About H. Z. Taghiyev
Haji Zeynal Abdin Taghiyev, a famous entrepreneur and philanthropist who lived from the mid-19th to early 20th century. For Azerbaijanis, he has come to personify the finest human qualities: patriotism, loftiness of heart and mind, graciousness, generosity, and devotion to both his nation and family. Taghiyev is well remembered for his own credo: “In the most dearest and precious times to me, what preoccupies me as much as my industrial affairs, and I would say that even more, is my people, their welfare and future happiness. I believe that in order to reach this goal, the first and most important issue is the task of raising up and educating my nation.”
Haji’s public activities sought to lift the cultural and educational level of the nation and awaken the national consciousness. He is remembered not only, and not even primarily, as an owner of a large fortune, but mostly because of his enlightened and charitable activities. It is through such deeds that he earned the title “Father of the Nation” during his lifetime.
Zeynal Abdin Taghiyev was born in the Old City of Baku, a son of shoemaker Muhammad Taghi Taghiyev and his wife Umkhanim. According to one account, he was born as early as 1823, but a more probable date is 1838. While still in his childhood, he lost his mother. To help his large family, young Zeynal Abdin, early in his teens, began working at construction sites where he earned 5-6 kopecks a day. By the time he turned 15 he had already mastered the profession of being a stone mason.
From his first marriage with Zeynab khanim, Taghiyev had three children : boys Ismayil and Sadikh and girl Khanim. After Zeynab khanim’s death he married Sona khanim Arablinskaya on 28 June 1896 who bore him five children : daughters Leyla and Sara , sons Mammad Taghi and Mammad Kazim daughter Surayya.
After the establishment of the Soviet government in Azerbaijan in 1920 and the nationalization of all industry, Taghiyev was allowed to retain his country estate in the seaside village of Mardakan near Baku. Taghiyev died on 1 September 1924 and according to his will was buried in Mardakan alongside the prominent pregressive cleric Akhund Abuturab.
The ENTREPRENEURIAL ACTIVITY of H. Z. Taghiyev
The reforms of the 60 -70th years of 19th in Russia brought about a neü social group entrepreneurs. H. Z. Taghiyev became one of them.
H. Z. Tağıyev neft sənayesində
With capital he had accumulated by the early 1860s, Taghiyev went into manufacturing and trading. In 1870 he acquired a small kerosene plant and in 1873 paid 9,000 Russian roubles for a plot of land in Bibi- Heybat an oil – rich area just outside Baku. In 1878 gusher blew out from a well drilled on his land. In a few years Taghiyev’s small firm turned into a petroleum company encompassing drilling, production, refining, transportation operations. Its assets included about 33 hectares of the richest oil-bearing land in Bibi–Heybat and Balakhani two oil – carrying ships, warehouses in Moscow Nizhny Novgorod and Tsaritsyn on the Volga river and refineries producing kerosene and lubricants. At the Moscow industry and art exhibition of 1882 the “H. Z. A. Taghiyev company” was awarded a bronze medal “for the good quality of its kerosene”. The award confirming the overall quality of Taghiyev’s refineries, boosted their sales in the intensely competitive market of petroleum products.
By the end of the XIX century, Baku’s petroleum industry had been divided between large multinational corporations. Realizing that a further rivalry was counter-productive, H. Z. Taghiyev sold a majority share in his petroleum business (including his oil fields, a pipeline, refineries, the oil-transporting fleet, railroad tanks, as well as storage facilities in several Russian cities), to a business group headed by British banker E. Hubbard for 5 million roubles. On the basis of Taghiyev’s business, the British established Russian Oil and Liquid Fuel Production Company (Oleum) 1897 but Taghiyev remained a shareholder and one of the company’s directors. With the funds raised from the sale now invested in the construction of the first modern textile factory in the Caucasus and the establishment of the Commerce Bank in Baku, perhaps the second explanation is closer to the truth.
