Nariman Najaf oglu Narimanov was born on April 14, 1870 in the famous Sheitanbazar part of Tiflis. His father, Karbalayi Najaf, was a religious man and was engaged in petty trade. Nariman was the youngest of 9 children in the family.

N. Narimanov studied at a six-grade religious school in Tiflis. In 1890, after graduating from the Gori teacher's seminary, he was appointed a teacher in the village of Gyzylgadzhily, Borchali district, Tiflis province. In 1891 he returned to Baku and began teaching. In 1894, for the first time in Baku, he opened a public available reading room for the Turkic-Muslim population.

He regularly published journalistic articles, wrote textbooks for students on the Azerbaijani and Russian languages. The works “Nadanlyg” (Ignorance), “Dilin Belasy” (Trouble from language), “Shamdan bey”, “Nadir-Shah”, “Bahadur and Sona” were known throughout Azerbaijan. His works clearly highlight the socio-psychological problems of that time. Scientific and journalistic activity of Narimanov served the national awakening of the Turkic-Muslim population.

Since 1896, N. Narimanov taught at the Baku real school, in 1902, having passed the exam as an external student, he received a certificate from the Baku male gymnasium. In the same year, in Odessa, he entered the Imperial Novorossiysk University.

N. Narimanov began his political activity in the student movement in Odessa. After the tsarist government temporarily closed the university, he returned to Baku and joined the Gummet social democratic organization. During this period, he maintained close ties with the Iranian revolutionaries, and was one of the founders of the Iranian Social Democratic Party "Ijtimayun-amiyun" ("Mujahid"). Starting from 1906, his speeches in the press, along with cultural and educational problems, were of an open political nature. He published a number of articles in the “Irshad” and “Hayat” newspapers.

In August 1906, he headed the founding committee of the I Congress of Muslim Teachers of the Caucasus, held in Baku.

In December 1906, N. Narimanov returned to Odessa to complete his education. In 1908, after graduating from the university, he came to Baku and worked in the city hospital. At the beginning of 1909, N. Narimanov moved to Tiflis. He is arrested for membership in the Mujahid organization and for helping Iranian revolutionaries. After 6 months in prison, he was sent to Astrakhan. Along with the continuation of his medical activities here, he takes part in cultural events and continues his revolutionary activities. N. Narimanov, who was elected chairman of the Council of the People's Universities Society in Astrakhan, was also a member of the City Duma.

In 1913, he returned from Astrakhan to Baku, along with his medical activities, he worked in the Nijat society.

In the summer of 1915, in Baku, he marries Gulsum khanum Mirza Kyazim gizi Aliyeva (Narimanova).

In October 1917, N. Narimanov was elected to the Baku City Duma.

In March 1918, he was appointed People's Commissar of City Economy, trying to prevent the policy of national enmity pursued by the Dashnak-Bolshevik leadership of the Baku Soviet against the Turkic-Muslim population.

In June 1918, due to illness, he was taken to Astrakhan. Later he becomes Commissar of Public Education of the Executive Committee of Astrakhan. In January 1919, in Astrakhan, he was elected chairman of the Transcaucasian Commissariat for Muslim Affairs.

On August 1919, he was appointed head of the Middle East Department of the People's Commissariat for Foreign Affairs of Russia. On November 4, 1919, by decision of the Council of People's Commissars of Russia, he was appointed Deputy People's Commissar for Nationalities.

On April 27, 1920, when the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was overthrown by the Bolshevik forces, N. Narimanov was in Astrakhan and was appointed chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of Azerbaijan and Commissar of Foreign Affairs in absentia. Only after the end of the first wave of repressions on May 16, he was able to arrive in Baku.

He signed a special decree on the provision of financial assistance by the state to students sent to European countries during the Democratic Republic for study.

N. Narimanov took an active part in the preparation and holding of the 1st Congress of the Peoples of the East, convened in Baku in September 1920. In May 1921, at the First All-Azerbaijan Congress of Soviets, at the first meeting of the Central Executive Committee of Azerbaijan, headed by Narimanov, the government of the Azerbaijan SSR was formed.

