Ziya Bunyadov
Encyclopedia
Ziya Musa oglu Bunyadov ( sometimes spelled in English as Zia Buniatov or Bunyatov) (24 December 1921, Astara
– 21 February 1997, Baku
) was an Azerbaijani historian
, academician
, and Vice-President of the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan. As a historian, he also headed the Institute of History of the Azerbaijani Academy of Sciences for many years. Bunyadov was a World War II
veteran and Hero of the Soviet Union
.
in Azerbaijan
. His father, originally from Bibiheybat village of Baku, was a Custom Officer and, due to his work, the Bunyadov family changed their residence several times. After finishing secondary (high) school in Goychay
in 1939, he joined Baku military school. In 1942 he was sent to World War II to fight on the Caucasus Front, near the town of Mozdok
. The Krasnaya Zvezda
(Red Star), the official newspaper of the Soviet Army, wrote about Bunyadov in 1942: "sly, swift as a tiger, the intelligence officer Ziya Bunyadov, who under the improbable conditions, in the most complex situation could clearly orient himself, bring precise data about the number, the armament and the dislocation of the enemy. He was valued in the battalion for the romantic soul and the literary erudition" http://www.proza.ru/texts/2002/06/16-27.html. He went on to fight on the European Front and participated in the Soviet capture of Warsaw and Berlin.
Ziya Bunyadov was awarded the Soviet Union's highest military honor, the Hero of the Soviet Union
, for his action in the battle over Pilitsa bridge in Poland
on January 14, 1945, resulting in 100 enemy fatalities and 45 enemy prisoners taken.
As well as this medal, for his participation and heroism in World War II Ziya Bunyadov was also awarded the honorary Red Banner
, Red Star
, Alexander Nevsky
, and 2nd degree Patriotic War
. For a year after the end of war, Lieutenant Ziya Bunyadov was deputy military commandant of the Pankow
district of Berlin
.
and in 1954 defended his doctorate dissertation. Dr. Bunyadov returned to Baku and started working at the Institute of the History of the Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan SSR
. Here he progressed from the position of research associate to become a chief scientist, head of the Institute of History, corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences and then finally full academician and vice-president of the Academy of Sciences. He was the author and editor of numerous monographs, books, and articles on the history of Caucasus.
Soviet orientalist
and journalist Farid Seyful-Mulukov noted regarding Bunyadov's translation of the Quran: "He was an outstanding scholar. Quran translation requires excellent knowledge of the Arabic language and few dare to embark upon that job. Ziya Bunyadov managed to do excellent translation of the Holy Book."
and Azerbaijan during the Arab caliphate rule, concentrating on events from the 7th-19th centuries AD. In different areas, Bunyadov's work has met severe criticism. According to journalist Thomas de Waal:
Bunyadov is also known for his article, "Why Sumgait?", on the 1988 ethnic riots in the town of Sumgait. Thomas de Waal calls Bunyadov "Azerbaijan’s foremost Armenophobe," and says, "Buniatov concluded that the Sumgait pogrom
s had been planned by the Armenians themselves in order to discredit Azerbaijan and boost the Armenian nationalist cause." (see Sumgait pogrom#Conspiracy theories).
According to Russian historian V. Shnirelman, Bunyadov "purposefully tried "to clear" the territories of modern Azerbaijan from the presence of Armenian history". "Another way is to underestimate the presence of Armenians in ancient and medieval Transcaucasia and to belittle their role by reprinting antique and medieval sources with denominations and replacements of the "Armenian state" term to "the Albanian state" or with other distortions of original texts. In the 1960s to 1990s there were many such reprintings of primary sources in Baku
, where academician Z.M. Bunyadov was actively engaged".
Soviet academic Igor Diakonov
wrote that Bunyadov become infamous for a scientific edition of "a historical source from where all mentions on Armenians have been carefully eliminated".
Historians Willem Floor and Hasan Javadi charged Bunyatov for making "an incomplete and defective Russian translation of Bakikhanov's text. Not only has he not translated any of the poems in the text, but he does not even mention that he has not done so, while he does not translate certain other prose parts of the text without indicating this and why. This is in particular disturbing because he suppresses, for example, the mention of territory inhabited by Armenians, thus not only falsifying history, but also not respecting Bakikhanov's dictum that a historian should write without prejudice, whether religious, ethnic, political or otherwise".
Bunyadov was known for his anti-Armenian nationalistic speeches.
Some of Bunyadov's research is discussed by Western journalist and author Yo'av Karny.
Astara, Azerbaijan
Astara, also, Azerbaycan Astarasi is a city in and the capital of the Astara Rayon of Azerbaijan. Astara is a short walk across the border from Astara, Iran.- The TV Tower :There is a 243.9 metre tall lattice steel TV tower, built in 1981...
