Poets-Mollas Veli Vidadi and Panah Vagif

Kirill Popov exclusively to Vestnik Kavkaza

What do modern people think about the 18th century? Apparently they see it through the bright European culture of the period – the century of art and science development, the Enlightenment ideology, spreading of the beautiful rococo style, the epoch of powerful rulers who governed and encouraged many artists, writers, philosophers, and scientists. It was Europe. In the South Caucasus the situation was different.

A major part of the Caucasus belonged to the Iranian dynasty of Safavid whose huge power was slowly dying at that time. Weakening of Persia led to the fact that the territory of contemporary Azerbaijan got independence as several small khanates. Their relations were complicated and worsened by a necessity of balancing between interests of the Ottoman Empire, the new Iranian Afsharid Dynasty, and Russia. Territories of the khanates often became arenas for military conflicts. It seemed nobody should be interested in culture in such a difficult period of time. However, the 18th century enriched the history of Azerbaijani people with names of outstanding poets and enlighteners such as Molla Veli Vidadi and Molla Panah Vagif.

Their lives are closely interwined. Both lived at the same time period, did the same work, and were friends. Their fate was typical for many intellectuals of not only Azerbaijan and not only that period. They used their talents and knowledge in teaching in religious schools, which is confirmed by the word “Molla” in their names. Velli Vidadi established his own school.

At the same time, both Mollas wrote poems. Panah Vagif was distinguished by knowledge in the sphere of astronomy, mathematics, and similar spheres. However, it was difficult to live for teaching only, considering numerous invasions of Iranian troops who tried to return the Safavid Dynasty lands under Iranian control. Science and art always need a support by authorities; that is why both poets began to work at the state service: Vidadi was s scribe of Georgian Tsar Irakly II, Vagif was a vizier of the Karabakh governor Ibrahim Halil Khan. Vidadi spent several years in the court and left it, but Vagif managed to remain in politics and govern diplomacy of the Karabakh Khanate efficiently till his death.

Works by the authors got in hands of a current reader with big difficulties. A small part of Viadadi’s works is known. It seems we know more Vagif’s poems.

To be continued