Alimardan Topchubashov

Who was Alimardan Topchubashov?

Alimardan Alakbar oglu Topchubashov was a prominent Azerbaijani politician, foreign minister and speaker of the Parliament of Azerbaijan Democratic Republic.

Alimardan bey Topchubashov descended from Ganja branch of famous Topchubashi family and was born in Tiflis on May 4, 1862. After studying at Tiflis Gymnasium, he entered Saint Petersburg University and graduated from the law faculty in 1888. He was offered to remain at University and teach law if he would convert to Christianity, but he refused and returned to the Caucasus, where he worked at several small positions. He married Pari Malikova, daughter of Hasan bey Zardabi, founder of the first Azerbaijani newspaper, Akinchi.

In 1897 oil magnate Zeynalabdin Taghiyev bought Kaspi newspaper and invited Topchibashov to be its editor-in-chief. Starting from that time he was actively involved in politics and quickly became one of the prominent leaders of Azerbaijani and Muslim people of Russian Empire. His main platform was the political equality of all subjects of Russian Crown and the end to discriminations of Turkic and Muslim people. At the brink of the First Russian Revolution Topchubashov was one of the initiators of famous meeting of Azerbaijani intelligentsia and bourgeoisie at Taghiyev’s palace on March 15, 1905. As a result of this meeting a petition was addressed to Tsar asking for: