# Baku Governorate

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History of Azerbaijan :
Prehistory Stone Age  • Bronze Age  • Iron Age
Shulaveri–Shomu culturec.6000–c.4000 BC Chalcolithic culture of Nakhchivanc.4945–c.3800 BC Leyla-Tepe culturec.4350–c.4000 BC Kura–Araxes culturec.3400–c.2000 BC Nakhchivan culturec.3000–c.2000 BC Talish–Mughan culturec.1400–c.700 BC Khojaly–Gadabay culturec.1300–c.700 BC :
Antiquity Kingdom of Iškuzac.700 BC–c.590s BC Achaemenid Empire550 BC–330 BC      • Satrapy of Mediac.550 BC – 323 BC Seleucid Empire312 BC – 63 BC Parthian Empire247 BC – AD 224 Caucasian Albaniac.200 BC – c.AD 800 Roman Empire 27 BC – AD 395 :
Early Middle Ages Sasanian Empire 224–651      • Satrapy of Albaniac.252–636 Khazar Khaganatec.650–969 Rashidun Caliphate632–661      • Islamic conquest633–654      • Arranc.650–705Umayyad Caliphate661–750      • Arranc.650–705      • Emirate of Arminiya 705–884Abbasid Caliphate750–1258      • Emirate of Arminiya705–884 Shirvanshahs861–1538 Sajids889–929 Shaddadids951–1199 Sallarid dynasty919–1062 :
High Middle Ages Seljuk Empire 1037–1194 Khwarazmian Empire 1077–1231 Eldiguzids 1135–1225 Mongol Empire1206–1368 Ilkhanate 1256–1335 Chobanids 1335–1357 Timurid Empire 1370–1507 Qara Qoyunlu 1374–1468 Aq Qoyunlu 1378–1503 :
Early modern history Safavid Iran 1501–1736       • Safavid Shirvan 1501–1736       • Safavid Karabakh 1501–1747       • Chokhur-e Sa'd 1502–1736 Ottoman Empire 1299–1922       • Shirvan Eyalet [az] 1578–1607       • Ganja-Qarabagh Eyalet (I) [az] 1588–1606       • Revan Eyalet (I) [az] 1583–1604           • Nakhchivan Sanjak (I) [az] 1583–1604       • Ganja-Qarabagh Eyalet (II) [az] 1725–1735       • Revan Eyalet (II) [az] 1724–1736           • Nakhchivan Sanjak (II) [az] 1724–1736       • Tiflis Eyalet (II) [az] 1723–1735           • Kazak Sanjak (II) [az] 1723–1735 Afsharid Iran 1736–1796       • Division of Afsharid Empire 1747 Khanates of the Caucasus 1604–1844       • Elisu Sultanate 1604–1844       • Kazakh sultanate 1605–1801       • Djaro-Belokani c.1600s–c.1800s       • Shaki Khanate 1743–1819       • Ganja Khanate 1747–1805       • Talysh Khanate 1747–1828       • Nakhichevan Khanate 1747–1828       • Qutqashen Sultanate 1747–1841       • Baku Khanate 1747–1806       • Shamshadil sultanate 1747–1801       • Quba Khanate 1747–1806       • Karabakh Khanate 1748–1822           • Treaty of Kurakchay 1805       • Shirvan Khanate 1748–1820 Zand dynasty1751–1794 Qajar Iran1789–1925       • Fourth Russo-Persian War 1804–1813           • Treaty of Gulistan 1813       • Fifth Russo-Persian War 1826–1828           • Treaty of Turkmenchay 1828 Russian Empire 1721–1917       • Second Russo-Persian War 1722–1723       • Caucasus Viceroyalty 1801–1917           • Baku Governorate 1846–1920           • Erivan Governorate 1849–1917          • Zakatal okrug 1859–1918           • Elizavetpol Governorate 1867–1920       • Special Transcaucasian Committee 1917 :
Modern history Transcaucasian Commissariat 1917–1918       • March Days 1918 Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic 1918 Baku Commune 1918 Centrocaspian Dictatorship 1918 Republic of Aras 1918–1919 Mughan Soviet Republic 1919 Azerbaijan Democratic Republic 1918 - 1920       • Armenian–Azerbaijani War 1918–1920           • Battle of Baku 1918       • Red Army invasion of Azerbaijan 1920Azerbaijan Socialist Soviet Republic 1920–1922       • Treaty of Kars 1921Soviet Union 1922–1991       • Transcaucasian SFSR 1922–1936           • Azerbaijan SSR 1922–1936       • Azerbaijan SSR 1936–1991           • World War II 1941–1945           • Black January 1990       • Republic of Azerbaijan 1991 :
Contemporary history Republic of Azerbaijan 1991–present       • I Nagorno-Karabakh War 1988–1994           • Bishkek Protocol 1994       • II Nagorno-Karabakh War 2020           • Ceasefire Agreement 2020 :
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The Baku Governorate, known before 1859 as the Shemakha Governorate, was a province (guberniya) of the Caucasus Viceroyalty of the Russian Empire, with its center in the booming metropolis and Caspian Sea port of Baku. Area (1897): 34,400 sq. versts, population (1897): 789,659. The Baku Governorate bordered Persia to the south, the Elizavetpol Governorate (the Tiflis and Erivan governorates before 1868) to the west, the Dagestan Oblast to the north, and the Baku gradonachalstvo to the east on the Absheron Peninsula.