H. Z. Taghiyev in different industrial fields
Taghiyev also owned six ships and a tank car park. In 1894, Taghiyev’s company was transporting around 28,5 million pods oil – the second after Nobel Brothers. From 1898, Taghiyev became a chairman of the Caspian Shipping Joint Stock Company.
Transformation of Baku into a large industrial center, and the population growth in the late 19th century, created a demand for commercial farming and fisheries. Azerbaijani entrepreneurs were well positioned to take advantage of this demand. Taghiyev invested 1 million roubles to purchase 30 fisheries along the Kur river. In 1916, these fisheries were united in a newly-formed “Khazar-Taghiyev” joint stock company. Further, Taghiyev built a refrigerator plant in the city of Petrovsk (Makhachkala) for the storage of fish. In 1910, he built a diesel operated shaft mill in Akhmadli settlement near Baku. Taghiyev’s other notable business interests included investments in grape cultivation, communications, land plots and involvement in real estate brokerage.
Taghiyev’s efforts were directed towards merging banking and industrial capital and developing capitalist relations. In starting the Commerce Bank, Taghiyev’s main idea was to supply affordable credit to local entrepreneurs. For many years Taghiyev was a member of the Supervisory Board of the St.Petersburg International Bank and a member of the discount committee of the Baku Branch of the Russian State Bank, for which he was awarded a gold medal inscribed “For Diligence” in 1895.
The Commerce Bank commenced operations in 1914. Taghiyev convened the first meeting of the Bank’s shareholders at his mansion in Baku. The number of customers was steadily growing and most of them were Azerbaijanis. A memo, written at the request of the board of Volga-Kama bank by its Baku branch, described Taghiyev as “a man of very considerable means who enjoys respect and trust in business circles”. In the first six months the bank turned a net profit of 109000 roubles.
Taghiyev’s textile factory
Huge demand by Russian textile factories for cotton yarn and fiber drove Taghiyev to build a cotton cloth-producing facility: the Caucasian Joint –Stock Company for Production of Fibrous Materials was established in Baku in October 1897. The Company started construction of a textile factory equipped with up-to-date imported machinery as the main production facilities were commissioned in 1901. This meant creation in Azerbaijan of a whole new industry which manufactured value-added products from local sources and earned large revenues and also generated thousands of jobs for the unemployed. The factory, located in the village of Akhmadli, near Baku, provided free housing to all workers, had its own power station, an outpatient medical clinic with a drug dispensary, a school and adult learning courses for workers. Taghiyev’s factory, from the beginning, was conceived and designed as a single manufacturing-housing complex by the famous architect I. Goslavski. This was the first industrial housing estate in Baku built according to a pre-defined plan.
In order to supply the factory with raw resources, Taghiyev bought land in Yevlakh for cotton cultivation and, in 1909, built a ginnery for cotton clearing in the district of Javad.
Social and charity activity of H.Z.A.Taghiyev
H.Z.A.Taghiyev was one of the most prominent figures in Azerbaijan at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries. He was repeatedly elected to the Baku city Duma and used his presence to drive deliberations and decisions made there toward programs for the benefit of the public. On his initiative and with his financial contribution the City Council undertook developments including the first public mass-transit system, a horse –drawn tram the first theatre and the Taghiyev Passage a business centrum – shopping mall. In 1898 Taghiyev financed construction of a medical infirmary in the workers residential area of Bibi – Heybat. Building of the Alexandrine Russian – Muslim Female school (1898-1901) and Taghiyev’s mansion (1895-1901) designed by the famous Polish –Russian architect I. Goslavski, added to the beauty of Baku.
Taghiyev was closely involved in the project directed to the provision of Baku with potable water. Back in 1874 he financed construction of a small pipeline, for which he was awarded with a silver medal “For Merit”. In 1901 Taghiyev paid money to a British engineer William Lindley to conduct a project on underground water extraction, and in 1917 the Baku potable water system was commissioned for public use.
