, image = Haji Zeynalabdin Taghiyev.jpg
, image_size = 250px
, caption =
, birth_date = 25 January 1823
by Pari Mirzayeva. ''Vyshka''. 9 August 2002, #32. Retrieved 24 December 2007 or 1821 or 1838
by Manaf Suleymanov. ''Azerbaijan International''. Summer 2002 (10.2). Retrieved 25 December 2007
, birth_place =
Baku,
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...
, death_date = 1 September 1924
, death_place =
Mardakan, near
Baku,
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
, nationality =
Azerbaijani
, education =
, occupation =
, spouse = Zeynab Taghiyeva (†?)
Sona Taghiyeva
, children = Ismayil Taghiyev, Sadig Taghiyev, Khanim Taghiyeva ''(by 1st marriage)''
Leyla Taghiyeva, Sara Taghiyeva, Mammad Taghiyev, Ilyas Taghiyev, Surayya Taghiyeva ''(by 2nd marriage)''
, parents = father - shoemaker Taghi
Hajji
Hajji ( ar, الحجّي; sometimes spelled Hadji, Haji, Alhaji, Al-Hadj, Al-Haj or El-Hajj) is an honorific title which is given to a Muslim who has successfully completed the Hajj to Mecca. It is also often used to refer to an elder, since i ...
Zeynalabdin Taghi oghlu Taghiyev ( az, Zeynalabdin Tağı oğlu Tağıyev, fa, حاجی زیت العبدین تقی اوغلو تقیو, russian: Тагиев, Гаджи Зейналабдин) (b. 25 January 1821, 1823, or 1838, d. 1 September 1924) was an Azerbaijani national industrial magnate and
philanthropist.
Early life
Zeynalabdin Taghiyev was born into the poor family of a
shoemaker
Shoemaking is the process of making footwear.
Originally, shoes were made one at a time by hand, often by groups of shoemakers, or cobblers (also known as '' cordwainers''). In the 18th century, dozens or even hundreds of masters, journeymen ...
Taghi and his wife Umukhanum in the
old part of Baku. After his mother's death and his father's second marriage, he started learning masonry to help provide for his family of seven (sisters). His dedication to work ensured quick professional advancement and at 18, he was already a contractor. By mid-1873 along with two companions, Sarkis brothers, he purchased land near the oil-booming town of
Bibi-Heybat, a few kilometres to the southeast of Baku. The intention was to discover oil, however all their attempts were in vain. After a while, Taghiyev's companions sold their share to him and returned to Baku. It was not long until oil gushed forth from one of the wells in 1877 leading to Taghiyev's instantly becoming one of the richest men in the
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...
.
Contributions to economy
Taghiyev invested his fortune not only in the oil business but also in many other projects such as a textile factory (one of the 28 textile factories functioning in Russia at the time) and industrial fisheries along the shore of the
Caspian Sea
The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, often described as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it lies between Europe and Asia; east of the Caucasus, west of the broad steppe of Central Asia ...
. He arranged for the construction of a mosque and evening self-education courses for the employees of the textile factory, a school for their children, a pharmacy, a first-aid post, and a mill. Altogether his project cost Taghiyev more than 6 million golden roubles. He sold his oil business interest to Anglo-Russian Oil Company for 5 million rubles. In two and a half years, they had earned more than 7.5 million rubles in net profit. It should be mentioned that Taghiyev sold his oil companies in order to diversify into other industries of the
Caucasus
The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia (country), Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range ...
's economy. He amassed shares in the Oleum Company established on the basis of these enterprises to the amount of 16 million rubles. This allowed him to continue accumulating capital created in the oil sector. During this period, Taghiyev invested significant sums into the textile, food, construction, and shipbuilding industries, as well as in fishery. Later, in 1890, Taghiyev bought the Caspian Steamship Company, renovated it, and created a fleet of 10 steamboats.
Taghiyev owned real estate in Baku,
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 millio ...
,
Tehran
Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...
,
Isfahan,
Anzali, and
Rasht
Rasht ( fa, رشت, Rašt ; glk, Rəšt, script=Latn; also romanized as Resht and Rast, and often spelt ''Recht'' in French and older German manuscripts) is the capital city of Gilan Province, Iran. Also known as the "City of Rain" (, ''Ŝahre B ...
.
