Afət Ziyadqızı
Sept. 15 marks the anniversary of the liberation of Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan.In 1918, the Ottoman Empire sent the Caucasus Islamic Army to the region to liberate Baku, which was under the control of Bolshevik and Armenian forces.
Operative Information Center-OMM reports that following massacres carried out by Armenian and Bolshevik units in Baku in March 1918, Azerbaijan declared its independence on May 28.
To defend the newly established state, the Caucasus Islamic Army was formed under the command of Nuru Pasha on the instructions of War Minister Enver Pasha. Despite political pressure from Germany over Baku’s oil resources, the army continued its advance and carried out successful operations in the directions of Ganja, Shamakhi, Kurdamir and Salyan.
It was reported that Baku was liberated from occupation in a decisive assault lasting 30 hours on Sept. 15, 1918, during which 1,130 soldiers were martyred. This historic victory enabled the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic to move its capital to Baku and consolidate its independence. The memory of those heroes continues to be preserved as a sacred trust at Turkish martyrdom memorials across Azerbaijan.
The liberation of Baku was a pivotal episode in Azerbaijan’s modern history. It strengthened the newly independent republic’s political and military position and remains commemorated in Azerbaijan and Türkiye as a symbol of solidarity between the two peoples.
