Samad bey Sadykh bey oghlu Mehmandarov was born on October 16, 1856, in Lankaran. He was a prominent military figure, Minister of War of the ADR, general of artillery (rank after lieutenant general). His father, originally from Shusha, lived in Lankaran on a government job. He received his first education in Baku, at the Edadiya School. And in 1873 he entered the 2nd Konstantinovsky military school in St. Petersburg. In 1875, Mehmandarov received the rank of ensign (initial officer rank) and was sent to the 1st Turkestan artillery brigade. Mehmandarov, who later served in the 2nd and 38th artillery brigades, was sent to the Warsaw military district in 1894, and in 1898 he was transferred to the Trans-Baikal military division. Although this division participated in the prevention of the anti-imperialist uprising that took place in China in 1900-1901, despite the insistence of the tsarist generals, it refused to fire on the unarmed masses of people, considering it above officer honor.
            
At the end of the 19th century, Mehmandarov considered it extremely important to educate the people and, despite the distance from his homeland, published several articles in periodicals. Articles - "Causes of Muslim backwardness", "Primary lessons of recitation", "Against Muslim conservatism", "Religious comparisons of Shiites", "On self-torture of Muslims" and others, reflecting his public concern, were published in Tbilisi, on the pages of the newspaper "New Review".
        
Mehmandarov took part in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–1905, was the commander of the 7th East Siberian Rifle Artillery Division, and at the same time the chief of artillery of the Eastern Front of Port Arthur. For his courage in the war, he was awarded the Order of St. George of the fourth degree and awarded the rank of major general. His organizational skills and professionalism impressed not only fellow soldiers, but also the Japanese military. Mehmandarov in this war was remembered by his contemporaries as an officer with his integrity and loyalty to honor. When Port Arthur was surrendered due to the indifference and illiteracy of the Russian generals, the Japanese command demanded that the officers, who promised not to fight against Japan again, be sent home. The rest were taken prisoner. Mehmandarov, along with several of his comrades in the service, preferring captivity to humiliating freedom, escaped from captivity only under the terms of the peace treaty concluded in Portsmouth (USA) in August 1905. Mehmandarov was also a participant in the First World War, at first, he commanded the first rifle division, and then the 2nd Caucasian army, and successfully performed the most important tasks assigned to him. The high commanding and organizational skills shown by him during the operations were duly appreciated by the command of tsarist Russia, and on March 22, 1915, he was awarded the rank of full general of artillery, despite the lack of a military academic education.
          
In the autumn of 1918, after the February Revolution (1917), due to the Bolshevization of the Russian army and the intensification of anarchy within the army, Mehmandarov resigned and returned to his homeland.
         
On November 1, 1918, when the Government of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic decided to restore the Ministry of War, Mehmandarov was called up to serve in the army of the Republic and was appointed Deputy Minister of War. He was entrusted with the formation of the ministry and the army. Mehmandarov's professionalism, organizational skills, and most importantly, his loyalty to independent Azerbaijan were clearly shown by him in the new government, and on December 25, 1918, he was appointed Minister of War.
        
Mehmandarov is the architect of the army of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic. First, he accurately defined the essence of this process, its place in state building and directed all possibilities to the solution of these issues. Mehmandarov has repeatedly stated that the army of the republic, remaining out of politics, should only stand guard over the independence of Azerbaijan. The position of Mehmandarov, who adhered to this principle throughout his tenure as Minister of War, was highly appreciated by the political forces represented in power, and as a result, during the existence of the Republic, the portfolio of Minister of War in the government was assigned only to him.
        
On November 17, 1918, the command of the British troops that entered Baku on behalf of the allied powers demanded the withdrawal of the armed forces of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, including the troops of the Ministry of Defense, from Baku. In this regard, the ministry was transferred to Ganja and operated there until mid-1919. Mehmandarov's business acumen and the purposeful use of the working qualities of the officers and generals gathered around him created dynamism in solving the difficulties that arose, even though separation from the capital affected the effectiveness of solving the complex tasks facing him. The correct organization of affairs with personnel was one of the main factors that determined the successful activity of Mehmandarov as Minister of War. Great trust and high demands opened wide opportunities for the initiative activity of Aliaga Shikhlinsky, Mammad bey Sulkevich, Khabib bey Salimov, Ibrahim aga Usubov, Ibrahim bey Vakilov, Javad bey Shikhlinsky, Abdulhamid bey Gaytabashi, Teymur bey Novruzov and dozens of other generals and high-ranking officers. Mehmandarov considered an increase in the number of officers as an important condition for improving army building on a national basis. It was on his initiative that first the Ensign School and then the Military School were opened on basis of the Ganja Military School. At the same time, the school of builders, the school of military railway men, and the Shusha military paramedical school began to operate.
           
The creation and implementation of the construction of the army on a national basis was the main line followed by Mehmandarov as Minister of War. Despite the influence of Turkish and Russian military experience, in the specific historical conditions of Azerbaijan and based on national traditions, he preferred to use the best aspects of this experience. Assessing these national moments as values that bring the servicemen of the Army of the Republic closer to their people and tie them deeper to the Motherland, Mehmandarov announced that the official language in the army is Azerbaijani, considered it important that Azerbaijani soldiers take the oath of allegiance to the Motherland by reading the Holy Quran, and gave instructions for the study of the Azerbaijani language. He demanded from the soldiers to sing marches in the Azerbaijani language, approved the projects of combat banners and uniforms containing national and historical symbols, instructed to study and disseminate the rich military history of the Azerbaijani people among the military personnel, and even demanded the predominance of national dishes in the soldier's diet.
          