## History

The governorate was originally established in 1846 as the Shemakha Governorate, replacing what had been several military precincts. Following the catastrophic 1859 Shamakhi earthquake, the capital of the governorate was transferred from Shamakha (Shаmakhi) to the fast-growing city of Baku, and on July 12, 1859, the governorate's name was changed accordingly. The coat of arms of the Baku Governorate was instituted on July 5, 1878. Initially, the Baku Governorate included the areas of the former khanates of Karabakh and Shaki until these areas were detached in 1868 to form part of the adjacent Elizavetpol Governorate.
The Armenians were dominant in the commerce of the Baku Governorate, as evidenced by them controlling 29% of enterprises in the province as opposed to the Azerbaijanis owning only 18%. Whilst Armenians enjoyed more favourable treatment under the Russian administration and produced oil tycoons such as Alexander Mantashev, Azerbaijanis made up most of the unskilled low-paid labor jobs and were virtually absent from the administration of the province despite their preponderance. In the early 20th century, Russian official Grigory Golitsyn increased the number of Azerbaijanis in the administration and confiscated properties of the Armenian Apostolic Church, however, his anti-Armenian policies (which provoked the Armenian–Tatar clashes) were later repealed in 1905 under the rule of Illarion Vorontsov-Dashkov.
Upon the establishment of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, the Baku Governorate was incorporated into the fledgling state and subsequently separated into a smaller Baku General-Governorate and a Lenkoran General-Governorate, the latter being the location of the Provisional Military Dictatorship of Mughan which was suppressed in spring 1919. The governorate was eventually abolished in its entirety following the establishment of Soviet rule in Azerbaijan in 1920, however, its uezds ("counties") continued to exist until their administrative reorganization into raions ("districts") in 1929–1930.

## Administrative divisions

The counties (uezds) of the Baku Governorate in 1917 were as follows:
| Name | Administrative centre | Administrative centre | Administrative centre | Population | Population | Area |
| Name | | 1897 | 1916 | 1897 | 1916 | Area |
| Baku uezd (Бакинский уезд) | Baku | 182,897 | 262,422 | 182,897 | 16,268 | 2,610.22 square versts (2,970.59 km$^2$; 1,146.95 sq mi) |
| Geokchay uezd (Геокчайский уезд) | Geokchay (Goychay) | 2,201 | --- | 117,705 | 134,098 | 4,676.58 square versts (5,322.24 km$^2$; 2,054.93 sq mi) |
| Javad uezd (Джеватский уезд) | Salyan | 11,787 | --- | 90,043 | 162,305 | 8,396.97 square versts (9,556.27 km$^2$; 3,689.70 sq mi) |
| Kuba uezd (Кубинский уезд) | Kuba (Quba) | 15,363 | 26,956 | 183,242 | 198,204 | 6,308.61 square versts (7,179.59 km$^2$; 2,772.06 sq mi) |
| Lenkoran uezd (Ленкоранский уезд) | Lenkoran (Lankaran) | 8,733 | --- | 130,987 | 203,319 | 4,726.88 square versts (5,379.48 km$^2$; 2,077.03 sq mi) |
| Shemakha uezd (Шемахинский уезд) | Shemakha (Shamakhi) | 20,007 | 27,732 | 121,842 | 161,552 | 6,625.99 square versts (7,540.79 km$^2$; 2,911.51 sq mi) |

## Demographics

The ethnic group composition of the governorate changed considerably in the latter part of the 19th century. By the beginning of the 20th century, there were 214,700 inhabitants, among them, Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians consisting of 76.3 thousand (35.5%), Tatars 46 thousand (21.4%), Armenians 42 thousand (19.4%), Persians 25 thousand (11.7%), Jews 9.7 thousand (4.5%), Georgians 4 thousand (1.9%), Germans 3.3 thousand (1.5%), and Kazan Tatars 2.3 thousand (1.1%). Muslims generally lived in the historical centre of Baku (Old Baku), surrounded by the khan's castle in the west of the city. Armenians mostly lived in the industrial zone in the north of the city. During the construction of the new city centre, various ethnic groups started to move to different districts.

