The Araz Turk republic

Araz Turk Republic was established in 3rd of November of the 1918. The armed groups of the Armenian dashnaks committed massacres in the Nakhchivan at the beginning of the 1918. Because Baku was in the hand of the dashnaks and socialist-revolutionaries Nakhchivan National Committee asked for help from Turkey. Turkey sent Turkish troops led by Khalil bey to help Nakhchivan. This republic with the capital Nakhchivan city had a territory of 16.000 km2 and about one million of population. The boundaries covered Nakhchivan, Sharur, Dereleyez, Ordubad provinces, as well as Sardarabad, Ulukhanly, Vedibasar, Gamarli, Megri and other regions.

Administration structure of the republic was such: Chairman - Emir bey Zamanbeyzade, Defense minister - Qamarali bey Bananyarlı, Minister of Agriculture – Baghir  bey Rzazade, Minister of Justice -  Mammad Beyzade,  Minister of Foreign Affairs – Hasan bey Sherifzade,  sheikhulislam – Mirza Huseyn Vaizi Iravanly and mufti – Khoja Akid Efendi, and the government  with such structure was established and mainly members of the National Council included in its composition. Moreover Parliament of the Araz-Turk Republic was created, but it cannot expand its parliamentary activities.

Militia offices and its regional departments were created in the republic territory. Basic attention was given here to the military building. Therefore Turkish headquarters had appointed Khalil bey for these purposes as permanent military adviser under the republic government, too. Moreover Turks left 300 soldiers and 5 officers here and had gone. The structure of the Armed Forces consisted of all layers of the society, including Khans, beys, merchant children, peasants. The armed groups of the republic had united in the beginning of Dec 1919 in few platoons. Platoons deployed in Bash Norashen, Dudanga and Zeyva was commanded by Fatulla Huseynov and other platoons deployed in Sharur, Sadarak by Hasan Shahverdi.

Refugees escaping from genocide committed by Armenians were coming to the Araz-Turk Republic from Armenia in one endless stream. Their number had reached 100 thousand persons in January of the 1919. According to the information of the government of Araz-Turk Republic in the result of all of these The territory with 500 thousand persons, consisting only Moslems, was created here.”   

Establishment of the independent republic in Nakhchivan had infuriated of the dashnak regions. Armenia republic began large scale aggression against Araz-Turk Republic in December of the 1918 and as a result of this Araz Turk Republic did not exist even three months. But during this short period it played an important role in uniting of local Azerbaijanis in fighting against the enemy. 

Nakhchivan was occupied by British in January of the 1919. British general-governor’s office was declared in the region and so the Araz Turk Republic declined.