Mahmud Efendiyev, fought with his group of fighters in the local resistance movement against the Armenian Dashnaks in 1918
Mahmud Efendiyev, popularly known as Shtul Mahmud, was born in 1875 in the village of Shtul in the present-day Gurah region of Dagestan. Shtul is his nickname taken from the name of village where he was born. Mahmud’s father, Haji Qasim, visited Mecca several times and was a famous clergyman and scholar. His mother, Isli, was educated at a madrasa and has number translations from Arabic. Among the people, she was called “scientist Isli”. Haji Qasim and Isli, supported their children to get an education and study religious and secular sciences, played an important role in his future life.
Known for his knowledge and skills, Shtul Mahmud worked for some time as a judge in the Sharia court of the Kura district of South Dagestan. In 1924, Sharia courts were replaced by people’s courts, and Shtul Mahmud served as chairman of the district people’s court for some time.
In 1918, the famous Lezgi fugitive Haji efendi came to Guba with his gang and took an active part in the battles against the Armenian Dashnaks in “Bloody Valley”. Shtul Mahmud, led 200 cavalry, also fought on the Khudat-Gusar front. Some fighters remembered him as Lezgi Mahmud. (Source: Muzaffar Malikmammadov’s book “Bloody Valley”. P. 232)
Note: Mahmud Efendiyev’s photo and information about him are presented to visitors in the museum of the Genocide Memorial Complex.