Philanthropic work
Despite the decades of anti-bourgeois Soviet propaganda that followed his lifetime, Taghiyev is revered by Azerbaijanis for his charity work. He sponsored the construction of the first Azerbaijani national theatre in 1883 (known as Taghiyev's Theatre, and later the
Azerbaijan State Theatre of Musical Comedy) and helped to repair it after reactionists burned it down in 1909. In 1911, he covered all the expenses for the construction of what would later become the
Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre.
[The Past Days]
by Manaf Suleymanov. 1990
Taghiyev provided 184,000 roubles to build the first
secular Muslim school for girls in the
Middle East
The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...
in 1898–1900. He personally obtained the permission to build the school in his correspondence with
Empress Alexandra. He also sponsored the construction of a school of agriculture in Mardakan in 1894 and the first technical school in the
Baku Governorate in 1911.
Taghiyev helped to maintain many city institutions and contributed to the adornment of Baku, including laying out parks and paving the streets. For this, he provided a 35-year loan of 750,000 roubles to the City Council in 1895. Together with five other businessmen, he financially assisted in establishing the
horse tramway
A horsecar, horse-drawn tram, horse-drawn streetcar (U.S.), or horse-drawn railway (historical), is an animal-powered (usually horse) tram or streetcar.
Summary
The horse-drawn tram (horsecar) was an early form of public rail transport, wh ...
in Baku, which started functioning in 1892.
He helped to solve the
water crisis
Water scarcity (closely related to water stress or water crisis) is the lack of fresh water resources to meet the standard water demand. There are two types of water scarcity: physical or economic water scarcity. Physical water scarcity is wher ...
in the city by helping to finance the Shollar water pipeline, which channeled water 100 miles away in the
Caucasus Mountains
The Caucasus Mountains,
: pronounced
* hy, Կովկասյան լեռներ,
: pronounced
* az, Qafqaz dağları, pronounced
* rus, Кавка́зские го́ры, Kavkázskiye góry, kɐfˈkasːkʲɪje ˈɡorɨ
* tr, Kafkas Dağla ...
, near
Quba
Quba () is a city and the administrative centre of the Quba District of Azerbaijan. The city lies on the north-eastern slopes of Shahdag mountain, at an altitude of 600 metres above sea level, on the right bank of the Kudyal river. It has a po ...
, via a ceramic pipeline. Taghiyev allocated 25,000 roubles to have the project completed. The construction of the water pipeline was finished by 1916.
In 1886 Taghiyev sponsored the establishment of a fire department in Baku.
He provided scholarships for many Azerbaijani youths who strived for higher education in prestigious Russian and European universities. Some of them, such as writer
Mammed Said Ordubadi, politicians
Nariman Narimanov
Nariman Karbalayi Najaf oghlu Narimanov ( az, Nəriman Kərbəlayi Nəcəf oğlu Nərimanov, russian: Нарима́н Кербелаи Наджа́ф оглы Нарима́нов; – 19 March 1925) was an Azerbaijani Bolshevik revolutionary, w ...
and
Aziz Aliyev
Aziz Mammad Karim oghlu Aliyev ( az, Əziz Məmməd Kərim oğlu Əliyev; 20 December 1896 – 27 July 1962) was an Azerbaijani, Dagestani, and Soviet politician, scientist, and member of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. He was the father-in-law o ...
, professor
Khudadat bey Malik-Aslanov
Khudadat bey Agha bey oghlu Malik-Aslanov ( az, Xudadat bəy Məlik-Aslanov) (April 1879 – 23 July 1935) was an Azerbaijani engineer, politician and university professor.
Early life
Malik-Aslanov was born to a wealthy noble family in a villag ...
, and opera singer
Shovkat Mammadova, later rose to prominence.
Though illiterate himself, Taghiyev was a proponent of academic enlightenment for the young generations of Azerbaijanis. While the clergy created obstacles for the publishing of secularism-oriented literature such as that by
Seyid Azim Shirvani
Seyid Azim Shirvani ( az, Seyid Əzim Şirvani; 9 July 1835, Shamakhy – 1 June 1888, Shamakhy) was an Azerbaijani poet and enlightener. He got his first religious education in Iraq. After returning to motherland he refused his spiritual dignity ...
, Taghiyev would assist in getting it printed in his private publishing house in
Tehran
Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...
.
As a devout Muslim, Taghiyev was in favour of translating the
Koran
The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , si ...
into Azerbaijani. This was vehemently opposed by the local clergy who believed the content of Koran was holy and of divine origin and therefore, no one had the right to translate it.
