A WORD BY AN AZERBAIJANI

The rapid development of industry in Baku in the late 19th - early 20th century attracted to the city not only Western businesspeople, but also politicians and scientists who wished to see for themselves the oil boom and get to know the life of the inhabitants on the oriental periphery of immense Russia.

One visit after another

Thus, British novelist Annette Erie Meakin visited Baku in November 1901. Then, officers of the French General Staff, Captain Pierre de la Fontaine and Lieutenant Charles Pont, arrived in Baku later that month. In December 1901, famous French politician Francois de Loncle stayed in Baku together with his wife. Member of the Royal Learned Society of Great Britain Dr. Le Neve Foster, who arrived in Russia in 1902, also intended to visit the city. However, we were unable to find any information about whether or not this visit took place.

Famous French ethnologist and anthropologist, member of the Geographical Society of Paris Baron de Baye visited Baku twice - in 1900 and 1901. During his second visit, he brought with him the brochure "Chez les Tatars. De Derbent a Elisabethpol. Souvenir d'une mission par le Baron de Baye" [To Tatars. From Derbent to Yelisavetpol. Travel Memoirs of Baron de Baye], published in Paris.

As the name implies, the brochure contains the author's impressions from visiting the cities of the Caucasus populated by Muslims. Back in Paris, Baron de Baye made a report about his visit at a meeting of the Paris Geographical Society. The report was published in the April-May issue of the Society journal in 1901. De Baye's speech at the society meeting was met with great interest, as the author vividly presented the history of an oriental people hitherto unknown to the French public.

This speech formed the basis of the brochure. It should be noted that a copy of the brochure with de Baye's dedication to well-known merchant Haci Zeynalabdin Tagiyev is kept in the presidential library of the Presidential Affairs Department of the Republic of Azerbaijan. In Baku and Yelisavetpol (Ganca), Baron de Baye was accompanied by Ahmad bay Agayev [Ahmet Agaoglu], an employee of the Kaspiy newspaper, who gave him explanations.

A Frenchman about Azerbaijanis

De Baye's brochure is known for its benevolence towards Azerbaijanis and the author's honesty in evaluating the history and current situation of our people. He described in detail the Palace of the Shirvanshahs, noting the deplorable state of the palace at the beginning of the last century when this unique monument of architecture and history was used as a warehouse of the War Ministry. De Baye retold the legend of the Maiden's Tower. "Their monuments of literature and art tell us about the rich historical past," he wrote about Azerbaijanis. He introduced the French to the works of great poet Vaqif, citing one of his poems devoted to female beauty as an example of his work.

He also told the French about the Empress Alexandra Russian-Tatar School for Girls - a secular school for Muslim girls, the first of its kind in the East, built by H. Tagiyev.

A characteristic given to the Azerbaijanis by De Baye is of special interest: "Though they were alternately subordinated to Persia and Turkey, they nevertheless managed to preserve their identity throughout the centuries... The word of a Tatar (Azerbaijani. - Auth.) is something sacred. Their candour, their honesty, their temperance and hard work are recognized even by the Georgians. But you need to understand them". Elsewhere in his brochure, de Baye wrote: "These Tatars are studied and known least of all others; they are not valued at their worth and are often judged too severely. However, by the subtlety of mind, a propensity to everything humorous, quickness of enthusiasm and passion, cheerful character, lofty understanding of honour, they are the closest to us. An educated and well-bred Tartar is more like a Frenchman".

About land and power

Talking about the peoples inhabiting the Caucasus, he pointed out that "each of these elements is endowed with excellent qualities for that field of activity, which is peculiar to each of them. But unfortunately, the Georgians and the Tatars annually lose some of their possessions, and this leads to a gradual decline in their power, influence and importance".

During his visit to the Caucasus, de Baye made a lot of pictures in Derbent, Quba, Baku and Yelisavetpol. Some of these pictures are shown in the brochure. The originals of these and other photos he had taken are kept in the Quai Branly Museum in Paris. A prominent place in Baron de Baye's collection is given to pictures of ordinary people. Apparently, this can easily be explained by the scope of his academic interests - anthropology.

A non-governmental organization called Public Association "Galacaya bаxis - tahsilin inkisafi" ("Looking into the Future - Developing Education") set out to translate de Baye's brochure and publish it in three languages - Azerbaijani, French and Russian, with the inclusion of all the photos taken by the author in Derbent, Quba and Baku as well as those kept in Paris.

This idea was backed up by the Council of State Support to Non-Governmental Organizations under the Auspices of the President of Azerbaijan. A reprinted edition of Baron de Baye's brochure containing translations into the Azerbaijani and Russian languages and supplemented by unseen photographs from the Paris museum will soon be released.