Taghiyev aided the national liberation movement in South Azerbaijan in 1905-1911 and provided relief assistance to Muslim victims of atrocities of Armenian nationalist gangs in several Ottoman provinces during 1912-1913.
Taghiyev was invited as a guest of honor to the Congress of Caucasian Muslims held in Baku in April 1917 and donated 50,000 rubles to a national fund established by the congress.
Taghiyev welcomed the proclamation of the independent Azerbaijan Republic in 1918.He received high – level government guests in his estate placed part of his estate at the disposal of the head of the British diplomatic mission headed by O. Wardrop while he was in Baku; members of the American mission led by General J. Harbord also stayed at his house and were received there by the head of the Azerbaijani government, Nasib bey Yusifbeyli . In June 1919 Taghiyev wrote to prime Minister Yusifbeyli with an offer of financial aid for the young Republic to help free it from an ongoing financial crisis. Then he proceeded to criticize the government’s economic policy stressing that excessive regulations and restrictions hinder economic activity and suggested instead a program of development based upon liberal economic principles.
Expressing his attitude about periodicals, Taghiyev said: “I see the press as a powerful means of spiritual, educational and economic growth for the Nation and therefore deem rendering financial assistance to newspapers my moral obligation. ”In 1895 Taghiyev bought Kaspi (the Caspian) newspaper, edited by Alimardan bey Topchubashov. To that Taghiyev added Hayat (life) newspaper, co – edited by Ahmad bey Aghayev and Ali bey Huseynzade in 1905 and Fuyuzat (Bliss) magazine edited by Ali bey Huseynzade in 1906.
In 1900-1906 Taghiyev also financed newspapers such as Muzaffar (Victorious) and Gilan (place name) in Iran and assisted the newspaper Tarbiyachi (educator). He recommended increasing the volume of the newspaper by one page and defrayed the expenses of that page. Taghiyev’s philanthropic activities were well known throughout the Islamic world. A letter sent to Haji by the Egyptian Department of Schools and Universities is very illustrative in this regard. It reads: “To dear Zeynal Abdin Taghiyev the Great Pride of Islam. Expressing our great respect to You, we inform that the Director of Primary Schools of Egypt resolved yesterday to grant our request to read an extract from a book dedicated to Your life and deeds performed for the benefit of Muslims at the Tur Tent Model school. We are grateful that you increase the standing and esteem of Muslims in the eyes of other nations.
H.Z.A.Taghiyev and education in Azerbaijan
Advancing education was an important part of Taghiyev’s activity.His active interest and contributions to education earned Haji a title of Honourable Trustee of the Maryine Female Gymnasium the Alexandrine Russian Muslim Female Boarding School the secondary technical school and the Commerce School in Baku and the title of Honorable Supervisor of the Tbilisi Shia Muslim School.
In 1896 Taghiyev opened a gardening school in Mardakan. The purpose of the school was to train villagers in techniques for improving agricultural productivity and farming efficiency to be able to effectively meet an ever-increasing demand for agricultural produce from such major industrial centers as Baku. Also Taghiyev’s opening of adult literacy courses in Baku in 1897 helped to alleviate the illiteracy problem which was quite acute at the time especially among the working classes. The courses helped the students to find better jobs in the labor market. With generosity characteristic of him H.Z.Abdin also provided individual scholarship to dozens of deserving students to pay their tuition fees and provide them with a stipend. Among those students were those who later became outstanding political and public figures scientists, doctors and engineers including Hasan bey Aghayev, Nariman Narimanov, Alimardan bey Topchubashov and many others.
Establishment of charitable societies allowed Haji to further extend his charitable activities. The first of them was the Baku Muslim Charitable Society, co-founded in 1905 by Azerbaijani oil industrialists H.Z.Taghiyev. M.H.Hajinski, I. Hajiyev, A. Guliyev and others. Along with direct assistance for the poor and needy the Society held cultural and educational events and provided schools and students with grants and scholarships. In 1906 Taghiyev was elected a chairman of Nashri – Maarif Society and an honorary chairman of Nijat (Salvation).
