Archive data on Armenian barbarities in the Shemakha uyezd

Table of Contents

The PROTOCOL of examination of Navagi village of Shemakha uyezd of the Baku province

Sources: CSAOR AzSSR, 1061, f.349, op. 1 ed. Stor.№57, pp 19-20

On February 13th 1919, we, the members of the Extraordinary Investigation Commission of Azerbaijan Mikhaylov and Keyussovsky, examined the Navagi settlement to identify the scale and nature of its destruction by Armenian attacks, in present of the undersigned senior representative of Navagi settlement Aziz Bagir oglu. We found that:

The Navagi settlement is situated in a steppe, approximately 3 versts from the railroad station of the same name, and has only Moslem population. The settlement comprises of 2,000 household farms, which are scattered around in groups on both sides of the railroad at the distance of ?, ? versts from each other. The buildings have brickwork and flat pise roofs. The … part of the settlement looks like destroyed by fire even from a far distance. There are no estates which survived the fire and destruction, probably except several newly built houses. All others, a total of 2,000, were burnt down and represent ruins of burnt walls at present. Several houses in the settlements with richer population, are currently under reconstruction. These host several families of villagers, who survived the pogrom. Larger buildings, such as the mosque, school with 12 rooms, village government with … house, mills, all houses with stone foundation, … buildings, were strongly burnt down. Up to 80 shops, stores, storehouses with goods and warehouses were burnt in the village.

Large estates which did not only have 2-storey dwelling houses, but several household buildings, were also burnt. Such estates belong to Haji Shirali Haji Mursal oglu, Haji Movsum-Meshachli Yahya oglu, Haji Saftar Askerov, Haji Kelbali Huseyn Ali oglu, Mahmud Heydar oglu, Meshadi Samed bek Aleskerbekov, Kerbalayi Rustam Samed oglu, Haji Aga Mirza Kerbalai Abbas oglu, Meshadi Safar Ali Haji Pirim oglu, Faradjullabek Mirza-Bahish and Panah-han Ali oglu.

Fruit gardens in estates were cut or burnt. Nearly 300 large houses and buildings were burnt, total of … up to 2,000 buildings. Nearly 30 devices for pressing hay and stack were burnt. One may conclude from the foregoing that Navagi village was very large and rich, but it can be considered close to fully destroyed now. This is the protocol signed by the witnesses (attached are “21 acts on murders and 2 statements of special persons (pp. 24-27). One of the acts is attached further).

Witnesses (signed)

Senior village representative (signed)

Commission members (two signatures)

ACT

February 6th 1919.

I, the senior representative of Kubali Balaoglan of 217 houses, composed, together with selected honorary residents of our village, the following act: During Armenian attack upon our village in March of 1918, our residents suffered the following casualties:

1. Killed: 400 men, 290 women, 348 children

2. Injured: 40 men, 56 women, 40 children

3. 207 houses and buildings worth 300,000 roubles (300,000 deleted in original copy, the amount might be false) were destroyed.

4. 10 houses and buildings worth 285,000 roubles were burnt.

5. 10,000 heads of cattle worth 30,000,000 roubles stolen or killed.

6. 15,000 heads of small cattle and sheep stolen and killed.

7. Household equipment, agricultural equipment and grain worth 24,000,000 roubles stolen.

8. Grape and mulberry gardens worth 100,000 roubles damages.

9. Harvests of … and bread worth 1,000,000 roubles damages and stolen

10. Damages worth 1,000,000 roubles from the fields which remained unsown.

11. Damages total 8,978,500 roubles. [Similar acts were composed by senior representatives of the villages Padar, Taza Jegirli, nomad encampments Hila, Shorbachi, Pashali, Kovlar, Kazimi, Talysh, Meinimang, Abdulyan, Kolani-Turani, Kolani mount., Bozavend Ragimli, Ragim Agali, Karakashli, Ranchbar, Karakashli Arat, Navagi, Kuruzma].

