Since the beginning of the 20th century, among the personalities who played an invaluable role in the education of the people, women educators stand out due to their intense activities. One of such intellectual ladies was Hamida Mammad-guluzade, the daughter of Ahmad Bay Javanshir, who is a prominent historian and the author of numerous poems and translations. Hamida Khanim, with her intel-ligence, skills, and financial resources, was always among people in their difficult times and carried out countless charity works. Using her influence and trust among the population, this enlightened lady involved the peasant children in education, opened a school for them, and did everything in her power to educate the young generation. Also, to ensure that Azerbaijani youth studying in Tbilisi do not stray from their mother tongue, she demonstrated a true patriotic intellectual position and teaching this subject assumed the role of a teacher. At the beginning of the 20th century, during the severe diseases spreading in Karabakh, Hamida Javanshir increased her medical knowledge and managed to vaccinate the majority of the population with the medicines she bought at her own expense.
Hamida Javanshir always made an effort for the employment and socialization of housewives and established a sewing workshop for women. Hamida, who had a gentle soul and a compassionate heart, collected donations for needy families, widows, orphans and the disabled in the charity society she founded with the advice of Jalil Mammadguluzadeh, she did not neglect them either.
The multifaceted social and educational activities of Hamida Khanim Javanshir left an indelible mark on the history of Azerbaijan in the 20th century.
A GRACEFUL PROTECTRESS, GENEROUS DEVOTER: HAMIDA JAVANSHIR-MAMMADGULUZADE
Keywords: Khamida Javanshir-Mammadguluzade, enlightenment, school, philanthropy
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