General Faraj bey Aghayev was born on December 4, 1811, into a noble family in Shusha in Karabakh. After receiving his initial military education at the Tiflis Cadet Corps, he began serving in 1837 with the Muslim Cavalry Regiment of the Russian Caucasus Army.

Faraj bey, the distinguished guard captain was sent to St. Petersburg as a squadron commander in the seventh year of his service. In St. Petersburg, he was appointed commander of the Life Guards in the Special Guard Cossack Regiment of Nicholas I. With his exceptional military skills and discipline, Faraj bey attracted the attention of Nicholas I and his wife, Maria Alexandrovna. Faraj bey served as the personal guard of the Russian emperor in St. Petersburg for an extended period.  He was married to Maria Nikolaevna Manukina, the daughter of a manufactory counselor.
  
Thanks to his exceptional military abilities and bravery, Faraj bey Aghayev rose to the rank of colonel within ten years of service. Until 1850, Colonel F. Aghayev served impeccably in the Special Guard Cossack Regiment in St. Petersburg. That same year, he was transferred to the command of the Russian Caucasus Army.

When the Crimean War broke out in 1853, Colonel Faraj bey Aghayev organized a cavalry regiment made up of Azerbaijani soldiers from Karabakh and became its commander. Various archival documents, reports, and letters sent to command indicate that Faraj bey's cavalry regiment, composed of soldiers from Shusha, fought with unwavering resolve against a sixty-thousand-strong corps in the battles for Kurakdara. In 1854, a militia regiment composed of Ossetians was also incorporated into Faraj bey's regiment. As a high-ranking commander of a cavalry unit, F. Aghayev was awarded for his military service and heroism as a troop leader with a gold dagger inscribed "For Bravery," numerous military medals and the 1st Class Order of Saint Anna adorned with the imperial crown, as well as the 1st Class Order of Saint Anna (with swords) for a second time.
                                                        
For his military service during the years 1853–1856, Faraj bey Aghayev was awarded the rank of major general. At the start of the war, Count Vorontsov sent a report to St. Petersburg about the formation of the Azerbaijani Karabakh cavalry unit under Faraj bey Aghayev’s command, noting that, thanks to Colonel Faraj bey, the volunteer units were quickly assembled.

After nearly forty years of infallible service in the army, Faraj bey Aghayev retired in 1882 with the rank of lieutenant general. Lieutenant General Faraj bey Aghayev worked in the Tbilisi Charity Society until the end of his life. He passed away in Tiflis on November 26, 1891, at the age of 80.
     
Faraj bey Aghayev was the maternal uncle of Hasan bey Zardabi’s father, the founder of the Azerbaijani national press. While studying in Tiflis, Hasan bey Zardabi lived under Faraj bey Aghayev's guardianship.
   

Recommended literature:

1. Nəzirli, Şəmistan Əmiraslan oğlu. Azərbaycan generalları /Şəmistan Nəzirli; Red. T.Muxtarova. - Bakı: Gənclik, 1991. - 208 s.
2. Nəzirli, Şəmistan Əmiraslan oğlu. Arxivlərin sirri açılır /Ş. Nəzirli; Rəyçi: Ç. Məmmədov; Red.: R. Faxralı; Buraxılışa məsul: B.Süleyman; Rəssam: Ədalət Həsənov. - Bakı: Elm, 1999. - 414 s.
3. Исмаилов Э. Э. Георгиевские кавалеры — азербайджанцы / Э. Э. Исмаилов. — М.: Герои Отечества, 2005. — 248 с.