Guba, April-May 1918. Documented Pogroms of the Muslims
44
settlements were notified about an Armenian armed attack by “Alibey,
the Uyezd Chief”, i.e. A.Zizikski. (104)
It was really dangerous to stay in the area for attackers did not
spare even disabled elderly people and the sickly ones, let alone women
and children who failed to flee on time. E.g. an ill woman from Saadan
village, Shahnaz Ibrahimkhalil gyzy (i.e. daughter of Ibrahimkhalil) and
a disabled local elder Garib Malik oghlu (i.e. son of Malik) were stabbed
to death by the Armenian pogrom-makers. The same happened to a
girl Pusta Mammadbey gyzy who had both her legs crushed and died
12 days later after her slain mother Imame. (105)
That being said, residents of certain villages having received the
warning notices, managed to dispatch their family members to safer
places and tried their best to rescue their households. With this goal
in mind, they sent their envoys to persuade the Armenian militants
to spare their homes. However the envoys were barely back, and the
villages were not exempt from arson and plunder. This was exactly
the case with a delegation of 15 elders from Davachi-Bazar and Gyzyl-
Burun villages that met the Armenians with traditional bread-and-
salt welcome but were shot to death on the spot. (106) Alderman of
Alikhanly village Mirza Mammad Dostali oghlu sent with his fellow-
villager Gulhusseyn Maharram oghlu as envoys of Alikhanly Commu-
nity were among those atrociously slain. (107) The same destiny was
shared by envoys from Khudat. (108) Neither did the white flags assist
in rescuing villagers from murder and villages from plunder. More
than 40 residents of Davachi village incapable or unwilling to leave
their households were butchered and the village left in fire. (109)
Nevertheless, there were villages that, despite uneven forces,
were still trying to put up resistance to upcoming Armenian gangs
thus saving their settlements from devastation. E.g. able-bodied men
of Tarjal and Mohuj villages, having sheltered their families in the
mountains engaged in skirmish with the Armenian squads and suc-
ceeded in repelling them off. The same path was followed by resi-
dents of Siyazan and Khachmaz who were trying their best to stop the
Armenian militants but were forced to retreat in the face of several
thousand-strong Amazasp’s forces. (110)
It should be also noted that some armed units manned by Guba
residents were also trying to resist the Armenian gangs in an organized
manner. Cavalry squads arranged by the town’s recognized figures like