avad Bey Shikhlinski, a Republic Army major general who served in Russia, Azerbaijan, and Iran, and one of the main organizers of the Ganja Revolt, was born on January 3, 1874 in the village of Ashaghi Salahli, Gazakh province.
After attending the cadet corps for nobles in Tbilisi, Javad Bey continued his education at the Mikhailov Artillery School in Petersburg and was appointed captain of the 1st company of the 39th artillery brigade in 1912. During the First World War, he served in the Tatar regiment and was awarded the “St. George” and “St. Vladimir” orders.
During the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, Javad Bey provided exceptional services in the organization of the National Army. In 1918, he was named commander of the newly formed National Army’s 1st division, and as colonel of this regiment, he was awarded a medal by the commander of the savior Turkish Army, Nurupasha, who came to clear Baku of Dashnaks in 1918. In 1919, he provided special services in clearing Armenians from Zangezur with regular army units under his command. The 1st infantry division, led by the General and stationed in Ganja at the end of 1919, consisted of three regiments and three battalions.
Javad Bey led the revolt in Ganja against the invading XI Red Army and the Soviet government in May 1920. He refused to submit to the command of the XI Red Army during military operations, despite orders from naval commissar Chingiz Yldrm and the temporary chief of staff of the Azerbaijani Bolshevik army, General Abdulhamid Gaitabashi. Following the Ganja Revolt, Javad Bey relocated from Tiflis to Iran and remained in exile. He later moved to Turkey and lived there until his death in 1959, at the age of 84.
