People live in history for their beautiful, good deeds and set an example for future generations. Haji Zeynalabdin Tagiyev, a great philanthropist, caring man, enlightener, generous man who spared no effort for the national-cultural, socio-economic development of the country, was one of such people.
HZTaghiyev, a great philanthropist who lived a century of honorable and hard-working life, said in an interview with the 1908 issue of «Taza Zhihav» newspaper: It is necessary to open many schools, publish many books, magazines and newspapers … «But, unfortunately, our contemporaries, especially the younger generation, know little about HZTagiyev, who has a comprehensive outlook. From the 1960s to the end of his life (September 1, 1924), he closely followed the socio-political events in Russia, the world and Azerbaijan. He was a member of the Baku City Duma, State Counselor, and initiator of a number of societies and associations. , was a defender of progressive innovations and the author of numerous courageous and benevolent works. Haji’s services to be proud of are so wide and versatile that even in 1900, Nariman Narimanov noted that they were worth one million manat in gold. He wrote about this in the book «50 years of Haji Zeynalabdin Tagiyev’s life and services to the community»: In addition to translating this work of N.Narimanov into Persian, Akhund Yusif Talibzadeh (Abdullah Shaig’s brother) also wrote a work in 1903 entitled «Biography of Mr. Haji Zeynalabdin Tagiyev, famous in wealth and generosity» as a separate book in Azerbaijani and Persian. published. In 1904 and 1906, a two-volume book about Haji was published, entitled «Himat ar-ricat» («Men’s courage»). These books contain documents covering HZ Tagiyev’s many years of activity as a nation and statesman, letters and telegrams sent to him on the occasion of the opening of the first new girls’ school in the Middle East, articles and poems dedicated to Haji. These documents on Haji’s life and activity show that he was well known and loved throughout Russia and the Muslim East. At the same time, Haji had many enemies, rivals and opponents. In particular, Armenian entrepreneurs have always secretly worked against Haji, trying to discredit him, disrespect him, bankrupt him, poison him and physically destroy him. From time to time, the Armenian-Dashnak group used various means to discredit HZ Tagiyev among the people and the tsarist government, to plunder his property with various tricks, to commit suicide, but they could not achieve their disgusting intentions in return for Haji’s intelligence and intelligence. All this was reflected in the Azerbaijani, Russian, English, German, French, Iranian and Turkish press of that time, as well as in the archives of foreign intelligence.
Unfortunately, the manuscript «Memories» written by H.Z. Tagiyev in 1920-1924 at the insistence and recommendation of N.Narimanov to the mirza appointed to him has not been found yet. Haji Zeynalabdin Tagiyev is a person who lived in a unique period in the history of Azerbaijan — the period of national formation of the people. It means exploring his tumultuous life, as well as studying the history of that period. Thus, when HZ Tagiyev was born, a new date for Azerbaijan has not yet begun. At that time, in the first quarter of the 19th century, the new history was more than 150 years old in Europe and more than 100 years old in Russia, and Azerbaijan still wanted to open its doors, get rid of khanate-selfish fragmentation and return to its indivisible age. However, this desire was not acceptable for strategists from Iran in the south, Russia in the north, Britain, France and Turkey outside, and Armenian priests inside. Only 5 years after the birth of HZ Tagiyev, Azerbaijan became a colony of Tsarist Russia. The khanates were abolished by the Turkmenchay Treaty. The feudal country shifted to the structure of capitalism, the population from a natural economy to commodity-money relations. It was a terrible transition period, full of human misery. At that time, Haji Zeynalabdin Tagiyev and his hundreds and thousands of contemporaries felt the need for and longed for an ideal life in real life. H.Z. Tagiyev was one of such patriotic compatriots who looked to the distant, free future. Narimanov, who first realized the greatness of Haji and defended him from the attacks of the Armenian-Dashnak «revolutionaries» in Bolshevik masks in 1920, said: «Haji is not an ordinary person. This great man is ten times more patriotic, ten times more enlightened, ten times more democratic and ten times more revolutionary than any of us. «
Haji was dear to those who knew him both during his life and after his death. Armenian nationalists tried to discredit HZ Tagiyev in secret, but failed. Because «the eyes of the people are the scales,» they said. Everyone saw and appreciated how Haji spent his wealth and money on the people’s path. The multi-storey, eye-catching buildings, which he built at the expense of millions, embody the most beautiful elements of the Eastern architectural style, still beautify Baku.
President Ilham Aliyev attended the opening of this magnificent and magnificent building, built by HZ Tagiyev in 1895-1897 and inhabited by the Tagiyev family until 1920, which now serves as the Museum of History of Azerbaijan. After getting acquainted with the life and activity of HZTaghiyev, who helped many prominent personalities of our people to study, their spiritual and material development in the museum with more than 300,000 exhibits, the President wrote in the museum’s personal guest book after getting acquainted with his life and activities. Restoration of the house of Haji Zeynalabdin Tagiyev, the eldest son of the Azerbaijani people, was our moral duty.
85 years have passed since the death of Haji Zeynalabdin Tagiyev, a philanthropist and generous man, a great personality and a wise elder. The more time separates us from that generous heart, the more we can appreciate his good deeds. Today, in our country, which has more than one million refugees and IDPs, there is a great need for a more detailed study of Haji’s life and charitable activities and to take his example. «It’s up to Ali to shake hands,» they said. HZ Tagiyev lived his whole glorious life in accordance with this statement and took an eternal place in the hearts of the people to whom he belonged.
Rafail Yusifoglu Mammadov