### Russian Empire Census

According to the Russian Empire Census, the Baku Governorate had a population of 826,716 on 28 January [O.S. 15 January] 1897, including 458,065 men and 368,651 women. The majority of the population indicated Tatar to be their mother tongue, with significant Tat, Russian, Armenian, Kyurin, and Talysh speaking minorities.
Linguistic composition of the Baku Governorate in 1897 :
| Language | Native speakers | % |
| Tatar | 485,146 | 58.68 |
| Tat | 89,519 | 10.83 |
| Russian | 73,632 | 8.91 |
| Armenian | 52,233 | 6.32 |
| Kyurin | 48,192 | 5.83 |
| Talysh | 34,994 | 4.23 |
| Kazi-Kumukh | 11,811 | 1.43 |
| Jewish | 8,172 | 0.99 |
| Persian | 5,973 | 0.72 |
| German | 3,430 | 0.41 |
| Ukrainian | 3,372 | 0.41 |
| Avar-Andean | 2,898 | 0.35 |
| Georgian | 1,616 | 0.20 |
| Polish | 1,439 | 0.17 |
| Turkish | 1,155 | 0.14 |
| Belarusian | 677 | 0.08 |
| Mordovian | 531 | 0.06 |
| Swedish | 347 | 0.04 |
| Greek | 278 | 0.03 |
| Lithuanian | 272 | 0.03 |
| Other | 1,029 | 0.12 |
| TOTAL | 826,716 | 100.00 |
Religious composition of the Baku Governorate in 1897 :
| Faith | Male | Female | Both | Both |
| Faith | Male | Female | Number | % |
| Muslim | 372,770 | 303,473 | 676,243 | 81.80 |
| Eastern Orthodox | 32,164 | 23,926 | 56,090 | 6.78 |
| Armenian Apostolic | 31,403 | 21,160 | 52,563 | 6.36 |
| Old Believer | 11,075 | 10,837 | 21,912 | 2.65 |
| Judaism | 6,599 | 6,154 | 12,753 | 1.54 |
| Lutheran | 1,911 | 1,869 | 3,780 | 0.46 |
| Roman Catholic | 1,574 | 644 | 2,218 | 0.27 |
| Baptist | 313 | 350 | 663 | 0.08 |
| Armenian Catholic | 96 | 109 | 205 | 0.02 |
| Reformed | 102 | 88 | 190 | 0.02 |
| Karaite | 3 | 5 | 8 | 0.00 |
| Anglican | 4 | 3 | 7 | 0.00 |
| Buddhist | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0.00 |
| Mennonite | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0.00 |
| Other Christian denomination | 42 | 31 | 73 | 0.01 |
| Other non-Christian denomination | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0.00 |
| TOTAL | 458,065 | 368,651 | 826,716 | 100.00 |

### Kavkazskiy kalendar

According to the 1917 publication of Kavkazskiy kalendar, the Baku Governorate had a population of 875,746 on 14 January [O.S. 1 January] 1916, including 465,711 men and 410,035 women, 838,717 of whom were the permanent population, and 37,029 were temporary residents:
| Nationality | Urban | Urban | Rural | Rural | TOTAL | TOTAL |
| Nationality | Number | % | Number | % | Number | % |
| Shia Muslims | 34,499 | 47.58 | 395,319 | 49.22 | 429,818 | 49.08 |
| Sunni Muslims | 12,905 | 17.80 | 249,851 | 31.11 | 262,756 | 30.00 |
| Russians | 3,788 | 5.22 | 68,847 | 8.57 | 72,635 | 8.29 |
| North Caucasians | 631 | 0.87 | 49,144 | 6.12 | 49,775 | 5.68 |
| Armenians | 5,663 | 7.81 | 37,258 | 4.64 | 42,921 | 4.90 |
| Jews | 14,948 | 20.62 | 2,613 | 0.33 | 17,561 | 2.01 |
| Asiatic Christians | 22 | 0.03 | 139 | 0.02 | 161 | 0.02 |
| Other Europeans | 53 | 0.07 | 36 | 0.00 | 89 | 0.01 |
| Georgians | 0 | 0.00 | 30 | 0.00 | 30 | 0.00 |
| TOTAL | 72,509 | 100.00 | 803,237 | 100.00 | 875,746 | 100.00 |

## Governors

* Konstantin Tarkhanov-Mouravov, 1859–1863
* Mikhail Kolyubakin, 1863–1872
* Dmitry Staroselsky, 1872–1875
* Valery Pozen, 1875–1882
* Justin von Huebsch Grostal, 1882–1888
* Vladimir Rogge, 1888–1899
* Dmitry Odintsov, 1899–1904
* Mikhail Nakashidze, 1904–1905
* Andrei Fadeyev, 1905
* Vladimir Alyshevsky, 1905–1915
* Leo Potulov, 1916–1917

### Azerbaijan Democratic Republic period

* Museyib bey Akhijanov, 1918–5 February 1919
* Rashid bey Akhundzade, 5 February 1919–25 August 1919
* Amir bey Narimanbeyov [az], 2 September 1919–April 1920