Stamp

Senior village representative (signed)

Parish mullah (signed)

Aksakkals 7 signatures

To: His Excellency Chief Commander of United Armies Mr. Thomson, from Haji Sol-Zamanov, Haji Mir Ismayil, Mir Hashimov and Meshali Abdul Huseyn Nadirov, authorized by the Shemakha residents in Baku

Source: CSAOR, F. 1061, op. 1, d. 99, p. 12

PETITION

We were notified by Stepan Lalayev, who was arrested by the investigation policy, is currently held at the disposal of your Excellency, and we kindly request you in the name of God, justice and philanthropy, to pass this monster-person, who lost any traces of conscience, to the military court for the evil he caused to us, residents of Shemakha. He arrived in Shemakha with his gang in April and on his way he razed to the ground all settlements and villages, while their residents were annihilated. Words cannot describe what he did to the city. Male population was entirely annihilated, including male children, and women were raped in the eyes of their bound-up husbands and parents. The city was completely destroyed and burnt, not a single mosque escaped destruction and out of 5,000 houses only the building of the Real College remained intact. There is a graveyard in the place of the city at present. S.Lalayev alone is guilty of our troubles, because he commanded the whole operation and we cannot imagine that a person like him may escape the punishment. In order to witness the foregoing, we kindly request Your Excellency to send one of your subordinates to the Shemakha city.

November 29th 1918 Baku (signatures)

ACT

Sources: CSAOR AzSSR, f. 1061, op. 1. d-3, p. 56.

I, the senior representative of the Karavelli village of 166 houses, together with selected honorary residents of our village, composed on April 9th 1919 this act on Armenian attack upon our village in March of 1918. Our residents suffered the following casualties:

1. Killed: 100 men, 115 women, 93 children

2. Injured: no

3. Total damages (burnt and destroyed houses, stolen cattle, properties and goods) worth 6,060,000 roubles.

Senior representative of the village: Hasan Salman oglu Aksakkali: 20 signatures

ACT

Source: CSAOR AzSSR f. 1061, op. 1. d-3, p. 56.

April 9th 1919. I, senior representative of the Gonagkend settlement of 159 houses with selected honorary residents, composed the following acts:

1) killed: men – 104, women – 87, children – 44.

2) injured: men – 13, women – 21

3) total damage : 8.300.000 roubles.

Senior representative: Arabic signature

Village parishioner: Mashadi Tapdig Samed oglu

Aksakkals: 12 signatures

ACT

Source: CSAOR AzSSR. f, 1061, d. 3, op. l, p. 22.

April 9th 1919. I, senior representative of the Kuschi settlement of 600 houses, with selected honorary residents composed the following act concerning Armenian attack upon our village in the months of March and April of 1918. Our villagers suffered the following casualties:

1) Killed: men – 292, women – 115, children – 25

2) Injured – no

3) Total damages worth 11,475,000 roubles

Senior representative: S.P.Muradli

Mullah parishioner: (Arabic signature)

Aksakkals: (3 signatures).

ACT

Source: CSAOR AzSSR f, 1061, d. 3, op. l, p. 22.

April 10th 1919. I, senior representative of Agabekli village of 90 houses, together with selected honorary residents, composed the following act concerning the casualties suffered during attack upon our village:

1) killed: men – 50, women – 41, children – 14.

2) no injured persons

3) Total damages (destroyed and burnt houses, as well as stolen cattle and properties) worth 723,000 roubles

Senior representative: Arabic signature

Mullah parishioner: Arabic signature

Aksakkals: 7 signatures

Extraordinary investigation commission under the Government of Azerbaijan. Protocols of inquiries, acts and other materials on destruction of Moslem villages in the Shemakha uyezd (26 October – 15 December 1918).

Source: CSAOR AzSSR, f. 1061, op. 1, d. 111, p. 2.

ACT

I, senior representative of Kashad village of 168 houses, composed the following act with selected honorary residents on April 5th 1919.

The residents of our settlement suffered the following casualties during Armenian attack in the month of March 1918.

1) killed: men – 91, women – 40, children – 47

2) injured: three elderly persons

3) houses and buildings worth 400,000 roubles destroyed and burnt.

4) 500 heads of cattle and small cattle worth 55,000 roubles killed and stolen.

5) Household belongings, agricultural instruments, bread in grains and other movable properties worth 280,000 roubles stolen.

6) Hay worth 100,000 roubles damaged and stolen.

