Thinkers who left a trace in the Turkic world: Ali bey Huseynzade and Ahmed bey Agaoglu

Abstract

The article examines the creative heritage of the great Azerbaijani thinkers Ali bey
Huseynzade (1864-1940) and Ahmed bey Agaoglu (1869-1939). It is shown that the views of Ali
bey Huseynzade on Turkic thought, the ideas of Turkism, Islamism, and Europeanism influenced
the Turkish public figure Ziya Gokalp. This formula through Ziya Gokalp influenced the founder of
the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, the outstanding statesman Mahammad Amin Rasulzadeh (1884-1955), and through this formula for the idea of integrity of Azerbaijan on the flag, the
concepts of “Turkism, Islamism, Modernism” were reflected.
The article mentions that the great personality of the Turkic world, Ahmed bey Agaoglu, was born
in Shusha, an ancient settlement of Azerbaijan, and received his primary and secondary education
there. The thinker studied at the Sorbonne University in Paris, as a student, wrote articles about the
East and sent them to the newspaper “Kavkaz” published in Tbilisi. Having completed his
education, he returned to his homeland, after a while he and his family moved to Turkey, where he
continued his scientific and political activities. The article says that the activities of Ali bey
Huseynzade and Ahmed bey Agaoglu left a mark in the history of thought and culture of the Turkic
world. In 2024, the celebration of the 160th anniversary of the birth of Ali bey Huseynzade and the
155th anniversary of the birth of Ahmed bey Agaoglu will end.