# Salamullah Javid

Salamullah Javid (1900, Khalkhal – 1986, Tehran) was an Iranian Azerbaijani physician, politician, and literary figure. He was a member of the Azerbaijan Democratic Party and served as the Minister of Internal Affairs in the Azerbaijan National Government. In 1946, he was appointed governor of Azerbaijan.
From 1948 to 1953, he led the Central Bureau of the Azerbaijan Democratic Party, which operated clandestinely in Tehran. Due to his political activities, he was repeatedly imprisoned. In his later years, he focused on literature and participated in the establishment of the Azerbaijani Writers and Poets Society in Tehran. He authored several books in the fields of literature and medicine.

## Life

Salamulla Molla Hashim oglu Javid was born in 1900 in Nirov village, Khalkhal region. After losing his mother as a child, he was raised by his uncle’s family. He received his initial education at Molla Hussein’s madrasa. His uncle, Maharram Nasrullah oglu, was politically active and opposed to the government, leading to constant persecution of the family. To escape this, Salamulla and his uncle’s family secretly moved to Baku in 1910. During his time in Baku, he first studied at Haji Enam Khalkhali’s school and later continued his education at the "Ittihad" school. In 1914, when Mammadali Tarbiat was appointed as the school principal, financial assistance was provided to talented students, benefiting Salamulla Javid. While studying at the gymnasium, he also taught at the "Tamaddun" school. After graduating from the gymnasium, he began his medical studies in Baku and later continued them in Tehran.
In 1922, Salamulla Javid wrote articles under the pen name "Hasanzadeh" in the newspaper Haqiqat, published in Tehran. In 1921, he faced persecution for participating in the movement led by Abulqasim Lahuti in Tabriz. As a result, he returned to Baku to continue his medical education. After graduating from university, he went to Moscow for advanced training. After returning from Moscow, he lived in Baku until 1929, after which he moved to Iran with his family. Following a three-month stay in Mashhad, he relocated to Tehran. In Tehran, he and his wife practiced medicine together.
On December 27, 1930, Seyid Jafar Pishavari was arrested. Following his arrest, Salamulla Javid also faced persecution and was detained on March 13, 1931. He was held in solitary confinement for 93 days before being transferred to Qasr-e Qajar Prison.There, after spending some time in solitary confinement, he was placed in the same cell as Seyid Jafar Pishavari. After his release, he was exiled to Kashan. While living in Kashan, Salamulla Javid continued practicing medicine alongside his wife. In 1934, he was appointed head of Kashan's health department. After his work there, he moved back to Tehran with his family in 1941. In Tehran, he engaged in promoting the newly established Azerbaijan Democratic Party.

### During the National Government of Azerbaijan

In 1945, Salamulla Javid moved to Tabriz with his family. On November 20, 1945, he was elected to the Presidium of the Azerbaijan People's Congress, which began its activities at the Ark Theater building in Tabriz. In the same year, he was elected as a representative to the Azerbaijan National Assembly. When the Azerbaijan National Government was formed, Seyid Jafar Pishavari appointed him as Minister of Internal Affairs. On January 15, 1946, a 15-member commission was established to draft the Constitution of the Azerbaijan National Government, and Salamulla Javid was included in this commission. In May 1946, during Seyid Jafar Pishavari's visit to Tehran for negotiations, Javid temporarily assumed his duties and served as the Prime Minister of the Azerbaijan National Government for several days.
In 1946, Salamulla Javid was appointed Governor-General of Azerbaijan. Later, in July, he traveled to Tehran for negotiations. During his stay, he first met with Prime Minister Ahmad Qavam and then with Mohammad Reza Pahlavi on July 11, 1946. He conducted negotiations for 17 days, achieving certain successes. On August 1, 1946, a delegation led by Salamulla Javid and including Haji Mirza Ali Shabustari, Sadiq Padigan, General Mahmud Panahiyan, Colonel Mortezavi, and Major Toghrayi traveled to Tehran for further negotiations. He served as the Governor of Azerbaijan until the collapse of the Azerbaijan National Government. On December 13, 1946, Iranian forces, supported by the United States and the United Kingdom, entered Tabriz, marking the fall of the Azerbaijan National Government. After the government’s collapse, Salamulla Javid was arrested and taken to Tehran.

### After the collapse of the Azerbaijani National Government

After being brought to Tehran, Salamulla Javid remained under house arrest for some time. On August 2, 1947, he was released.
From 1948 to 1953, the Central Bureau of the Azerbaijan Democratic Party operated secretly in Tehran, led by Salamulla Javid. The Bureau had branches in many regions of Southern Azerbaijan. Its activities included secretly publishing newspapers in Azerbaijani Turkish, organizing youth and women's societies, and maintaining contact with the ADF branch in Baku. In February 1948, Javid was arrested again and sentenced to two years in prison. However, he was released in July 1948 under an amnesty decree issued by Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. In August 1952, the Bureau held its first secret conference in Tus.
Following the 1953 coup in Iran, Javid was arrested and detained for 15 days but was released after being found innocent. Five months later, he was arrested again and held in Qasr-e Zirih prison for five months. After his innocence was proven, he was released once more.
From the mid-1950s, Salamulla Javid participated in several literary gatherings in Tehran and focused more on literature. These gatherings included figures such as Ali Azari, Nasrullah Fathi, Jabbar Bagchaban, Mohammadali Farzaneh, Bulud Qarachorlu Sahand, Hasan Majidzadeh Savalan, and others, who engaged in literary discussions and evaluated each other’s works. The members also promoted Azerbaijani literature by distributing handwritten manuscripts of "Koroglu," "Dede Gorgud" epics, Mirza Alekber Sabir's "Hophopname," and Mirza Ali Mojuz's satirical poems in Azerbaijani Turkish. During his time in Tehran, Mohammad-Hossein Shahriar also attended these gatherings. As the Shah's regime prohibited publishing books in Azerbaijani Turkish, the group used pseudonyms in their clandestinely printed works. Salamulla Javid published books under the pseudonym "Cad." In 1964, he wrote Learning a Language Alone and in 1965, Examples of Azerbaijani Folklore. In April 1979, he participated in establishing the Azerbaijani Writers and Poets Society in Tehran and founded a literary club called Friends’ Meeting. He also authored medical works such as Medical and Therapeutic Textbook, Tobacco Production and Cancer Disease, and Child Care. After the Iranian Islamic Revolution, he published Meeting with Friends in 1980.
In 1986, Salamulla Javid passed away in Tehran. After his death, Mohammad-Hossein Shahriar dedicated the poem Dr. Javid Is Gone Too to him. In accordance with his will, his personal library was donated to the Tabriz National Library. He wrote memoirs about his life and activities, which were compiled and edited by Akram Mishovdaghi and published in 2003 under the title Dr. Salamulla Javid: Longing for Those Days (Memoirs).

## Personal life

Salamulla Javid was born into the family of Molla Hashim. Since his mother passed away during his childhood, he was raised by his uncle Maharram Nasrullah oglu and his uncle’s wife Durra khanum. He married Bikakhanim, and from this marriage, he had three sons: Azad, born in 1929, Nikzad, born in 1934, and later Behzad.

## The works

* With longing for that day — Baku, 2005
* My memories from the Taghuti era — Tehran, 1980
* Puzzles — 1980
* Fuzuli's Youth — Tehran, 1983