– 21 February 1997, 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 Azerbaijani historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
, academician
Academician
The title Academician denotes a Full Member of an art, literary, or scientific academy.In many countries, it is an honorary title. There also exists a lower-rank title, variously translated Corresponding Member or Associate Member, .-Eastern Europe and China:"Academician" may also be a functional...
, and Vice-President of the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan. As a historian, he also headed the Institute of History of the Azerbaijani Academy of Sciences for many years. Bunyadov was a World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
veteran and Hero of the Soviet Union
Hero of the Soviet Union
The title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:...
.
Life
Ziya Bunyadov was born on December 21, 1923 in the town of AstaraAstara, Azerbaijan
Astara, also, Azerbaycan Astarasi is a city in and the capital of the Astara Rayon of Azerbaijan. Astara is a short walk across the border from Astara, Iran.- The TV Tower :There is a 243.9 metre tall lattice steel TV tower, built in 1981...
in 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...
. His father, originally from Bibiheybat village of Baku, was a Custom Officer and, due to his work, the Bunyadov family changed their residence several times. After finishing secondary (high) school in Goychay
Goychay
Goychay is a rayon of Azerbaijan located in the central part of the county. The region is famous for its pomegranate growing industry.-Geography:...
in 1939, he joined Baku military school. In 1942 he was sent to World War II to fight on the Caucasus Front, near the town of Mozdok
Mozdok
Mozdok is a town and the administrative center of Mozdoksky District of the Republic of North Ossetia–Alania in southern Russia, located on the left shore of the Terek River, north of Vladikavkaz, the republic's capital. The name of the town literally means "dense forest" in the Kabardian language...
. The Krasnaya Zvezda
Krasnaya Zvezda
Krasnaya Zvezda is an official newspaper of Soviet and later Russian Ministry of Defence. It was founded on January 1, 1924. Today its official designation is "Central Organ of the Russian Ministry of Defence."...
(Red Star), the official newspaper of the Soviet Army, wrote about Bunyadov in 1942: "sly, swift as a tiger, the intelligence officer Ziya Bunyadov, who under the improbable conditions, in the most complex situation could clearly orient himself, bring precise data about the number, the armament and the dislocation of the enemy. He was valued in the battalion for the romantic soul and the literary erudition" http://www.proza.ru/texts/2002/06/16-27.html. He went on to fight on the European Front and participated in the Soviet capture of Warsaw and Berlin.
Ziya Bunyadov was awarded the Soviet Union's highest military honor, the Hero of the Soviet Union
Hero of the Soviet Union
The title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:...
, for his action in the battle over Pilitsa bridge in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
on January 14, 1945, resulting in 100 enemy fatalities and 45 enemy prisoners taken.
As well as this medal, for his participation and heroism in World War II Ziya Bunyadov was also awarded the honorary Red Banner
Order of the Red Banner
The Soviet government of Russia established the Order of the Red Banner , a military decoration, on September 16, 1918 during the Russian Civil War...
, Red Star
Order of the Red Star
Established on 6 April 1930, the Order of the Red Star was an order of the Soviet Union, given to Red Army and Soviet Navy personnel for "exceptional service in the cause of the defense of the Soviet Union in both war and peace". It was established by Resolution of the Presidium of the CEC of the...
, Alexander Nevsky
Order of Alexander Nevsky
The Order of Alexander Nevsky is an order of merit bestowed by the Russian Federation. It is named in honour ofAlexander Nevsky's struggle with the Teutonic Knights....
, and 2nd degree Patriotic War
Order of the Patriotic War
The Order of the Patriotic War is a Soviet military decoration that was awarded to all soldiers in the Soviet armed forces, security troops, and to partisans for heroic deeds during the German-Soviet War, known by the former-Soviet Union as the Great Patriotic War.- History :The Order was...
. For a year after the end of war, Lieutenant Ziya Bunyadov was deputy military commandant of the Pankow
Pankow
Pankow is the third borough of Berlin. In Berlin's 2001 administrative reform it was merged with the former boroughs of Prenzlauer Berg and Weißensee; the resulting borough retained the name Pankow.- Overview :...
district of Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
.
Academic career
After the war, Ziya Bunyadov graduated from the Moscow Institute of Oriental StudiesMoscow Institute of Oriental Studies
Moscow Institute of Oriental Studies ) was a university-level educational institution that operated in Moscow, Russia, in 1920-1954. It was created as a result of merging Lazarev Institute of Oriental Languages and the Oriental studies departments in Moscow's other higher educational...
and in 1954 defended his doctorate dissertation. Dr. Bunyadov returned to Baku and started working at the Institute of the History of the Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan SSR
Azerbaijan SSR
The Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic , also known as the Azerbaijan SSR for short, was one of the republics that made up the former Soviet Union....
. Here he progressed from the position of research associate to become a chief scientist, head of the Institute of History, corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences and then finally full academician and vice-president of the Academy of Sciences. He was the author and editor of numerous monographs, books, and articles on the history of Caucasus.
