Habib Bey Salimov
Encyclopedia
Habib bey Haji Yusif oglu Salimov was the first Chief of General Staff of Azerbaijani Armed Forces
of Azerbaijan Democratic Republic
.
and completed school in Erivan where his father worked as a judge of Erivan Governorate
. On August 12, 1900 he volunteered to serve in the 39th division of the 156th Elisabethpol regiment of the Russian Imperial Army's Caucasus corps. After completing his studies as a military school in Tiflis, Salimov served in the 3rd Caucasus batallion in Julfa
and was a part of a reconnaissance mission in Tehran
. As a second lieutenant of 5th Caucasus batallion, he was conferred with the Order of St. Vladimir
of 4th degree and on August 9, 1912 he was promoted to Stabskapitän
. In the midst of the World War I
, Salimov was conferred with Order of Saint Stanislaus
of the 3rd degree for "excellence in the activities against the enemy".
on March 4, 1918. After establishment of Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, Colonel Salimov returned to Azerbaijan
and was appointed Chief of Documentation Department of Azerbaijani Army. In mid 1918, Salimov's professionalism was noticed by General Nuru Pasha of Army of Islam, who appointed him Chief of Staff of the Azerbaijani corps. Salimov was subsequently charged with leading the Azerbaijani units
towards Baku
along the Ganja
-Baku Railway. Having liberated terminals at Nəvai, Atbulaq
and Ələt by August 1, 1918 , he marched towards Baku. For his service in the liberation of Baku
on September 15, 1918 Habib Bey Salimov was promoted to General Major on February 23, 1919 by Minister of Defense Samad bey Mehmandarov according to Order No. 30. Salimov was the second high ranking general of newly established Azerbaijani Army after Mammad Bey Shulkevich. During the Armenian uprising in Karabakh
on March 22, 1920 led by Dashnaks Dali Kazar (Kazarov) and Drastamat Kanayan
, Salimov was charged to lead a 20 thousand strong expedition to put down the rebellion. The force led by Salimov included the 3rd Ganja, 5th Baku, 1st Javanshir, 4th Quba and 8th Agdam regiments. Azerbaijani counterattack started on April 3 and after 12 days of fighting, control over Karabakh was restored by Azerbaijani forces. Dali Kazar was killed and General Kanayan fled Karabakh. On August 1, 1918 with formal establishment of the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan, Habib Bey Salimov was appointed Chief of General Staff of Azerbaijani Armed Forces.
After occupation of Azerbaijan by Bolsheviks
, Salimov was appointed Military Commissar to Nakhchivan. However, Salimov refused to work with Bolsheviks and was arrested on September 1, 1920. On December 30, 1920 he was executed by firing squad
.
General Staff of Azerbaijani Armed Forces
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan Republic is the military staff of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces. It is the central organ of the Armed Forces Administration and oversees operational management of the armed forces under the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan Republic.The Chief of...
of Azerbaijan Democratic Republic
Azerbaijan Democratic Republic
The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was the first successful attempt to establish a democratic and secular republic in the Muslim world . The ADR was founded on May 28, 1918 after the collapse of the Russian Empire that began with the Russian Revolution of 1917 by Azerbaijani National Council in...
.
Early life
Salimov was born on February 8, 1881 in Nakhchivan, AzerbaijanAzerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
and completed school in Erivan where his father worked as a judge of Erivan Governorate
Erivan Governorate
Erivan Governorate was one of the guberniyas of the Russian Empire, with its centre in Erivan . Its area was 27,830 sq. kilometres. It roughly corresponded to what is now most of central Armenia, the Iğdır Province of Turkey, and Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan exclave...
. On August 12, 1900 he volunteered to serve in the 39th division of the 156th Elisabethpol regiment of the Russian Imperial Army's Caucasus corps. After completing his studies as a military school in Tiflis, Salimov served in the 3rd Caucasus batallion in Julfa
Julfa
Julfa or Culfa may refer to:*Jolfa, a city in the East Azarbaijan Province of Iran*Jolfa County, an administrative subdivision of East Azarbaijan Province of Iran*New Julfa, an Armenian quarter in Isfahan, Iran...
and was a part of a reconnaissance mission in Tehran
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
. As a second lieutenant of 5th Caucasus batallion, he was conferred with the Order of St. Vladimir
Order of St. Vladimir
The Cross of Saint Vladimir was an Imperial Russian Order established in 1782 by Empress Catherine II in memory of the deeds of Saint Vladimir, the Grand Prince and the Baptizer of the Kievan Rus....
of 4th degree and on August 9, 1912 he was promoted to Stabskapitän
Stabskapitän
Stabskapitän is a historic military rank, used in the Prussian and Russian armies. It ranked between the Premierleutnant and Hauptmann/Rittmeister in the Prussian army, and between lieutenant and captain in the Russian army...