Taghiyev then sent a
mullah envoy to
Baghdad
Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon. I ...
who came back with an official permission from a board of Muslim scholars to translate the Koran. Taghiyev ordered the necessary equipment from
Leipzig
Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as ...
and sponsored the translation and the publishing.
Taghiyev also allocated 11,000 roubles for the construction of the head office for the Muslim Benevolent Society in
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
; 3,000 roubles for the education of
Armenian
Armenian may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent
** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...
orphans; 5,000 for the St. Nina's School for Girls in Baku; 10,000 roubles for the construction of the
Alexander Nevsky Cathedral Alexander Nevsky Cathedral may refer to the following (alphabetically by country, then by town):
* Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Baku in Azerbaijan
* Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Sofia in Bulgaria
* Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Tallinn, Estonia
* Al ...
in Baku; tens of thousands of roubles for the construction and repair of mosques and
madrasa
Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , pl. , ) is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whether for elementary instruction or higher learning. The word is variously transliterated '' ...
s throughout Russia and Persia.,
etc.
In the 19th century, the territory of modern
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
was occupied by British troops. It became a part of British India. At the beginning of the 20th century, when the independence movement was on the rise, a pandemic of plague broke out. Experts say that there are two clinical varieties of plague - bubonic and pneumonic. A flea bite may cause the first one, while the second one is a severe version of bubonic plague. The worst thing is that pneumonic plague spreads like a flu and has 100% mortality rate. Over 100 thousand people died from the rapidly spreading deadly disease. It was possible to defeat this disease only by vaccinating those who had not yet fallen ill. And that' when Hajji Zeynalabdin Taghiyev bought and sent over 300 thousand ampoules of vaccine to
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
, which played a major role in the victory over this deadly disease. In 1947, after Pakistan gained independence, this fact was included in the training manual of
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
, and since then the Pakistani people consider
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of t ...
a fraternal state and fully support
Baku's position on the Karabakh settlement.
For his outstanding contributions, Taghiyev was twice-awarded with the
Order of Saint Stanislaus, as well as with a number of other orders and medals from both Russia and abroad.
Family
Taghiyev was married twice. His first wife Zeynab, who was also his cousin, bore him three children. After her death, Taghiyev married Sona, the youngest daughter of General
Balakishi Arablinski. The wedding took place in 1896. Arablinski's elder daughter Nurjahan had already been married to Taghiyev's older son Ismayil.
Taghiyev sent his daughters Leyla and Sara to study at the prestigious in
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
, from where his second wife Sona had once graduated.
Later life
After Azerbaijan's
Sovietization
Sovietization (russian: Советизация) is the adoption of a political system based on the model of soviets (workers' councils) or the adoption of a way of life, mentality, and culture modelled after the Soviet Union. This often included ...
in 1920 the country's wealthy suffered severe repressions from the
Bolshevik
The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...
government, resulting in the emigration of many of them. Taghiyev's house and his other possessions were therefore confiscated. Due to his past contributions and generosity, he was given the option of choosing a place of residence for himself. Taghiyev chose to stay in his summer cottage in the village of Mardakan, not far from Baku. He died there four years later, on 1 September 1924 of
pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severi ...
. After his death, the summer cottage was confiscated and Taghiyev's family members were driven out of it. His wife Sona, once a wealthy, educated, and charitable noblewoman of the
Caucasus
The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia (country), Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range ...
, died in misery on the streets of Baku in 1938.
The
Azerbaijan State Museum of History
The National Museum of History of Azerbaijan ( az, Milli Azərbaycan Tarixi Muzeyi) is the largest museum in Azerbaijan. It is located in Baku, in the former residential house of Azerbaijani oil magnate and philanthropist Haji Zeynalabdin Tagh ...
is located in the former Taghiyev mansion in Baku.
Picture gallery
Image: В кабинете у Тагиева.jpg, Tagiyev in his office
Image: Семья Тагиева.jpg, Tagiyev family at his mansion
Image:Hacı Zeynalabdin Tağıyevin Bakıda xatirə lövhəsi.jpg, Bust of Taghiyev
References
* Mirbabayev M.F. Concise history of Azerbaijani oil. - Baku, 2008, SOCAR Publishing House, 350p.
External links
Articles about Taghiyev in Azerbaijan International
{{DEFAULTSORT:Taghiyev
1838 births
1924 deaths
Azerbaijani businesspeople in the oil industry
Businesspeople from Baku
Azerbaijani Shia Muslims
Azerbaijani billionaires
Azerbaijani philanthropists
Azerbaijani art collectors
Azerbaijani book and manuscript collectors