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The signing of the Treaty of Gulistan in 1813 and the Treaty of Turkmenchay in 1828 laid the foundation for the division of the Azerbaijani people and the partition of our historical lands. In the subsequent period, the process of alienation of these lands began, accompanied by the mass resettlement of Armenians into Azerbaijani territories.
Despite being a minority, Armenians settled in the territories of the Iravan, Nakhchivan, and Karabakh khanates succeeded, with the support of their patrons, in establishing an administrative unit called the “Armenian province.” This artificial territorial division created the conditions for the displacement of Azerbaijanis from their ancestral lands and the implementation of a genocidal policy against our people. In pursuit of the idea of a “Greater Armenia,” history was falsified, and the history of Azerbaijan and the Caucasus as a whole was distorted.
As a continuation of this policy, mass massacres were committed against Azerbaijanis in 1905–1907. The events that began in Baku were not limited to the city but spread to various regions of Azerbaijan as well as Azerbaijani villages located in present-day Armenia. As a result, hundreds of settlements were destroyed, and thousands of people were killed.
Taking advantage of World War I and the February and October revolutions of 1917 in Russia, Armenian armed groups, now acting under the Bolshevik banner, attempted to realize their objectives. Starting from March 1918, under the pretext of “fighting counter-revolutionaries,” the Baku Commune implemented a plan to cleanse the Baku Governorate of Azerbaijanis.
As a result, the tragedy known as the March Genocide occurred. Tens of thousands of peaceful civilians were killed in Baku, as well as in Shamakhi, Quba, and other regions, on the basis of their ethnic and religious identity. Settlements were destroyed, mosques, cemeteries, and cultural monuments were demolished. In the following periods, these massacres continued in Karabakh, Zangezur, Nakhchivan, Shirvan, and Iravan regions.
Extremely brutal methods were used against the population during the genocide; people were massacred en masse, and their property was looted. Dashnak-Bolshevik armed groups confiscated property in Baku and destroyed religious and historical monuments. The Tazapir Mosque was damaged, the Ismailiyya building was burned, and the editorial office of the “Kaspi” newspaper, along with the “Dagestan” and “Iskenderiyya” hotels, were destroyed.
During the period of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, special attention was paid to the investigation of this tragedy. On July 15, 1918, the Extraordinary Investigation Commission was established. The Commission investigated crimes committed in Shamakhi, Quba, and other regions, and based on collected materials, steps were taken to inform the international community. In 1919 and 1920, March 31 was commemorated as a nationwide day of mourning.
However, after the سقوط of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, this process was halted, and it was not possible to provide a full political and legal assessment of the events. Only 80 years later, on March 26, 1998, by a decree signed by Heydar Aliyev, March 31 was declared the “Day of Genocide of Azerbaijanis,” and these events received a state-level political evaluation.
In recent years, new facts have been uncovered through research. The mass grave discovered in Quba in 2007 is one of the most horrific pieces of evidence of this tragedy. In April–May 1918 alone, 167 villages in the Quba district were completely destroyed. The discovered grave contained the remains of hundreds of people of different age groups, including many women and children, once again demonstrating the масштабы of the tragedy. The Quba Genocide Memorial Complex established at this site was inaugurated in 2013.
At the opening ceremony, Ilham Aliyev noted that during the Soviet period, these truths were concealed, and perpetrators were presented as heroes. Only during the period of independence was historical justice restored, allowing our people to learn their true history.
Today, one of the main directions of Azerbaijan’s state policy is to convey historical truths to the international community and expose crimes committed against our people. For this purpose, in 2018, President Ilham Aliyev signed an order on the “100th anniversary of the 1918 genocide of Azerbaijanis.”
At the same time, recent research and mass graves discovered in territories liberated from occupation further prove the continuous nature of these crimes.
In conclusion, the March 31 genocide is not only a трагическая страница in the history of the Azerbaijani people but also an integral part of our national memory. The Azerbaijani state and people always honor the memory of genocide victims and continue efforts to convey these truths to the world.