From the first days of his work at the Military Ministry, Mehmandarov visited military units to get acquainted with the situation in the troops. In this regard, Mehmandarov appealed to the people to eliminate such serious shortcomings as desertion, improper organization of draft and mobilization work. Also, to create confidence in the army among the population, he sharply criticized the sabotage. In his keynote speech in parliament on February 25, 1919, as well as in his correspondence, Mehmandarov sharply criticized the evasion of the children of rich people from service. Therefore, work was intensified to return to the service of deserters, as well as the children of wealthy people who evaded service. A new system of conscription and mobilization work was introduced to recruit all categories of the population who have reached military age into the army, the network of bodies that ensure the functioning of this system was expanded, and relations with internal affairs bodies were established. Regular measures were taken to improve the conditions of service, which was one of the main causes of desertion and evasion from service. In accordance with the tasks of more effectively ensuring the military security of Azerbaijan in specific historical conditions, flexible and functional structures were created, and army command and control bodies were improved. The necessary measures were taken to improve the material and technical base of the army, to increase its combat readiness.
          
Valuable results of Mehmandarov's activities in ensuring the territorial integrity of the republic as Minister of War were the creation of a powerful defense system around Baku and along the northern border, to prevent the threat of an attack by Denikin's troops. There was a clear organization and implementation of the planned combat mission to eliminate separatism in the Lankaran region and a decisive repulse of the Armenian aggression against Karabakh at the end of March 1920. Mehmandarov, who skillfully directed the country's military potential to prevent the expanding Armenian aggression, both in the direction of Karabakh and in the Gazakh-Tovuz region, retained the strategic initiative in his hands and inscribed worthy pages in the military history of Azerbaijan.
           
Mehmandarov resigned due to the April invasion (1920). Forces opposing the independence of Azerbaijan, who considered him guilty of organizing the Ganja uprising, arrested him on June 4, 1920, along with A. Shikhlinsky. Only after the intervention of Nariman Narimanov, Mehmandarov was saved from the Bolshevik terror, and he had to live in Moscow for a year with Aliaga Shikhlinsky. Returning to Baku in the summer of 1921, Mehmandarov got a job at the People's Commissariat for Military and Naval Affairs. In 1924-1928 he worked as a teacher at the United School of Commanders, and in 1929 he retired.
           
Samad-bek Mehmandarov died on February 12, 1931, and was buried at the Chemberekand cemetery.

Recommended literature:

1. Nəzirli, Şəmistan Əmiraslan oğlu. Cümhuriyyət generalları /Ş. Nəzirli; Rəyçi: Ç. Məmmədov; Red.: R. Faxralı. - Bakı: Hərbi, 1995. - 212 s.
2. Nəzirli, Şəmistan Əmiraslan oğlu. General Əliağa Şıxlinski və silahdaşları : hərb tarixindən araşdırmalar / Ş. Ə. Nəzirli ; elmi. məsl. M. S. Süleymanov ; red. P. Səmədova. - Bakı : n. y., 2012. - 494 s.
3. Vəliyev, İsmayıl Abbas oğlu. XX əsrin müharibələrində azərbaycanlıların iştirakı / İ. A. Vəliyev ; red.: O. Vəliyev, V. Əfəndiyev. - Bakı : Hərbi Nəşriyyat, 2011. - 348 s.
4. Qasımov, Cəlal Əbil oğlu. Cümhuriyyətin təhlükəsizlik orqanları : 1918-1920 / C. Ə. Qasımov ; elmi red., ön sözün müəl. M. C. Qasımlı ; red. A. Məmmədov ; Azərbaycan Respublikasının Prezidenti yanında Strateji Araşdırmalar Mərkəzi. - Baku : Vanur Poliqraf MMC, 2018. - 170 s.
5. Şahbazov, Atamalı. Azərbaycan Xalq Cümhuriyyəti ordusunun zabit və hərbi məmurları : tarixi oçerklər / A. Şahbazov ; ön sözün müəl. M. S. Süleymanov ; Azərbaycan Respublikası Silahlı Qüvvələrinin Hərbi Akademiyası. - Bakı : Maarif, 2020. - 816 s.
6. Сүлејманов, Меһман Сираҹ оғлу. Меһмандаров : һәјаты, хидмәт јолу вә силаһдашлары / М. С. Сүлејманов ; елми ред.: П. Г. Дарабади, Н. Максвел. - Бакы : Һәрби нәшријјат, 2000. - 376 с.
7. Назирли, Шамистан Амраслан оглы. Расстрелянные генералы Азербайджана / Ш. А. Назирли ; пер.: Р. Бабаева, М. Мамедова, Э. Шарифова-Сейшельского ; авт. предисл. Ч. Мамедов ; ред. Ш. Рустамов. - Баку : Bizim kitab, 2015. - 576 с.