Guba, April-May 1918. Documented Pogroms of the Muslims
108
The Lezghins were pursuing the retreating ones opening fire at
them. Several Christian civilians taken away by Ghelovani were killed
in the exchange of fire. These were Magak Kasparov, an Armenian
priest, Alexander Bogdanov and Dukhol Pogosov, both ethnic Arme-
nians. Casualties among the Russians included an Orthodox priest,
pharmacist Golubchik, revenue officer Polesny, forest warden Abrosi-
mov, doctor Mikhels and many others. After that, the life in town was
running in its course. Upon pushing Ghelovani out of Guba, the armed
Lezghins returned to their homes.
About two weeks after the events described above, the news
arrived to Guba about a large military units armed with cannons and
machine guns heading from Baku to Guba. Some residents fled to the
forests leaving their property, however the majority remained as they
could not imagine any threat posed by the unit. On May 1, 1918 in the
morning, the unit led by Amazasp15, a notorious Dashnaktsutyn mem-
ber, and his aide Nicolay, manned exclusively by ethnic Armenians,
encircled the town and started bombarding it from cannons, machine
guns and rifles. This caused an enormous panics and confusion. Con-
sequently the squad entered the town with no resistance whatsoever.
Takeover of the town was accompanied by massacre of the local Mus-
lims and all sorts of violence towards this group of population.
The Armenians were mercilessly slaying anyone they came
across in the street, men women and children, they were breaking
into homes and massacring whole families sparing no one, even in-
fants were shot down or stabbed on their mothers’ hands. This was
the way the following residents were murdered: Kerbalay Mammad-
taghy oghlu with the household of 14 persons, Mammad Rasul oghlu
with his family consisting of his wife and their three children (the fa-
ther was disemboweled, and the kids beheaded), Hajji Dadash Bala-
gasym oghlu with his wife Meshadi Bibikhanum and son Abdulgasym
were burned alive in their home, two daughters of Kerbelai Abuzar
Mastan oghly, Hekuma and Busta, were stabbed to death in front of
their mother, the same happened with Meshadi Gambar Mullah Ma-
gomedsadyg oghlu, his mother and several infant children of theirs.
The death toll also includes Mullah Shabaz, Usta Magomedrasul
Bayram oghlu, Rasul Kyazym oghlu, Abdul Tulugchi with son, Meshadi
Mussa Zeynal oghlu, Meshadi Ali Meshadi Feyzulla oghlu, Kerbalai
Dadash Baghyr oghlu, Jabbar Mammadali oghlu, Saiba, Safarali Me-