Mamed Emin Rasulzadeh, one of the founding figures of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR), breathed his last on March 6, 1955, at the Clinic of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Ankara in Türkiye.
Born on January 31, 1884, in the Baku village of Novkhani, Rasulzade played a pivotal role in various historical events. In 1904, he participated in the establishment of the Gummet organization. Fleeing from persecution by the tsarist regime in 1909, M.E. Rasulzade sought refuge in Iran, where he founded the Democratic Party in 1910.
During his time in Iran, he served as the editor-in-chief of the newspapers Irane Nou and Irane Akhat. In 1917, Rasulzade was elected to the Russian State Duma from Azerbaijan and Turkestan. The same year, he assumed leadership of the Musavat party.
On May 27, 1918, Rasulzade was elected chairman of the Azerbaijan National Council, leading to the establishment of the government of the ADR, the first republic in the East, under the leadership of Fatali Khan Khoyski.
Following the Bolshevik takeover in 1920, Rasulzade left Azerbaijan. In 1932, he commenced his activities in Europe, publishing the newspapers İstiqlal and the magazine Qurtuluş in Germany. Additionally, he founded the Azerbaijan National Publishing House in Poland, where he published the book “Azerbaijan and its Independence.”
In his final moments, Rasulzade uttered the word “Azerbaijan” three times. He was laid to rest in the Asri Cemetery in Ankara.