Soviet orientalist
Oriental studies
Oriental studies is the academic field of study that embraces Near Eastern and Far Eastern societies and cultures, languages, peoples, history and archaeology; in recent years the subject has often been turned into the newer terms of Asian studies and Middle Eastern studies...
and journalist Farid Seyful-Mulukov noted regarding Bunyadov's translation of the Quran: "He was an outstanding scholar. Quran translation requires excellent knowledge of the Arabic language and few dare to embark upon that job. Ziya Bunyadov managed to do excellent translation of the Holy Book."
Death
On February 21, 1997, Ziya Bunyadov was murdered at the entrance to his apartment in Baku. Though the official state investigation placed the responsibility on a group of Islamic extremists, many of whom received life sentences, the culprits and circumstances of Bunyadov's murder remained mysterious. He was buried at the Alley of Honor.Critics
Bunyadov researched ancient and medieval Azerbaijani historiography, specializing in Caucasian AlbaniaCaucasian Albania
Albania is a name for the historical region of the eastern Caucasus, that existed on the territory of present-day republic of...
and Azerbaijan during the Arab caliphate rule, concentrating on events from the 7th-19th centuries AD. In different areas, Bunyadov's work has met severe criticism. According to journalist Thomas de Waal:
"Buniatov's academy reissued thirty thousand copies of a forgotten racist tract by the turn of the century Russian polemicist Vasil VelichkoVasili Lvovich VelichkoVasili Lvovich Velichko was a Russian explorer, and editor of the semi-official Kavkaz gazette.Known as a Russian chauvinist, he demonstrated blatant intolerance to the Armenians and tried to set them on other populations in the Caucasus...
; later Buniatov began a poisonous quarrel for which Caucasian Albanians themselves should take none of them blame. Buniatov’s scholarly credentials were dubious. It later transpired that the two articles he published in 1960 and 1965 on Caucasian Albania were direct plagiarismPlagiarismPlagiarism is defined in dictionaries as the "wrongful appropriation," "close imitation," or "purloining and publication" of another author's "language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions," and the representation of them as one's own original work, but the notion remains problematic with nebulous...
. Under his own name, he had simply published, unattributed, translations of two articles, originally written in English by Western scholars C.F.J. DowsettCharles dowsettCharles James Frank Dowsett was the first Calouste Gulbenkian Professor of Armenian at the University of Oxford from 1965 to 1991...
and Robert Hewsen."
Bunyadov is also known for his article, "Why Sumgait?", on the 1988 ethnic riots in the town of Sumgait. Thomas de Waal calls Bunyadov "Azerbaijan’s foremost Armenophobe," and says, "Buniatov concluded that the Sumgait pogrom
Sumgait Pogrom
The Sumgait pogrom was a pogrom that targeted the Armenian population of the seaside town of Sumgait in Soviet Azerbaijan during February 1988...
s had been planned by the Armenians themselves in order to discredit Azerbaijan and boost the Armenian nationalist cause." (see Sumgait pogrom#Conspiracy theories).
According to Russian historian V. Shnirelman, Bunyadov "purposefully tried "to clear" the territories of modern Azerbaijan from the presence of Armenian history". "Another way is to underestimate the presence of Armenians in ancient and medieval Transcaucasia and to belittle their role by reprinting antique and medieval sources with denominations and replacements of the "Armenian state" term to "the Albanian state" or with other distortions of original texts. In the 1960s to 1990s there were many such reprintings of primary sources in 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...
, where academician Z.M. Bunyadov was actively engaged".
Soviet academic Igor Diakonov
Igor Diakonov
Igor Mikhailovich Diakonov was a Russian historian, linguist, and translator and a renowned expert in the Ancient Near East and its languages....
wrote that Bunyadov become infamous for a scientific edition of "a historical source from where all mentions on Armenians have been carefully eliminated".
Historians Willem Floor and Hasan Javadi charged Bunyatov for making "an incomplete and defective Russian translation of Bakikhanov's text. Not only has he not translated any of the poems in the text, but he does not even mention that he has not done so, while he does not translate certain other prose parts of the text without indicating this and why. This is in particular disturbing because he suppresses, for example, the mention of territory inhabited by Armenians, thus not only falsifying history, but also not respecting Bakikhanov's dictum that a historian should write without prejudice, whether religious, ethnic, political or otherwise".
Bunyadov was known for his anti-Armenian nationalistic speeches.
Some of Bunyadov's research is discussed by Western journalist and author Yo'av Karny.
Selected publications
- З. Буниятов. «Азербайджан в VII-IX веках». 1973. Баку
- З. Буниятов. «Государство атабеков Азербайджана: 1136-1225». 1984. Баку
- Yo'av Karny. Highlanders: A Journey to the Caucasus in Quest of Memory, NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2001 http://www.amazon.com/dp/0374528128/
- Thomas De Waal. Black Garden: Armenia and Azerbaijan Through Peace and War, New York University Press, 2004 http://www.amazon.com/dp/0814719457/