Hasan bey Zardabi §

Hasan bey Zardabi founded "Akinchi" in 1875, generally regarded as the first Azerbaijani-language newspaper. A teacher, publicist and reformer, he belonged to the Maarifçilik enlightenment current that sought mass education, vernacular print, social improvement and a modern Muslim public sphere under Russian imperial rule. Zardabi\u2019s importance lies in institution-building more than dramatic politics. He helped create the reading public that later figures such as Akhundov, Huseynzade, Aghaoglu and Rasulzade would address in more explicitly national terms. In the Armenian-Azerbaijani atlas, Zardabi helps explain a parallel process: while Armenians developed vernacular literature, schools and revolutionary parties, Azerbaijani Muslim reformers were building their own press and educational world. The two awakenings were simultaneous, uneven and eventually competitive.