7) Grape and mullberry gardens worth 50,000 roubles damaged.

8) Bread and hay worth 800,000 roubles stolen or damaged.

9) Damages worth 400,000 roubles from unsown areas.

Total damages worth 2,580,000 roubles.

Senior representative Agamahmud Hasan oglu (signed)

Mullah parishioner (signed)

Aksakkals (5 signatures)

ACT

Source: CSAOR AzSSR, f. 1061, op. 1. d. 111, p. 49.

We, the undersigned residents of Sundi village of Shemakha uyezd, composed the following act at our meeting on November 8th 1918.

1. Before the Armenian attack our village had 413 houses and 2,553 persons.

2. 267 houses were burnt down and 987 persons were killed during the Armenian attack.

3. List of 987 persons and damages in roubels.

ACT

Sources: CSAOR AzSSR, f. 1061, op. 1, d. 85, p. 14.

I, senior representative of Arab-Kadim village of 358 houses, jointly with selected honorary representatives of the village, composed the following act on April 4th 1919. This act concerns the damages suffered by our village during the Armenian attack in March of 1918.

1) Killed: men – 200, women – 140, children – 90

2) injured: no

3) houses and buildings worth 1,500,000 roubles destroyed.

4) Houses and buildings burnt.

5) 308 heads of cattle worth 924,000 roubles stolen and killed.

6) 1,500 heads of small cattle and sheep worth 1,500,000 roubles stolen and killed.

7) Household belongings, equipment, bread in grains, etc., worth 1,000,000 roubles stolen

8) Hay worth 50,000 roubles damaged and stolen.

9) Grape and mullbery gardens worth …. damaged.

10) Other damages

Total damages worth 6,474,000 roubles

Senior representative Adjal gul Ali oglu

Mullah parishioner: Mullah Fatali Abdurahman oglu

Signatures of 9 aksakkals

ACT

Source: CSARO AzSSR, f. 1061, op. 1, d. 85, p. 14.

April 3rd 1919. I, senior representative of Jagirli village of 165 houses, together with selected honorary representatives of our village, composed the following act on the damages caused by Armenian attack in March of 1918:

1) killed: men – 98, women – 70, children – 54

2) injured: men -2, children-2, elderly persons – 5

3) destroyed houses and buildings worth 500,000 roubles

4) houses and buildings worth …. burnt down

5) 500 heads of cattle worth 270,000 roubles stolen and killed

6) 700 heads of small cattle and sheep worth 70,000 roubles stolen and killed

7) Household belongings, agricultural equipment, bread in grains and other movable properties worth 1,500,000 roubles stolen.

8) Hay worth 20,000 roubles damaged and stolen

9) Grape and mullbery gardens worth …. damaged

10) Bread and hay worth 200,000 roubles damaged and stolen

11) Damages worth 3,000,000 roubles from unsown areas.

Total damages worth 9,720,000 roubles

Assistant to senior representative – Haji Mirzali

Mullah parishioner: Arabic signature

Aksakkals: 4 signatures

The protocol of the interrogation on November 13th 1918. The extraordinary investigation commission under the Government of Azerbaijan questioned the undersigned as victim in line with the UUS.

Source: CSAOR AzSSR, f. 1061, op. 1, d. 111, p. 138.

My name is Sunali Novruz oglu. I am a confidant of the Nabur village in Shemakha uyezd, 70, Moslem, illiterate.

Armenians attacked our village in the evening. We did not have the arms to defend ourselves and escaped to the Gara Yazi area in the mountains. Armenians killed 1,012 residents of our village, and burned down 280 houses and destroyed nearly 200 houses.

We stayed in Garayazi for nearly two weeks and from there went to Oyag Dora village, where we stayed until the Turks came. We composed the act on damages caused by Armenians, which you can find attached.

Commission member (signed)

ACT

Source: CSAOR AzSSR, f. 1061, op. 1, d. 111, p. 139.

We, residents of Nabur village of the Shemakha uyezd, gathered on November 12th 1918 to compose the following act concerning…

1. Our village had 280 houses and 1,486 residents prior to the Armenian attack.

2. During the attack, Armenians burned down 200 houses and killed 1,012 persons (list of killed residents and financial damages attached).