For years Taghiyev petitioned the City Council to establish a secondary technical school in Baku since growing industries felt an acute need for skilled technical staff. During the deliberations at the Council Taghiyev arguing that such a school might, in the future be converted into a tertiary technical institution was able to convince the councilors to allocate a larger land area than the one originally proposed .The school built in 1905 after a design by I. Goslavsky was named the Baku Secondary Technical School and Taghiyev was elected its Honorary Trustee. For his efforts and for financial aid provided to the school, the Baku City Council resolved to order an official portrait of H.Z.Taghiyev and hang it in the assembly hall of the school. The portrait was painted in 1912 by the prominent artist I. Brodski. Currently it is hung in a former study in Taghiyev’s mansion now the Azerbaijan National History Museum.
“The female school of H.Z.Taghiyev” -The first secular educational institution in the East for girls
The establishment of Russian – Muslim Female school was without a doubt a milestone educational achievement for Taghiyev. It was opened in Baku in 1901 at the patronage of Empress Alexandra and was officially named after her. The significance of this school is well captured in Haji’s letter to newspaper:” The school and the school only is the sole way Muslim Women can be saved from the desperate situation they currently face. So, this school must be established in a proper way organized carefully so that Muslims do not view it suspiciously but send their daughters to the school with confidence”.
The school was the first secular educational institution in the East for Muslim girls. In 1896 Taghiyev transferred 150,000 rubles to a special bank account to be allocated towards construction and operation of the school. In line with the regulations of the Ministry of education for primary schools, the school curriculum included the Azerbaijani language. Islamic religion, housekeeping, sewing and embroidery and music. The school was intended for 40 students; of them 20 were from poor families and were exempt from paying tuition. The students were mainly from Baku but also from other cities in Azerbaijan and elsewhere in the Caucasus. The first graduation was held in 1906.
Starting in 1916 two-year pedagogical courses were organized at the Taghiyev’s School. Graduates of the courses and the School itself formed the core cadre of female teachers. Among them are the first Azerbaijani female professionals: professors Umnisa Musabeyova and Sona Akhundova, Firangiz Novruzova (physician), Maryam Bayramalibeyova (teacher), Ayna Sultanova (lawyer) and others received higher education.
H.Z.A.Taghiyev and Azerbaijan culture
Taghiyev published at his own expense, the works of prominent Azerbaijani writers and poets such as Najaf bey Vezirov , Seyyid Azim Shirvani , Nariman Narimanov and others as well as school textbooks on geography and sharia law. Another moral obligation that Taghiyev felt was publishing the Holy Quran in Azerbaijani. Hji entrusted the diffucult task of interpreting the meaning of Quran to scholar Akhund Mirmahammad Karim Jafarzadeh; eminent religious figures of the time mirza Abuturab Akhundov and Akhund Ruhulla assisted him in this work.
Another outstanding development in Azerbaijani history linked with the name of Taghiyev was the founding of the founding of the national theatre. The first theatre in Baku was founded in 1873. Taghiyev who highly valued the importance of theatre to assist in the enlighment of the nation and the continuing development of its native language and cultural level built the first Theatre building in Azerbaijan in 1883 at his own expense.Spending an additional 80,000 roubles he rebuilt the building in 1890.
The theatre building located in the city center of baku was large well equipped for those days and had a beautiful design. The opening of the theatre became an important event in the history of the national culture: Azerbaijani theatrical troupes finally had their long awaited stage.Taghiyev’s theatre witnesssed the first produstions of outstanding playwrights Mirza Fatali Akhundov , Najaf bey Vezirov ,Huseyn Javid and nariman Narimanov . The first national opera Uzeyir Hajibeyli’s “Leyli and Majnun was performed at the theatre in 1908.