Khudadat bey Malik-Aslanov
Encyclopedia
Khudadat bey Aghabey oglu Malik-Aslanov (April 1879, Shusha
– 23 July 1935, Baku
) was an Azerbaijan
i politician and university professor.
of the Russian Empire
(now a city in Azerbaijan's Nagorno-Karabakh region). After graduation from the Shusha Realschule
in 1899, he was sponsored by philanthropist Zeynalabdin Taghiyev to enter the Saint Petersburg Institute of Railway Transportation. He graduated from the institute with honours in 1904. He then was sent to work in the pioneering of the Saint Petersburg
– Vologda
railway. In 1905 Malik-Aslanov was assigned a position in the Transcaucasian Railway Department in Tiflis, of which he soon became the chairman. He earned a Ph.D. degree after publishing more than 10 works on railway communications.
of 1917, the Russian Provisional Government
appointed Malik-Aslanov Commissioner
for the Communications of Transcaucasia
. In April 1918 he became Minister of Railway Communications of the newly-established and short-lived Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic
seated in Tiflis. After the dissolution of the federation in May 1918 Malik-Aslanov held the same post in the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic
in four of the five cabinets. He was one of the members of the Azerbaijani National Council
who signed the Declaration of Independence of 28 May 1918 proclaiming Azerbaijan's sovereignty, and became one of Members of Parliament of the newly-founded state. In 1919 Malik-Aslanov was also selected to be member of the State Committee of Defense and the special committee for Romanization
of the Azeri alphabet
. He initiated the establishment of a bilingual Azeri-Russian institution of higher education
to train specialists in the field of railway communications (later reorganized into the Baku College of Railway Transportation). He did not join any party throughout his pre-Soviet political career.
. Malik-Aslanov assisted in the building of a railway from Baku to Julfa
and in the introduction of the first elektrichka
in the Soviet Union
, which took place in Azerbaijan. In 1929, he proposed establishing metro system in Baku (the project was fulfilled in 1967).
. He was arrested for the first time in 1930 but was released upon Mir Jafar Baghirov
's request in 1933. In August 1934 Malik-Aslanov was arrested again on the grounds of not having served his 5-year sentence. In 1935 he died in the Bailov prison. According to the official version, Malik-Aslanov died of natural causes. His family believed he was done away with by someone named Gerasimov. Malik-Aslanov's body was never shown to his family and was buried in a mass grave in the outskirts of Baku. He was officially exonerated in 1959.
Shusha
Shusha , also known as Shushi is a town in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh in the South Caucasus. It has been under the control of the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic since its capture in 1992 during the Nagorno-Karabakh War...
– 23 July 1935, 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...
) was an 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...
i politician and university professor.
Early life
Malik-Aslanov was born to a wealthy noble family in the city of Shusha in the Elisabethpol GovernorateElisabethpol Governorate
Elisabethpol Governorate or Elizavetpol Governorate was one of the guberniyas of the Russian Empire, with its centre in Elisabethpol . Its area was 44,136 sq. kilometres, and it had 878,415 inhabitants by 1897....
of the Russian Empire
Russian 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...
(now a city in Azerbaijan's Nagorno-Karabakh region). After graduation from the Shusha Realschule
Realschule
The Realschule is a type of secondary school in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein. It has also existed in Croatia , Denmark , Sweden , Hungary and in the Russian Empire .-History:The Realschule was an outgrowth of the rationalism and empiricism of the seventeenth and...
in 1899, he was sponsored by philanthropist Zeynalabdin Taghiyev to enter the Saint Petersburg Institute of Railway Transportation. He graduated from the institute with honours in 1904. He then was sent to work in the pioneering of the Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
– Vologda
Vologda
Vologda is a city and the administrative, cultural, and scientific center of Vologda Oblast, Russia, located on the Vologda River. The city is a major transport knot of the Northwest of Russia. Vologda is among the Russian cities possessing an especially valuable historical heritage...
railway. In 1905 Malik-Aslanov was assigned a position in the Transcaucasian Railway Department in Tiflis, of which he soon became the chairman. He earned a Ph.D. degree after publishing more than 10 works on railway communications.
