TRAILBLAZER

In a life saturated with struggle and on the unique life path, he became a trailblazer many times. It was not easy. Everyone can step on an already beaten path ... But it is always difficult to be the first. After all, there is no example to which you can orient yourself or experience on which you can rely. Many condemn the trailblazer and even try to put a spoke in the wheels ... The burden of responsibility, which is not limited only to responsibility for your work and deeds, is also heavy. His name is mentioned in the deeds of his followers too.

Such a burden of responsibility was shouldered by the founder of Azerbaijani journalism and the first-born of our media - Akinci newspaper, Hasan bay Zardabi, of whom the prominent Turkic ideologue and philosopher Alibay Huseynzada said: "When the whole world of Islam was in the darkness, this man picked up the torch to illuminate the darkness. What was the torch? The first printed word..."

According to Hasan bay Zardabi himself, Akinci was "the first Turkic newspaper in Russia". This newspaper was the product of Azerbaijani patriots' faith in the power of the word of truth and the strength of the press. However, Zardabi's trailblazing was not limited to this... 

Hasan bay was born in 1842 in the village of Zardab in Goycay County in Samaxi Province. The talent and judgment of little Hasan, which manifested themselves in his childhood, inspired optimism about his future in others. At age 7-8, his father Salim bay sent him to a madrasa. But his son was not very interested in theology, and in 1852 his father transferred him to a Russian primary school in Samaxi. During the graduation exams, the head of the Caucasian education department noticed Hasan bay, and on his initiative the boy was admitted to the First Tiflis Gymnasium at the expense of the state. Successfully graduating from the gymnasium in 1861, Hasan bay entered the department of natural sciences at the Physics and Mathematics Faculty of Moscow State University. Here he also distinguished himself and became a state scholarship holder. In 1865 he graduated from the university, becoming the first Azerbaijani to have certified as a candidate for the highest achievement in education and morality.

With his extensive knowledge of the history of East and Islam, he won the sympathy of the rector - historian Sergey Mikhaylovich Solovyev. The young student and the rector established friendly relations. Receiving an offer to live and work in Moscow, Hasan bay was at a crossroads: on the one hand - Moscow and its aristocratic society, a good job and prospect of a quiet, comfortable life and on the other - alienated, divided homeland, which does not realize the requirement of time, and countrymen sliding into ignorance. Hasan bay chose a more difficult path - he returned home.

He worked in the Land Chamber in Tiflis, the provincial administration in Baku and a school in Quba. He experienced all sorts of hardships and survived an attempt on his life. In 1869, he hardly found a job as a teacher of history of science in the Baku real gymnasium, where he was the only Azerbaijani with higher education among the teachers of all 10 gymnasiums in the Caucasus. And the number of Azerbaijani students was also negligible. That's why Hasan bay began involving Azerbaijani children in education. He first created the Camiyyat-Xeyriyya charity society in 1872 in Baku to assist poor and destitute Muslim children in obtaining education. Zardabi and his students Nacaf bay Vazirov and Asgaraga Adigozalov Garani toured towns and villages of Azerbaijan and enrolled members with Camiyyat-Xeyriyya. The 1,600 roubles that were raised were spent to pay for the education of two poor and lonely students.

In 1872 Zardabi saw the name of Muslim-Turkic girl Qanifa Abayeva on the lists of female graduates of the Tiflis Saint Nina Gymnasium in Kavkaz newspaper. He immediately went to Tiflis where he met this girl. Qanifa was so fascinated by his intellect and rationality that she said yes to Hasan bay's proposal to create a family. From that day they began to walk together on the thorny road of life.

The publication of a newspaper was one of the greatest desires of Hasan bay Zardabi, which he dreamed of implementing for the benefit of his people. But it was very difficult. The tsarist government made every effort to prevent the opening of schools and the development of printing in its colonies, especially those populated by Muslims and Turks. That's why most Azerbaijanis were illiterate. In his article "The first Turkic newspaper in Russia" in Hayat newspaper published in 1905, Hasan bay described the state of his homeland and compatriots on the eve of the publication of Akinci newspaper as follows: "It is impossible to do without education in this era, especially in our area, where neighbours, mastering science and knowledge, progress every day, taking the property that belongs to us..." Here's how Hasan bay recalled those days: "What are we to do in this case? If I call someone - they do not come up, if I show - they do not see and if I explain - they do not understand. In the end, I decided that there is no other choice but to appeal to them and tell them. It is impossible for someone to hear my words and not to perceive them! There is no other choice but to publish a newspaper so that words of truth written on paper are able to reach these abodes of faith through doors and windows. A true word cannot but be effective. If even one of those who read ten newspapers a year understands what he reads, the number of such people will grow every year ... And then the hostility of the enemy, the friendliness of the friend and the correctness of the way shown by the friend will become clear..."

Finally, a positive answer came to one of the letters sent to the tsarist authorities. Zardabi received permission to publish a newspaper. However, there was a problem printing it. Since it was impossible to organize an independent printing house, he had to use the services of the Baku provincial printing house.

On 22 July 1875, the first issue of Akinci - the first newspaper in the Azeri language - saw the light in Baku with financial support from the younger brother of Abbasqulu Aga Bakixanov, Major-General of the Russian army Abdulla bay Bakixanov.

