Azernews.Az

By Laman Ismayilova

A documentary "100 Years of Honorable Life" will be screened at Heritales International Heritage Film Festival in September.

The 36-minute documentary tells the story of Haji Zeynalabdin Taghiyev (1823-1924), an Azerbaijani millionaire and philanthropist recognized for his invaluable contribution to the country's development.

The film reflects on his relations with the Nobel brothers, who had rich oil fields in Baku, and friendship with another philanthropist and oil industrialist Musa Naghiyev.

Shot by Jalaladdin Gasimov, the documentary is based on historical materials, found in the German film archives.

Over the past years, Jalaladdin Gasimov has successfully shot numerous feature films and documentaries, including "The First Success of the Nobel Brothers", "Scholler’s Archive", "Execution Day", "Stalin`s Dark Past" , which are multiple winners of international film festivals .

Born to a poor family of a shoemaker in Icherisheher, the old part of Baku, Haji Zeynalabdin Taghiyev had to work hard since childhood.

He began as an apprentice of one bricklayer in Baku to support his family.

Taghiyev’s dedication and hard work ensured quick professional advancement and at the age of 18 he became a contractor.

In 1873, along with his partners, Taghiyev rent a plot of land near the oil-booming town of Bibi-Heybat, a few kilometers to the southeast of Baku. They hired workers and started drilling for oil, but with no success. The partners gave up hope and decided to sell their shares.

Taghiyev purchased them and became the sole owner of the land. He continued drilling and paid workers despite all financial difficulties.

Finally, fortune smiled on him in 1877, when oil gushed out of the well with a mighty force. Oil gush instantly made him an oil baron and millionaire.

One of the first things Taghiyev did after becoming wealthy was to surface the road between the city and his oilfield in Bibi-Heybat. He then extended the road on to the Bibi-Heybat mosque.

Taghiyev invested in many important projects such as the first textile factory and fisheries. He sponsored the first Azerbaijan National Theater (1883), the first Muslim School for Girls (1896), the first Technical School (1911) and covered all the expenses for the construction of what would later become the Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater.

He also helped to solve the water crisis in the city by helping to finance the Shollar water pipeline (1916).

Baku's best-known philanthropist allocated 11,000 old roubles for the construction of the head office for the Muslim Benevolent Society in Saint Petersburg, 3,000 roubles for the education of Armenian orphans, 5,000 for the St. Nina's School for Girls in Baku, 10,000 roubles for the construction of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Baku, tens of thousands of roubles for the construction and repair of mosques and madrasas throughout Russia and Persia.

Taghiyev also provided scholarships for many talented young people who strove for higher education in prestigious Russian and European universities. He built a number of schools and gave a lot of attention to mosques, since he considered them to be centers for enlightenment, culture and science.

After Azerbaijan's "Sovietization" in 1920, the country's wealthy people suffered severe repressions from the Bolshevik government resulting in the emigration of many of them. Therefore, Taghiyev's house and his other possessions were confiscated. He was exiled to his summer house in Mardakan.

Taghiyev's heart stopped beating on September 1, 1924. People remember Taghiyev not only for his great wealth, but for how he spent it. For his outstanding contributions, Taghiyev was twice awarded with the Order of Saint Stanislaus, as well as with a number of other orders and medals from many countries.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

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