s consul in Azerbaijan in 1918, Said Mohammad al-Vazareh Maragheyi, regarding the horrific events. The showcase also contains copies of documents written by British General L.C. Dunsterville and R. Macdonell, the British vice-consul in Baku in 1918, concerning the tragedies that occurred.

Caucasian Islamic Army

The 5th wall showcase concludes with an exhibition dedicated to the Turkish-Azerbaijani Caucasian Islamic Army. The ADR government took a number of measures to prevent the mass genocide of the Muslim population. The government’s main goal was to establish authority throughout the territory of Azerbaijan and to free our lands from enemy occupation. The Caucasian Islamic Army, organized from the armed forces of the newly emerging Azerbaijani National Army and Ottoman Turkey, quickly launched a counteroffensive in the battles to disarm separatist Armenians in Ganja, in Garamaryam and Kurdamir of Goychay district, in the territory of Shamakhi district, and finally in the battles around Baku, inflicting a heavy defeat on the Bolshevik-Dashnak forces. The victorious march of the Caucasian Islamic Army ended with the liberation of the city of Baku on September 15, 1918. This victory laid the foundation for ensuring Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and resulted in the liberation of the Azerbaijani people from Armenian-Bolshevik domination. This showcase begins with photographs reflecting the Caucasian Islamic Army’s campaign to liberate Azerbaijani lands. It continues with group, small-unit, and individual photographs of Turkish and Azerbaijani officers and soldiers, as well as photographs of Nuru Pasha, commander of the Turkish troops, and Lieutenant General Aliagha Shikhlinski, commander of the Azerbaijani military formations.

Military parade

The exhibition is completed with a photograph reflecting the military parade held on September 15, 1918 on the occasion of the liberation of Baku. The fact that the museum’s final exhibition ends with photo-documents dedicated to the Azerbaijani National Army does not merely conclude with the historical truth that it was precisely the army that put an end to the genocides of 1918. In fact, it once again confirms that the Azerbaijani state must always have a strong army to protect its sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the fearless, secure life of our people. The tragedy that was experienced proved this once again. This lesson drawn from history is an example for future generations.