Hasan bay Zardabi named the newspaper Akinci (Farmer) not because of its agrarian focus, but with a hint that it will spread the light of education in the hearts of his countrymen and contribute to the emergence of new press outlets. In the first issue he wrote: "Considering the newspaper important for Muslims, we are getting started despite all efforts and costs and ask all those Muslims who understand and support not to prevent people from reading the newspaper, but rather try to ensure that their number is as high as possible." 

The patriots of their homeland - Mirza Fatali Axundzada, Sayyid Azim Sirvani, Nacaf bay Vazirov, Asgaraga Garani and others strongly supported Akinci. The governor of Baku, Staroselskiy, provided quite great assistance in publishing the newspaper.

Meanwhile, the tsarist government agencies were inundated with reports on Akinci and its editor-in-chief Hasan bay Zardabi. We must say that among the enemies of the development of the national press were Azerbaijanis. Here's what Colonel Alibay Alixanov wrote after the first issue of Akinci: "It is extremely regrettable that the editor does not know that the faithful servant of his tsar will not read a newspaper that is not published by the government."

Akinci also faced problems in the government printing house. There were not enough types, and those available fell into disrepair with use. There were few correspondents. Hasan bay wrote: "In view of the fact that the aid was not enough, we could not learn in a timely fashion not only about events on the side, but also about some events in the city of Baku. And we were forced to borrow information about events abroad from Russian, Iranian, Turkish and Central Asian newspapers." Hasan bay himself translated articles and news into the Azerbaijani language and often proofread them himself: "In the world, every newspaper is prepared by five or ten people: one types the letters and another corrects mistakes. But I have to do all this work myself. Those following us, please do not laugh on seeing the drawbacks of this newspaper. Laughter is inappropriate here. You have to cry that Muslims do not have a single person to publish a newspaper." A French journalist, who visited Baku and saw the conditions in which Akinci was published, told Hasan bay: "Honestly, you're a real hero! In France, you cannot find anyone willing to work for such a poor newspaper. I am amazed at your tenacity. It is evident that you love your people very much."

After the well-wisher of Caucasian peoples Staroselskiy left Baku, especially with the beginning of the Russian-Turkish war, the situation of the newspaper was further complicated and the range of topics was limited. Zardabi wrote: "The enemies of Muslims who were powerless under Staroselskiy attacked Akinci from all sides, trying to get it closed." The denunciation of the newspaper did not stop, including by the typesetter Minasov. As a result, the publication of the newspaper was discontinued from 29 September 1877.

Although only 56 editions of our first national newspaper saw the light, the initiative of Akinci in the field of educating the people, promoting their culture, establishing schools in their native language and new media outsets was continued by Ziya, Ziyayi-Qafqaziyya, Kaskul, Hayat, Irsad, Fuyuzat, Taraqqi and other papers.

After the closure of Akinci, the persecution of Hasan bay continued. From 1880, he spent 16 years in exile in his native village of Zardab. But even then he continued his enlightening activities, writing articles for Russian-language newspapers.

In 1896, Zardabi arrived in Baku. He began to work in Kaspi newspaper. He was soon elected a member of the Baku Duma. Raising the issue of opening schools and hospitals in remote areas of the city at sessions of the Duma, Hasan bay continued to work for the good of his people.

In 1901, with financial support from the millionaire Haci Zeynalabdin Tagiyev and on the advice of Hasan bay Zardabi, a school for girls opened in Baku. The first director of the school was Hasan bay's wife Qanifa.

…He made every effort to educate the people until disease overcame him. Zardabi said: "I beg you not to arrange a pompous funeral for me. Let the funeral be simple. Hand over the funds that you would want to spend on funeral ceremonies to the society that spreads education among Muslims. It will be more useful for my long-suffering people."

Hasan bay Zardabi died on 28 November 1907. The next day he was solemnly buried, accompanied by a big procession at the Bibi-Heybat cemetery in Baku.

The Soviet authorities treated the family of this great son of the Azerbaijani people unfairly. Hasan bay had four children. His eldest daughter Pari was married to Alimardan bay Topcubasov - the chairman of the Parliament of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic. She died in France, where she lived with her family and two children. His second daughter Qaribsoltan had no family. She was a graduate of the Tagiyev girls' school and worked as a teacher for many years. Hasan bay's eldest son Midhad received higher technical education in Moscow. He was arrested and executed in 1937. His youngest son Saffat studied at the Riga Polytechnic Institute in 1914-1917. The revolution in Russia interrupted his education. The ADR government decided to send him with 100 other students to study abroad. He completed his education in 1922 in Germany. Like his sister Pari, the Soviet authorities deprived him of the opportunity to live at home. For some time he lived at his sister's in Paris and then he moved to Istanbul. Here he departed this world far away from his beloved homeland for the bright future of which his father Hasan bay fought all his life...

But the achievements of Hasan bay Zardabi have not been forgotten. After more than a century, his desire to create an independent, objective press was finally evaluated in the independent Azerbaijan Republic. And the date of the publication of the first issue of Akinci newspaper on 22 July is now celebrated as National Press Day.