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from Guba together with withdrawing Amazasp’s units is concerned,
more likely that not, it was nurtured by the deeply-rooted centuries-
old sense of anxiety of becoming innocent victims of the events out of
their control, as it happened numerous times in various places of Jewish
residence throughout history. Proficiency of Amazasp in speculating on
this worrisome apprehension in Guba was out of question indeed.
In this respect, dozens of local Jews killed during tragic events
of April-May 1918 in Guba, as well as hundreds of their tribesmen
dying from infectious diseases, famine and other travail as described
by commissar Kasradze, shall be also viewed as victims of aggressive
ethnic violence policy unleashed by Armenians, as it was the case with
their fellow Muslim townsfolk in the area
***
Upon withdrawal of the Armenian squads led by Amazasp from
Guba, the town came across another serious danger, i.e. epidemics.
Decomposing and mutilated dead bodies of men, women and kids
slain during the initial and follow-up assaults of Amamzasp’s gangs
were left decaying wherever they were killed all over the town, in the
streets, neighborhoods, households and courtyards.
As it was mentioned earlier, all requests by the town’s mayor
A.Alibeyov to allow collecting dead bodies and bury them were de-
nied by Amazasp. Leaving dead bodies unburied for a long time is
viewed as a sin among Muslims, so this was another “intricate” met-
hod of “penalizing” local population employed by “the hero of the
Armenian nation”, the one he probably enjoyed in particular. (160)
According to recollections of various Guba residents, the Mus-
lims murdered by Armenians were first buried on the forth day after
the pogroms commenced. “Dead bodies were scattered everywhere,
in the streets, houses, courtyards. Decomposing bodies produced a
horrible stench. The forth day seemed to be quieter, so some dead
bodies were even buried”. (161) It was probably due to this stench
that the Armenian militants allowed the local resident to bury the
murdered ones. The following witness testimony describes what hap-
pened to those who tried to do this: “On the forth day public criers
passed the message that Muslim men should show up with white
ribbons on their sleeves and start collecting the dead bodies. A lot of
people responded, however none of them got back home as they all
Events of 1918 in Guba in the Context of Plans for Mass Extermination
of Azerbaijan’s Muslim Population