Arabic signatures.

ACT

Source: CSAOR AzSSR, f. 1061, op. 1, d. 111, p. 130-132.

We, the residents of Marzali village of the Shemakha uyezd, gathered on … 1918, to compose the following act concerning…

1. Prior to the attack our village had 900 houses and 8,317 residents.

2. During the attack, Armenians burned down 512 houses and killed 963 persons.

3. Destroyed and stolen: (list of persons murdered by Armenians and financial damages).

The protocol of the interrogation on November 15th 1918. The extraordinary investigation commission under the Government of Azerbaijan questioned the undersigned as victim in line with the UUS.

Source: CSAOR AzSSR, f. 1061, op. 1. f. 111. p. 133.

I am Ibrahim Halil Tapdig oglu. Senior representative of the Marzali village of Shemakha uyzd. 55 years old, literate.

Our village is situated one verst away from the Molokan settlement, which is also called Marzali. After the first pogrom of the Shemakha city, when Ganja Moslem troops began to withdraw from the Gaziya village, we noticed the presence of numerous foreign persons, mostly Armenians, in the above-mentioned Molokan village. At the same time, two Molokans Ivan Koreyev and Vitaly Popov, who went to Baku, came back with some persons, who required our village’s aksakkals to come and offered to surrender the weapons they had at the village and give up to the Bolsheviks. They also said they chief would soon arrive from Baku.

We took time from them and began to discuss our situation. Some of us decided to not believe any proposals from suspicious persons and for fear of pogroms by Molokans and Armenians, we sent our families with several dozens of men to our winter sites in Kabristan. However, most of the residents decided to stay and wait for the development of events.

Two days later, our honorary residents were called to the Molokan village. We were waiting for our aksakkals. Finally, Molokans and Armenians attacked our village and burned it down. They killed 963 persons and burned and destroyed 400 houses.

Signature of witness

Commission member (signed)

Extraordinary Investigation Commission under the Government of Azerbaijan. Protocols of the interrogation, acts of damages as the result of pogroms and other materials on the destruction of Moslem settlements in the Shemakha uyezd (3-16 April 1919)

Source: CSAOR AzSSR, f. 1061, d. 3, op. 1, p. 1-4.

To the Extraordinary Investigation Commission. At the commission’s request, please find attached the list of destroyed villages of:

1) Kabristan

2) Matrasi and

3) Koshun police stations of our uyezd.

Shemakha Uyezd Commander (signed)

Prosecutor (signed)

List of destroyed villages in Shemakha uyezd in the Kabristan, Matrasi and Koshun police stations.

Kabristan section: Marazali, Shikhlar, Chukhanli, Sundi, Marzanli, Nabur, Tekle, Yekakhana, Talib, Kurbanchi, Arab-Shahverdi, Shalbali, Shahzagerli, Jamjamli, Karaduzli, Mirzakhanli, Bekli, Jagirli, Arab-Kadim.

Matrasi section:

1) Kuizi, Chayli, Miri-Kend, Muganli, Murtali, Talim-Melik, Umut, Sharadil.

2) Karaveli-vagid bek, Meldjak, Hanisli, Agabekli, Avtagi, Bidjov, Aldjeut, Osmanbeyli, Lengebiz, Kashad Keshtimag, Chargan, Nugdi, Bayat, Adnali, Gurdoba, Kopakh-Kend, Tamali, Jabani, Chayli-Bakhish bek, Avalgali, Yukhari-Chagan, Dada Gunashli, Ashagi-Chagan, Anchekharan, Gayali, Jevangir, Ahsu, Shikh-Mazid, Garus-Chaparli, Navachi, Bagirli, Ovdokuli, Guglar.

Koshun section: 1st Nugdi, Nurak, Zeyla, Pir-Kora-Gukha, Surakhani, Kigatan, Koleybugurt, Shaban, Machakhi, Gaglab, Keleradj, Gurdavan, Pir-Abdul-Gasim, Bizlen, Mudji, Handjiman, Dilman, Kelva, Hatman, Kosa-dara, Sulut Pirdjhaan, Talish-Nuri, Hankendi (other than city in Karabakh), Sardagar, Zargava.