ADHAM MURSAL SHAHMALIYEV (1897-1981) Historian

Adham Shahmaliyev was born on 13 May 1897. From 1908 to 1918, he studied at Elisabethpol seminary. In 1919, he entered Tbilisi Polytechnic Institute, Department of Economy, but failed to complete his education. In 1920, he was mobilized and dispatched to Ganja to work in local schools. He was actively involved in public enlightenment. In 1921-1922, he carried out teaching activity in Dardoqqaz village, Ganja district, and in 1922-1923 worked at Ganja Technical Vocational School. He arrived in Baku in 1923, and studied at Baku State University, Faculty of Public Sciences. From 1928 to 1939, he taught history and Russian language in secondary schools No 33 and No 13 in Baku, a private education complex, and Baku Highway Vocational School. He did his postgraduate studies in 1938. Adham Shahmaliyev defended a PhD thesis in 1941, achieving a ScD degree in 1960. From 1939 until his death, he taught Middle Ages history at Baku State University as the only specialist in this area. He conducted successful researches into dark pages of the history of Eastern countries, including Azerbaijan. Good command of French, English, Turkish, Arabic, Farsi and Russian languages allowed him to comprehensively study the history of the people of Azerbaijan and neighboring Eastern nations on the basis of Western and Eastern sources. Adham Shahmaliyev made a valuable contribution to the publication of textbooks in Azerbaijani language. Together with academician A.Sumbatzade he authored “Essays on the history of France in 11th-17th centuries” textbook in 1956, and “England in 5th-15th centuries” education handbook in 1961 and “On the History of Bourgeois Revolution in the Netherlands” education handbook in 1966.