. In the midst of the World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Salimov was conferred with Order of Saint Stanislaus
Order of Saint Stanislaus
The Order of Saint Stanislaus , also spelled Stanislas, was an Order in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and The Kingdom of Poland between 1765 and 1831 and of Russian Empire from 1831 to 1917.-History of the Order of Saint Stanislaus:Stanisław August Poniatowski, King of Poland, established the...
of the 3rd degree for "excellence in the activities against the enemy".
Service in Azerbaijani Army
He graduated from Nikolaev Military Academy of Chiefs of Staff of the Russian EmpireRussian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
on March 4, 1918. After establishment of Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, Colonel Salimov returned to Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
and was appointed Chief of Documentation Department of Azerbaijani Army. In mid 1918, Salimov's professionalism was noticed by General Nuru Pasha of Army of Islam, who appointed him Chief of Staff of the Azerbaijani corps. Salimov was subsequently charged with leading the Azerbaijani units
Azerbaijani Armed Forces
The Azerbaijani Armed Forces were re-established according to the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan on the Armed Forces from 9 October 1991. The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic had originally formed its own armed forces from 26 June 1918...
towards Baku
Baku
Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...
along the Ganja
Ganja, Azerbaijan
Ganja is Azerbaijan's second-largest city with a population of around 313,300. It was named Yelizavetpol in the Russian Empire period. The city regained its original name—Ganja—from 1920–1935 during the first part of its incorporation into the Soviet Union. However, its name was changed again and...
-Baku Railway. Having liberated terminals at Nəvai, Atbulaq
Atbulaq
Atbulaq is a village and municipality in the Hajigabul Rayon of Azerbaijan. It has a population of 3,175. The municipality consists of the villages of Atbulaq and Kürdçü....
and Ələt by August 1, 1918 , he marched towards Baku. For his service in the liberation of Baku
Battle of Baku
The Battle of Baku in June – September 1918 was a clash between coalitions of Ottoman–Azerbaijani forces led by Nuri Pasha and Bolshevik–Dashnak Baku Soviet forces, later succeeded by British–Armenian–White Russian forces led by Lionel Dunsterville as part of the final battle of the Caucasus...
on September 15, 1918 Habib Bey Salimov was promoted to General Major on February 23, 1919 by Minister of Defense Samad bey Mehmandarov according to Order No. 30. Salimov was the second high ranking general of newly established Azerbaijani Army after Mammad Bey Shulkevich. During the Armenian uprising in Karabakh
Karabakh
The Karabakh horse , also known as Karabakh, is a mountain-steppe racing and riding horse. It is named after the geographic region where the horse was originally developed, Karabakh in the Southern Caucasus, an area that is de jure part of Azerbaijan but the highland part of which is currently...
on March 22, 1920 led by Dashnaks Dali Kazar (Kazarov) and Drastamat Kanayan
Drastamat Kanayan
General Drastamat Kanayan , known as General Dro, Դրօ, May 31, 1884 March 8, 1956), was a politician, revolutionary, military commander of Hitler’s Armenian Legion of the Wehrmacht, the armed forces of Nazi Germany, and part of Armenian national liberation movement as a member of the A.R.F...
, Salimov was charged to lead a 20 thousand strong expedition to put down the rebellion. The force led by Salimov included the 3rd Ganja, 5th Baku, 1st Javanshir, 4th Quba and 8th Agdam regiments. Azerbaijani counterattack started on April 3 and after 12 days of fighting, control over Karabakh was restored by Azerbaijani forces. Dali Kazar was killed and General Kanayan fled Karabakh. On August 1, 1918 with formal establishment of the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan, Habib Bey Salimov was appointed Chief of General Staff of Azerbaijani Armed Forces.
After occupation of Azerbaijan by Bolsheviks
Red Army invasion of Azerbaijan
The Red Army invasion of Azerbaijan, also known as the Sovietization or Soviet occupation of Azerbaijan, was a military campaign carried out by the 11th Army of Soviet Russia on April 27 - May 11, 1920 to overthrow the government of Azerbaijan Democratic Republic and to install a Bolshevik regime...
, Salimov was appointed Military Commissar to Nakhchivan. However, Salimov refused to work with Bolsheviks and was arrested on September 1, 1920. On December 30, 1920 he was executed by firing squad
Execution by firing squad
Execution by firing squad, sometimes called fusillading , is a method of capital punishment, particularly common in the military and in times of war.Execution by shooting is a fairly old practice...
.
See also
- Azerbaijani Army
- Ministers of Defense of Azerbaijan RepublicMinister of Defense (Azerbaijan)The Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan is the Azerbaijani government ministry, associated with the Azerbaijani military. The ministry is responsible for keeping Azerbaijan defended against external threats, preserving its territorial integrity, waging war on behalf of Azerbaijan , and the...