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zations were created in Guba at the end of March. Sovietization began after the Bolsheviks came
to power in October 1917 in St. Petersburg.
Guba genocide. After the October Revolution in 1917, Baku Soviets captured power in Baku and
committed genocide against Azerbaijanis in the Guba district under the screen of Sovietization.
On April 21, 1918, the Baku Bolshevik organization and Baku Soviet sent military groups to the
Guba district. On April 23, Soviet power was declared in the district and a military revolutionary
committee was established. Genocide against Azerbaijanis in the Guba district began on May 1
and continued for nine days. The genocide in Guba was committed byArmenian punitive detach-
ments headed by the Dashnak Hamazasp. According to the report of A.F. Novatiski, a member of
the Emergency Investigation Committee, violence towards the residents of Guba occurred under
the instruction of Shaumyan. Men of the Hamazasp punitive detachment were appointed by mili-
tary commissar Korganov and sent to Guba. The detachment consisted of approximately 2,000
Dashnaktsutyun party Armenians with Hamazasp appointed as the leader and Venuns as com-
missar. The purpose of the foray was to kill Azerbaijanis. According to calculations, the Hama-
zasp detachment killed approximately 3000 civilians in the city of Guba and robbed the people
of cash in the amount of 4 million manat, diamonds, gold, silver, and other valuable jewels in the
amount of 4.5 million manat, and various items in the amount of 25 million manat. 122 Muslim
villages were destroyed and burnt and their populations were killed on a mass scale.22 Due to the
establishment of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, further genocides were avoided.
The period of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (1918-1920). On May 28, 1918 the Azerbaijan
Democratic Republic established its power in Guba district. Following the decision of the Parlia-
ment dated July 2, 1919, 100,000 manat was allocated for the city of Guba to fight spotted fever.
On April 12 in Khulug village, Qusar area, a law to open a high school was adopted.23 However,
the Bolsheviks were aided by Soviet Russia and conducted work against the Government in the
district. On April 27, 1920, when the 11th Red Army of Soviet Russia crossed the northern border
of Azerbaijan, the first resistance was shown in Guba district. The military forces of Soviet Russia
entered Guba in the early morning of April 27 and Soviet power was declared in Guba district.24
Republic of Azerbaijan
Source: War against Azerbaijan. Targeting Cultural Heritage. Baku, 2007
Map 4
Azerbaijani carpets / GUBA GROUP