Peri Topchubashova
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Peri khanum Topchubashova (1873 – 1947) was the
First Lady of Azerbaijan First Lady of Azerbaijan () is the informal title of the wife of the president of Azerbaijan. The current first lady is Mehriban Aliyeva, wife of President Ilham Aliyev, who has held the position since 31 October 2003. First ladies of Azerbaija ...
, wife of
Alimardan bey Topchubashov Alimardan bey Alakbar bey oghlu Topchubashov (, ; 4 May 1862 – 8 November 1934) was a prominent Azerbaijani politician, foreign minister and speaker of the Parliament of Azerbaijan Democratic Republic. Biography There are varied assumptions a ...
.


Biography

Peri khanum Topchubashova () was born in 1873 in the
Zardab Zardab District () is one of the 66 Administrative divisions of Azerbaijan, districts of Azerbaijan. It is located in the centre of the country and belongs to the Central Aran Economic Region. The district borders the districts of Agdash District ...
, into the family of
Hasan bey Zardabi Hasan bey Zardabi ( ), born Hasan bey Salim bey oghlu Malikov ( ; 28 June 1842 — 15 November 1907), was an Azerbaijanis, Azerbaijani journalist and intellectual, founder of the first Azerbaijani language newspaper ''Akinchi'' ("The Ploughman") ...
and Hanifa Malikova. The prominent Azerbaijani publicist Hasan bey Zardabi was the editor of the first Azerbaijani-language newspaper " Akinchi"Everything Began with ''Akinchi''
by Nigar Jafarova. ''Nash vek''. 5 August 2005. Retrieved 19 May 2007
and his wife, Hanifa Malikova, was one of the first women in the Caucasus who received secular education. Peri was the eldest of their four children. After being unemployed in Baku for two years,
Hasan bey Zardabi Hasan bey Zardabi ( ), born Hasan bey Salim bey oghlu Malikov ( ; 28 June 1842 — 15 November 1907), was an Azerbaijanis, Azerbaijani journalist and intellectual, founder of the first Azerbaijani language newspaper ''Akinchi'' ("The Ploughman") ...
moved with his family to his native village of
Zardab Zardab District () is one of the 66 Administrative divisions of Azerbaijan, districts of Azerbaijan. It is located in the centre of the country and belongs to the Central Aran Economic Region. The district borders the districts of Agdash District ...
in 1880. At that time, his eldest daughter, Peri, was 7 years old. Although the family's financial situation was difficult, Hasan bey was determined to educate his daughter. Since there were no girls' schools in Azerbaijan, Hasan bey took his daughter to
Tiflis Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი, ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), ( ka, ტფილისი, tr ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia ( ...
and enrolled her in the Russian girls' gymnasium where Peri's mother, Hanifa Malikova had previously studied. Maintaining regular contact with the Tiflis press and intellectuals, Hasan bey often visited the gymnasium and took an interest in his daughter's studies. In a short time, Peri khanum earned the respect of her teachers with both her education and high manners. Thus, Peri khanum became the first Azerbaijani girl to receive an education at the Russian girls' gymnasium in Tiflis. In 1889, Topchubashova went to
Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...
and began her studies at the Faculty of Law at
Saint Petersburg University Saint Petersburg State University (SPBGU; ) is a public research university in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in Russia. Founded in 1724 by a decree of Peter the Great, the university from the be ...
, where she graduated with excellent marks. After that, she worked in various positions such as a judicial assistant, a clerk at the district court, and a lawyer in Tiflis and Baku. Researcher Garanfil Dunyamin gizi writes that while Peri khanum was still studying at the Russian girls' gymnasium in Tiflis, she caught Alimardan bey Topchubashov's attention not only with her interest in education and innovation but also with her beauty, purity, and simplicity, traits typical of Eastern women. A sincere friendship developed between them, which later turned into a noble love and a faithful lifelong partnership. On December 31, 1893, in Tiflis, Peri khanum married Alimardan bey Topchubashov. Despite her father being a very progressive intellectual, he asked for a
dowry A dowry is a payment such as land, property, money, livestock, or a commercial asset that is paid by the bride's (woman's) family to the groom (man) or his family at the time of marriage. Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price ...
of 10,000 rubles from Topchubashov for his daughter. However, since Topchubashov did not have that much money, he and Peri decided not to hold a wedding ceremony and to give the saved money to Hasan bey instead. Pari Topchubashova had five children. Four of them: her sons Alakbar bey and Enver bey Topchubashov, and her daughters Sara khanum Sultanoğlu and Sevar khanum Topchubashova attended the funeral of their father, Alimardan bey Topchubashov, along with their mother. Topchubashova lived in exile in
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
and passed away there in 1947. She was buried near
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
in the Saint-Cloud cemetery, beside her husband Alimardan bey Topchubashov.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Topchubashova, Peri 1873 births 1947 deaths First ladies of Azerbaijan