Hadji Dawud (1680 – 1735) was a Lezgin military commander and Islamic religious leader who was influential in the resistance against

Safavids Safavid Iran or Safavid Persia (), also referred to as the Safavid Empire, '. was one of the greatest Iranian empires after the 7th-century Muslim conquest of Persia, which was ruled from 1501 to 1736 by the Safavid dynasty. It is often conside ...

imperialist expansion into the Caucasus during the late 17th century. Hadji Dawud is considered the first leader of the resistance in

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range, have historically ...

against Persian imperialism. He remains a hero of the Lezgin and

Dagestan Dagestan ( ; rus, Дагеста́н, , dəɡʲɪˈstan, links=yes), officially the Republic of Dagestan (russian: Респу́блика Дагеста́н, Respúblika Dagestán, links=no), is a republic of Russia situated in the North C ...

peoples in general, and their struggle for independence.

Biography

Imam Hadji-Dawud was born around 1680 in the village of Titel/Dedeli (currently the village is populated mainly by Azerbaijanis) in the territory of

Shirvan Shirvan (from fa, شروان, translit=Shirvān; az, Şirvan; Tat: ''Şirvan''), also spelled as Sharvān, Shirwan, Shervan, Sherwan and Šervān, is a historical Iranian region in the eastern Caucasus, known by this name in both pre-Islam ...

. Since childhood, he was distinguished by intelligence and courage. Already in the sources of the 1710-the 1720s, he was referred to as a “bek and Lezghin owner”. In addition to his native Lezgi, he knew Arabic, which was in high esteem among the Lezghins, as well as Turkish and Persian languages.

War against Shia

In 1705-1707, the

Shia Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest Islamic schools and branches, branch of Islam. It holds that the Prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad in Islam, Muhammad designated Ali, ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his S ...

Qizilbash Qizilbash or Kizilbash ( az, Qızılbaş; ota, قزيل باش; fa, قزلباش, Qezelbāš; tr, Kızılbaş, lit=Red head ) were a diverse array of mainly Turkoman Shia militant groups that flourished in Iranian Azerbaijan, Anatolia, the ...

unleashed terror against the

Sunni Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagr ...

Lezgins Lezgins or Leks ( lez, Лезгияр, Лекьер. lezgijar) are a Northeast Caucasian ethnic group native predominantly to southern Dagestan, a republic of Russia, and northeastern Azerbaijan. The Lezgin are predominantly Sunni Muslims and s ...

. During this period, Haji-Dawud managed to unite the scattered detachments of the insurgent Lezgins and led an uprising against the Shia. In the spring of 1721, the combined detachments of Haji Dawood and Surhay Khan I approached

Shamakha Shamakhi District ( az, Şamaxı rayonu) is one of the 66 Administrative divisions of Azerbaijan, districts of Azerbaijan. It is located in the east of the country and belongs to the Mountainous Shirvan Economic Region. The district borders the ...

. The Shamakha fugitive Khasan Khan made a sortie with his army, intending to defeat the rebels in open battle. In the course of a fierce battle that ensued near the city, the Safavid troops suffered a complete defeat: part of the Persian-Qizilbash army was exterminated right on the battlefield, and the other fled, and the fugitive himself was killed. Pursuing the retreating, the rebels broke into the city. The capture of Shemakha was published in the manifesto of

Peter I Peter I may refer to: Religious hierarchs * Saint Peter (c. 1 AD – c. 64–88 AD), a.k.a. Simon Peter, Simeon, or Simon, apostle of Jesus * Pope Peter I of Alexandria (died 311), revered as a saint * Peter I of Armenia (died 1058), Catholico ...

1712 thus:

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hadji-Dawud Lezgins Dagestan 1680 births 1735 deaths