Career in the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan
After the February RevolutionFebruary Revolution
The February Revolution of 1917 was the first of two revolutions in Russia in 1917. Centered around the then capital Petrograd in March . Its immediate result was the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II, the end of the Romanov dynasty, and the end of the Russian Empire...
of 1917, the Russian Provisional Government
Russian Provisional Government
The Russian Provisional Government was the short-lived administrative body which sought to govern Russia immediately following the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II . On September 14, the State Duma of the Russian Empire was officially dissolved by the newly created Directorate, and the country was...
appointed Malik-Aslanov Commissioner
Commissioner
Commissioner is in principle the title given to a member of a commission or to an individual who has been given a commission ....
for the Communications of Transcaucasia
South Caucasus
The South Caucasus is a geopolitical region located on the border of Eastern Europe and Southwest Asia also referred to as Transcaucasia, or The Trans-Caucasus...
. In April 1918 he became Minister of Railway Communications of the newly-established and short-lived Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic
Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic
The Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic , was a short-lived state composed of the modern-day countries of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia in the South Caucasus.-...
seated in Tiflis. After the dissolution of the federation in May 1918 Malik-Aslanov held the same post in the 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...
in four of the five cabinets. He was one of the members of the Azerbaijani National Council
Azerbaijani National Council
Azerbaijani National Council was the first delegated legislative body of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic from 27 May 1918 to 17 June 1918 and again from 16 November 1918 to 3 December 1918...
who signed the Declaration of Independence of 28 May 1918 proclaiming Azerbaijan's sovereignty, and became one of Members of Parliament of the newly-founded state. In 1919 Malik-Aslanov was also selected to be member of the State Committee of Defense and the special committee for Romanization
Romanization
In linguistics, romanization or latinization is the representation of a written word or spoken speech with the Roman script, or a system for doing so, where the original word or language uses a different writing system . Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written...
of the Azeri alphabet
Azerbaijani alphabet
In the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Azerbaijani alphabet refers to a Latin alphabet used for writing the Azerbaijani language. This superseded a previous versions based on Cyrillic and Arabic scripts....
. He initiated the establishment of a bilingual Azeri-Russian institution of higher education
Higher education
Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...
to train specialists in the field of railway communications (later reorganized into the Baku College of Railway Transportation). He did not join any party throughout his pre-Soviet political career.
Career in Soviet Azerbaijan
From 1921 to 1930 Khudadat bey Malik-Aslanov served as Dean of the Faculty of Building Engineering at the Azerbaijan Polytechnic Institute. He was also Head of the Department of Railway Communications of Azerbaijan's Supreme Soviet of the National EconomySupreme Soviet of the National Economy
Supreme Soviet of the National Economy, Superior Soviet of the People's Economy, Vesenkha was the superior state institution for management of the economy of the RSFSR and later of the Soviet Union...
. Malik-Aslanov assisted in the building of a railway from Baku to 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 in the introduction of the first elektrichka
Elektrichka
Elektrichka is an informal word for elektropoyezd , a Soviet or post-Soviet regional electrical multiple unit passenger train. Elektrichkas are widespread in Russia, Ukraine and other countries of the former Soviet Union....
in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, which took place in Azerbaijan. In 1929, he proposed establishing metro system in Baku (the project was fulfilled in 1967).
Family
In 1906 Khudadat bey Malik-Aslanov married Maria Alexandrova, the daughter of his landlord in Saint Petersburg. They did not have children of their own and adopted the sons of Malik-Aslanov's sister Khurshid.Arrest and death
Similar to many of those involved in the political affairs of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic in 1918–1920, Malik-Aslanov was subject to Stalinist persecutionsGreat Purge
The Great Purge was a series of campaigns of political repression and persecution in the Soviet Union orchestrated by Joseph Stalin from 1936 to 1938...
. He was arrested for the first time in 1930 but was released upon Mir Jafar Baghirov
Mir Jafar Baghirov
Mir Jafar Baghirov Abbas oglu was the communist leader of Azerbaijan SSR from 1932 till 1953, under the Soviet leadership of Joseph Stalin.-Early life:Born in Quba of Baku Governorate in 1896, Baghirov studied pedagogy in Petrovsk....
's request in 1933. In August 1934 Malik-Aslanov was arrested again on the grounds of not having served his 5-year sentence. In 1935 he died in the Bailov prison. According to the official version, Malik-Aslanov died of natural causes. His family believed he was done away with by someone named Gerasimov. Malik-Aslanov's body was never shown to his family and was buried in a mass grave in the outskirts of Baku. He was officially exonerated in 1959.