Who is Bakhtiyar Dali, known for his 6 million manat mansion?

The businessman Bakhtiyar Dali (Garashov) has come under scrutiny over charges of attempted rape and unlawful deprivation of liberty. The 66-year-old, known for his multimillion-manat mansion in Novkhani, has been remanded in custody for four months, drawing attention to his life and career.

Who is Bakhtiyar Dali, who reportedly lived in Russia for many years and worked as a military engineer, and how did he become known?

“Operative Information Center-OMM” reports, citing globalinfo.az, that Bakhtiyar Dali was born in 1960 in the village of Novkhani in the Absheron district. His original surname is Garashov, and he lived in Russia for many years. According to his own account, he worked as a military engineer.

In Azerbaijan, he became best known for his lavish mansion in Novkhani. The property, said to be worth several million manats, became a major focus of reports about him.

Dali’s mansion attracted attention not only for its price but also for unusual details in its interior. The four-storey property, put up for sale in 2023, reportedly has 10 rooms, a club accommodating 40 people, a gym, a sauna and a bar. More than 150 trees grow in the yard, along with a waterfall said to be worth $200,000.

In 2024, reports said his villa had sold for more than 6 million manats.

Dali has said that while living in Russia he travelled to various countries and collected works by artists from around the world at his mansion.

Although Dali is not known as a professional singer, he has shown an interest in music. In 2021, he performed a duet with singer Turan Safarli.

They performed “Blue Eternity” from the repertoire of legendary singer Muslim Magomayev. A music video was also made for the duet.

Bakhtiyar Dali was detained in connection with an incident reportedly occurring in July 2026 at a hotel-restaurant in Sumgait.

According to investigation materials, he was charged under Articles 29.149 (attempted rape) and 145 (unlawful deprivation of liberty) of the Criminal Code.

The Sumgait City Court ordered him held in pre-trial detention for four months. Bakhtiyar Dali is currently being held at the Shuvalan pre-trial detention centre.