Despite being a minority, Armenians settled in the territories of the Iravan, Nakhchivan, and Karabakh khanates succeeded, with the support of their patrons, in establishing an administrative unit called the “Armenian province.” This artificial territorial division created the conditions for the displacement of Azerbaijanis from their ancestral lands and the implementation of a genocidal policy against our people. In pursuit of the idea of a “Greater Armenia,” history was falsified, and the history of Azerbaijan and the Caucasus as a whole was distorted.
As a continuation of this policy, mass massacres were committed against Azerbaijanis in 1905–1907. The events that began in Baku were not limited to the city but spread to various regions of Azerbaijan as well as Azerbaijani villages located in present-day Armenia. As a result, hundreds of settlements were destroyed, and thousands of people were killed.
Taking advantage of World War I and the February and October revolutions of 1917 in Russia, Armenian armed groups, now acting under the Bolshevik banner, attempted to realize their objectives. Starting from March 1918, under the pretext of “fighting counter-revolutionaries,” the Baku Commune implemented a plan to cleanse the Baku Governorate of Azerbaijanis.
As a result, the tragedy known as the March Genocide occurred. Tens of thousands of peaceful civilians were killed in Baku, as well as in Shamakhi, Quba, and other regions, on the basis of their ethnic and religious identity. Settlements were destroyed, mosques, cemeteries, and cultural monuments were demolished. In the following periods, these massacres continued in Karabakh, Zangezur, Nakhchivan, Shirvan, and Iravan regions.
Extremely brutal methods were used against the population during the genocide; people were massacred en masse, and their property was looted. Dashnak-Bolshevik armed groups confiscated property in Baku and destroyed religious and historical monuments. The Tazapir Mosque was damaged, the Ismailiyya building was burned, and the editorial office of the “Kaspi” newspaper, along with the “Dagestan” and “Iskenderiyya” hotels, were destroyed.
During the period of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, special attention was paid to the investigation of this tragedy. On July 15, 1918, the Extraordinary Investigation Commission was established. The Commission investigated crimes committed in Shamakhi, Quba, and other regions, and based on collected materials, steps were taken to inform the international community. In 1919 and 1920, March 31 was commemorated as a nationwide day of mourning.
However, after the سقوط of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, this process was halted, and it was not possible to provide a full political and legal assessment of the events. Only 80 years later, on March 26, 1998, by a decree signed by Heydar Aliyev, March 31 was declared the “Day of Genocide of Azerbaijanis,” and these events received a state-level political evaluation.
In recent years, new facts have been uncovered through research. The mass grave discovered in Quba in 2007 is one of the most horrific pieces of evidence of this tragedy. In April–May 1918 alone, 167 villages in the Quba district were completely destroyed. The discovered grave contained the remains of hundreds of people of different age groups, including many women and children, once again demonstrating the масштабы of the tragedy. The Quba Genocide Memorial Complex established at this site was inaugurated in 2013.
At the opening ceremony, Ilham Aliyev noted that during the Soviet period, these truths were concealed, and perpetrators were presented as heroes. Only during the period of independence was historical justice restored, allowing our people to learn their true history.
Today, one of the main directions of Azerbaijan’s state policy is to convey historical truths to the international community and expose crimes committed against our people. For this purpose, in 2018, President Ilham Aliyev signed an order on the “100th anniversary of the 1918 genocide of Azerbaijanis.”
At the same time, recent research and mass graves discovered in territories liberated from occupation further prove the continuous nature of these crimes.
In conclusion, the March 31 genocide is not only a трагическая страница in the history of the Azerbaijani people but also an integral part of our national memory. The Azerbaijani state and people always honor the memory of genocide victims and continue efforts to convey these truths to the world.
Elgun Aslanov
Associate Professor, Head of the Department of Social Sciences
Azerbaijan State Agrarian University
Associate Professor, Head of the Department of Social Sciences
Azerbaijan State Agrarian University