Today, October 7, 120 years pass since the establishment of the Baku Russian Muslim Boarding School for Girls, founded at the expense of oil millionaire, philanthropist Haji Zeynalabdin Tagiyev.
The famous philanthropist H.Z Tagiyev, who lived in the late 19th - early 20th centuries, was not only a successful entrepreneur, but also a prominent public figure. Although H.Z.Tagiyev had no education, he always paid special attention to the enlightenment of his people. Tagiyev was also repeatedly elected a member of the Baku Duma and participated in the development and implementation of many projects aimed at developing the infrastructure of the city.
One of those projects was the establishment of a secular school for Azerbaijani girls. In 1896, this idea was realized by one of the brightest personalities in the history of Azerbaijan, philanthropist Haji Zeynalabdin Tagiyev.
Finally, on the initiative of H.Z.Tagiyev, with a thousand sufferings and financial support, in June 1898, the construction of the school began. The building was built on the central street of Baku - Nikolayevsky Street. The chief architect of the building was a prominent Polish architect Jozef Goslawski.
Before the opening of the school, the formation of students and teaching staff began. Mostly Muslim girls over the age of 7 (later the age limit was raised to 8) were admitted to the school. Initially, it was planned to enroll 50 students, of whom 20 poor girls studied at the expense of H.Z.Tagiyev's donations, and 30 girls studied at their own expense and stayed in the boarding school. However, the number of those who want to receive free education has increased.
The Board of Trustees decided to accept an additional 13 poor girls at the suggestion of H.Z.Tagiyev. On the eve of opening the school for girls, the number of free students increased to 35, and the total number of students reached 58. Thus, despite the pre-arranged plan, the number of students studying for free exceeded the number of students studying at their own expense. The students came from Shusha, Tbilisi and the North Caucasus. There were a few students from Baku.
Finally, on October 7, 1901, the Baku Russian Muslim Boarding School for Girls named after Empress Alexandra Fyodorovna was inaugurated in the building on Nikolayevsky Street in Baku. The "Kaspi" newspaper described the event: "October 7 will be remembered as the day on which the idea of women's education long dreamed of by the most progressive segment of the Muslim population in the Caucasus, finally came true".
Regarding the internal discipline of the school, we can say that it was a closed boarding house, where men were not allowed to enter. Pupils were provided with uniforms, food, teaching aids entirely at the expense of H.Z.Tagiyev. In addition to general subjects, the school also held practical classes on handicrafts and housekeeping.
In general, this school really laid the foundation for the first secular education among Muslim girls, giving the Azerbaijani people an educated mother, the formation of the first intelligent female cadres, as well as the education of Muslim women in Azerbaijan.
It should be noted that the Documentary Sources, Photo-Negative Materials Funds of the National Museum of History of Azerbaijan preserve important materials on the organization of the educational process of the school for girls.
For more information, please visit the publications section of the museum's website: http://azhistorymuseum.gov.az/en/book/29