Narimanov respected Ataturk and the struggle of the Turkish people for independence, and provided all kinds of assistance. In 1921, according to the Kars agreement, signed by the efforts of Narimanov, the pressure on Nakhchivan was removed and Turkey acted as a guarantor of this.

Narimanov, demanding the granting of the state status to the Azerbaijani-Turkic language, the inviolability of religion, the conduct of cultural and educational work, the protection of the national intelligentsia, was under great pressure from Moscow and its henchmen in Azerbaijan.

In March 1922, N. Narimanov was elected one of the chairmen of the Union Council of the ZSFSR.

At the I Congress of Soviets, held in December 1922, he was elected chairman of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR from Transcaucasia.

In 1925, the 30th anniversary of N. Narimanov's socio-political, scientific and literary activities was solemnly celebrated. On the evening of March 19, Nariman Narimanov died suddenly under mysterious circumstances. The version about his poisoning was widely spread. March 23 - the day of the funeral of Nariman Narimanov was declared a day of mourning throughout the USSR.

 Narimanov is buried in Moscow, on Red Square near the Kremlin wall.

A worthy assessment of the activities of N. Narimanov was given only after Heydar Aliyev came to power in Azerbaijan. In 1972, a majestic monument to Nariman Narimanov was erected in Baku. Books began to be published about him, at the Mosfilm film studio about the life of N. Narimanov, the film "Stars do not go out" was shot.

The name of Nariman Narimanov is included in the history of Azerbaijan as an outstanding socio-political and statesman, educator, writer, publicist and doctor.

Recommended literature:

1. Əhmədov, Teymur Əkbər oğlu. Nəriman Nərimanov: həyatı, mühiti və ədəbi-bədii yaradıcılığı: monoqrafiya / T. Ə. Əhmədov; elmi red. M. Ə. İbrahimov.- Bakı: Nurlar NPM, 2016.- 552 s.
2. Əliyeva, Firuzə Nuru qızı. N. Nərimanov və milli məsələ / F. N. Əliyeva; elmi red. Ə. M. Tağıyev; AMEA Fəlsəfə və Hüquq İnstitutu.- Bakı: Nafta-Press, 2015.- 80 s.
3. Qəhrəmanova, Rəna Əvəz qızı. Nəriman Nərimanov: dünən, bu gün, sabah / R. Ə. Qəhrəmanova; red. E. İsgəndərzadə; "Vektor" Beynəlxalq Elm Mərkəzi.- Bakı: Vektor Nəşrlər Evi, 2013.- 116 s.
4. Həsənov, Həsən Əziz oğlu. Nəriman Nərimanovun tarixi missiyası / H. Ə. Həsənov; ön sözün müəl. Q. M. Bayramov; elmi red. F. F. İbrahimli.- Bakı: Pedaqogika, 2005.- 88 s.
5. Məmmədli, Qulam Məmməd oğlu. Nəriman Nərimanov: 1870-1925: həyat və yaradıcılığın salnaməsi / Q. M. Məmmədli; red. Elçin.- Bakı: Yazıçı, 1987.- 359 s.
6. Иванов, Рудольф Николаевич. Нариман Нариманов: основатель советского Азербайджана и первый руководитель Союза ССР / Р. Н. Иванов.- М., 2016.- 496 с.
7. Ахмедов, Теймур Акпер оглы. Нариман Нариманов / Т. А. Ахмедов; пер. Г. Кулиев, науч. ред., авт. предисл. М. Ибрагимов.- Баку: Язычы, 1988.- 280 с.
8. Дубинский-Мухадзе, Илья Моисеевич. Нариманов / И. М. Дубинский-Мухадзе.- М.: Молодая гвардия, 1977.- 240 с.
9. Akhmedov, Teimur. Nariman Narimanov / T. Akhmedov; ed. V. Mamedov.- Baku: Yazichi, 1984. - 34 p.- ingilis dilində.