Ministry of Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan Baku International Multiculturalism Centre Azerbaijani Multiculturalism Textbook for Higher Education
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- Bu səhifədəki naviqasiya:
- Resettlement of Armenians to northern Azerbaijan from the Ottoman Empire in 1828-1930 *
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of the monument.
The monument was destroyed by Armenian militants. Section II Chapter 3 In terms of religious affiliation, the Armenians are divided
into Gregorian Armenians, Catholic Armenians, and Orthodox Armenians. 95
In the first 30 years of the 19th century, following their occupation of Azerbaijan, the Russian Empire pursued a settlement policy in order to establish their political power in the country. As part of this policy, they added new Christian elements (Germans and Russians) to the population. The Azerbaijani people continued to live in their own historical territories, preserving their mentality, tangible and spiritual culture, ethnic identity and confessional tolerance. They played a special role in the synthesis of eastern and western cultures, protecting their historically existing multicultural values. Resettlement of Armenians to northern Azerbaijan from the Ottoman Empire in 1828-1930*
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries the country experienced an awakening of national consciousness and Azerbaijani multiculturalism entered a new stage. An Azerbaijani movement for enlightenment, supported by members of the Azerbaijani bourgeoisie, inspired a renaissance of national identity. Вердиева Х.Ю. (Verdiyeva, Kh.Yu.) Переселенческая политика Российской империи в Северном Азербайджане (The Russian Empire's resettlement policy in northern Azerbaijan). 2nd edition with addenda, Baku, 2016, p. 157. The main goal of these philanthropists was to awaken the people and show them the real essence of the colonial policy of the Russian Empire. To this end, the philanthropists paid serious attention to the development of culture, literature, science, press and education. An outstanding enlightener, educator democrat and one of the first Azerbaijani philanthropists, Hasan bay Zardabi, declared that secular schools should be opened to create national consciousness. He laid the foundations of the national press as a way of spreading this idea. The newspaper Akinchi (Farmer), which he founded in 1875, became a tool for the dissemination of the ideas of democracy, education and enlightenment. The newspapers Ziya (Light), Ziyayi-Qafqaziyya (Light of the Caucasus) and Kashkul (a bowl carried by dervishes) took up the Akinchi baton. Haji Zeynalabdin Taghiyev, a prominent member of the Azerbaijani national bourgeoisie, a millionaire thanks to Baku oil and known for his charity, opened a school for girls in 1873. The architect of the school was an ethnic Pole, Jozef Goslawski (1865-1904). The construction of the building started in 1898 in the present Istiqlal Street (pre-revolutionary Nikolayevskaya) and was finished in 1900. At present it houses the Manuscripts Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan. Taghiyev faced serious opposition from aggressive clergy. The opening ceremony of the school for girls was held at the Taza Pir Mosque. Two outstanding Muslim scholars (Mir Mahammad Karim, a Muslim judge of Baku province, and Akhund Mirza Abuturab) read and interpreted paragraphs from the Holy Koran at the ceremony, explaining that, ‘Like male Muslims, female Muslims are obliged to acquire all knowledge.’ Haji Zeynalabdin Taghiyev’s efforts yielded fruit. The first classes at the girls’ school began on 7 April 1901. As 35 pupils out of 58 came from poor families, the philanthropist had them study at his own expense. Haji Zeynalabdin Taghiyev also funded construction of the first theatre in 1883, designed by the architect Kognovitsky. Though
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capitalist Baku embraced the theatre, part of Western culture, it did not abandon its own national mentality: special boxes were created for women to watch the performance, respecting traditions of behaviour. The first opera to be performed there was Leyli and Majnun in 1908.
A country with an Oriental civilization and in the early stages of capitalism became acquainted with the values of Western culture, thereby approaching the world of multiculturalism. It was at this time that painting entered a new period, with Realism appearing under the influence of Russian and European culture. Azerbaijani artist Azim Azimzada founded the school of caricature and satire in Azerbaijan. Buildings in capitalist Baku were built in Western architectural styles. German architects Von der Nonne, Lemkul, Edel and Eichler helped to turn Baku into a city with a new architectural style. The church or Kirche built in the German Gothic style in 1899 to a design by German architect Eichler combined elements of Oriental and Western architecture in capitalist Baku. Construction of the marvellous seafront promenade, known as the Boulevard, was launched under the supervision of the talented engineer and patriot Mahammad Hasan Hajinski in 1909. German architect Eichel was one of the leading architects in designing the Baku Boulevard, which can be considered a multicultural piece of art. Azerbaijani charitable donors were active in the provinces, too. To counter the Christianization policy pursued by the Russian Empire in Azerbaijan, they began to build new mosques to maintain the Islamic values and morals of the people. These include Teze Pir Mosque, designed by Kazim bay Hajibabayev in the town of Shamakhi in 1870. In those years provincial philanthropists had mosques built in other regions as well. In 1854 Sakina Khanum had a mosque built in the province of Quba. In 1877-78 Israfil bay Yadigarzada had the famous medieval Imamzada complex restored in Ganja. In 1899 Israfil Agha had a mosque built in Qazakh. This shows that in the provinces Azerbaijani philanthropists maintained the traditions of tolerance and the historical memory of the people and were inclined to build on Islamic traditions, while in capitalist Baku Azerbaijani philanthropists not only maintained Islamic values, but also nurtured Western culture. One example is the Orthodox church of Zhen Mironosets funded by Haji Zeynalabdin Taghiyev. Azerbaijani multiculturalism continued its rapid development after the October revolution, too. The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic passed its Act of Independence on 28 May 1918, and granted equal rights to all people residing in the territory of the country. From its creation the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic waged a struggle for the territorial integrity of the country, but did not give up the traditions of tolerance. When forming the state legislative body – the parliament, it gave seats to representatives of minorities who had served the socio-political life of the country. Seats were assigned according to the relative size of the population group: of 120 seats in the parliament 80 were given to Muslims, 21 to Armenians, 10 to the Baku Russian National Council, one to the German National Council, one to the Georgian National Council, and one to the Polish National Committee. The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic treated the history and culture of the non-Muslim ethnoses with respect. It created conditions for the celebration of the centenary of the establishment of German settlements in the country, taking into account the possible impact on the formation of a multicultural environment and development of democracy, and the jubilee was solemnly celebrated in Helenendorf on 9 June 1919. Another event illustrates the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic’s respect and sympathy for the Germans. When the Russian absolute monarchy declared restrictive laws against the German colonies during World War I, a group of elders from Ganja asked the governor of Yelizavetpol province, G.S. Kovalev, not to apply those
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laws to the German colonies in Azerbaijan. This testifies to the multicultural approach of the Azerbaijani towards people who do not share their roots, language, and religion, and is evidence that the Azerbaijani people attach great importance to universal values.
Thus, in the 19th and early 20th centuries Azerbaijani multiculturalism was filled with new additions; new ethnoses – Germans and Russians – became part of the population of the country. They brought their own cultures, languages, religions, customs and traditions into the social life of the country, enriching oriental Azerbaijani multiculturalism with Western colour and creating unforgettable pieces of art and architecture. Yüklə 2,25 Mb. Dostları ilə paylaş:
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