Abdul Karim bey Mirza Mustafa bey oghlu Mehmandarov (, 2 December 1854 – 20 December 1929) was a Russian and Soviet medical doctor of Azerbaijani ethnicity. He was one of the first ethnic Azerbaijanis to graduate from the Medico-Surgical Academy in St. Petersburg, one of the leaders of the Shusha educational society "Neshr Maarif", founder of the first Russian-Azerbaijani Shusha school for girls.

Early life

He was born in 1854 in

Shusha Shusha (, ) or Shushi () is a city in Azerbaijan, in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Situated at an altitude of 1,400–1,800 metres (4,600–5,900 ft) in the Karabakh mountains, the city was a mountain resort in the Soviet Union, Soviet ...

, as a member of the Azerbaijani noble family Mehmandarovs. His father Mirza Mustafa was an Imperial Russian officer, while his grandfather Mirza Ali was a ''mehmandar'' (an official courier appointed to escort an important traveller) of

Ibrahim Khalil Khan Ibrahim Khalil Khan Javanshir (, 1732–1806) was the second khan of the Karabakh Khanate from the Javanshir family. He was the son and successor of Panah-Ali khan Javanshir. Early life He was born in c. 1732 in Karabakh. He was among depo ...

, the origin of the surname. He graduated from

Baku Baku (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Azerbaijan, largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and in the Caucasus region. Baku is below sea level, which makes it the List of capital ci ...

Gymnasium (1872) and

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...

Medical-Surgical Academy (1877), then worked in a

military hospital A military hospital is a hospital owned or operated by a military. They are often reserved for the use of military personnel and their dependents, but in some countries are made available to civilians as well. They may or may not be located on a m ...

during

Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878) The Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878) was a conflict between the Ottoman Empire and a coalition led by the Russian Empire which included United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia, Romania, Principality of Serbia, Serbia, and Principality of ...

and combated

diphtheria Diphtheria is an infection caused by the bacteria, bacterium ''Corynebacterium diphtheriae''. Most infections are asymptomatic or have a mild Course (medicine), clinical course, but in some outbreaks, the mortality rate approaches 10%. Signs a ...

outbreak in

Poltava Poltava (, ; , ) is a city located on the Vorskla, Vorskla River in Central Ukraine, Central Ukraine. It serves as the administrative center of Poltava Oblast as well as Poltava Raion within the oblast. It also hosts the administration of Po ...

Guberniya. He later served in 162nd

Akhaltsikhe Akhaltsikhe ( ka, ახალციხე ), formerly known as Lomsia ( ka, ლომსია ), is a small city in Georgia's southwestern region () of Samtskhe–Javakheti. It is the administrative center of the Akhaltsikhe Municipality and ...

regiment as a doctor. Having returned to Azerbaijan in 1883, he continued his practice.

Political activities

He was elected to head Shusha local committee of "Difai" - a secret Azerbaijani organization. Several Russian officers were assassinated under his commands -

prosecutor Lunyakin, Elizabethpol police chief Bannikov and Tartar police chief Felikinski were all killed under his orders. He died in 1929 in Shusha.

Family

He married had an affair with a Petersburger woman named Alexandra Dolganova who by then studied at the Women's Medical Courses with whom he had a son who would grow to be the famous doctor - Mikhail Tushinsky. He officially was married to Zarri Qajar (1864-1943), a daughter of

Bahman Mirza Bahman Mirza (; 1810 – 1883/84) was a Qajar prince, literary scholar, and writer who lived in Iran and later the Russian Empire. The fourth son of the former crown prince Abbas Mirza, his career in Iran was marked by several governorships, inclu ...

in 1884 with whom he had 3 sons and 4 daughters: # Adil beg Mehmandarov (1885-1937) - engineer and teacher # Rashid beg Mehmandarov (1885-1937) - officer at Azerbaijani army # Surkhay beg Mehmandarov (1890-?) # Turan Mehmandarova - married to Fatulla beg Rustambegov # Kubra Mehmandarova - married to Bala beg Taghi-zadeh # Nushaba Mehmandarova - married to Shahbaz beg Rustambegov # Zahra Mehmandarova (1985-1957) - married to firstly to Azad beg Vazirov, then Jumshud beg Vazirov # Mahbuba Mehmandarova (1902-1976) - married to Shamil Mahmudbekov Through his daughter Mahbuba he is great-grandfather of Eldar Azizov - current Mayor of Baku, Aliya Rustambayova (1907-1942) - Azerbaijani anti-Nazi partisan and Mustafa Mehmandarov (b.1992) - Azerbaijani musician.

Legacy

The Central Hospital and a street in

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...

are named after him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mehmandarov, Karim bey People from Shusha 1854 births 1929 deaths Azerbaijani nobility Azerbaijani physicians Recipients of the Order of Saint Stanislaus (House of Romanov) Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 3rd class Recipients of the Order of St. Vladimir Soviet military doctors Physicians from the Russian Empire Soviet Azerbaijani people Recipients of the Order of St. Anna, 2nd class