The Most Famous
MILITARY PERSONNELS from Azerbaijan
This page contains a list of the greatest Azerbaijani Military Personnels. The pantheon dataset contains 2,058 Military Personnels, 9 of which were born in Azerbaijan. This makes Azerbaijan the birth place of the 30th most number of Military Personnels behind Sweden, and Georgia.
Top 9
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the most legendary Azerbaijani Military Personnels of all time. This list of famous Azerbaijani Military Personnels is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity.
1. Ivan Bagramyan (1897 - 1982)
With an HPI of 69.94, Ivan Bagramyan is the most famous Azerbaijani Military Personnel. His biography has been translated into 48 different languages on wikipedia.
Ivan Khristoforovich Bagramyan, also known as Hovhannes Khachaturi Baghramyan (2 December [O.S. 20 November] 1897 – 21 September 1982), was a Soviet military commander of Armenian origin who held the rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union. As commander of the Baltic Front, he participated in the offensives which pushed German forces out of the Baltic republics during World War II. During World War II, Bagramyan was the second non-Slavic military officer, after Latvian Max Reyter, to become a commander of a front. He was among several Armenians in the Soviet Army who held the highest proportion of high-ranking officers in the Soviet military during the war. Bagramyan's experience in military planning as a chief of staff allowed him to distinguish himself as a capable commander in the early stages of the Soviet counter-offensives against Nazi Germany. He was given his first command of a unit in 1942, and in November 1943 received his most prestigious command as the commander of the 1st Baltic Front. He did not immediately join the Communist Party after the consolidation of the October Revolution, becoming a member only in 1941, a move atypical for a Soviet military officer. After the war, he served as a deputy of the Supreme Soviets of the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic and Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic and was a regular attendee of the Party Congresses. In 1952, he became a candidate for entry into the Central Committee and, in 1961, was inducted as a full member. For his contributions during the war, he was widely regarded as a national hero in the Soviet Union, and continues to hold such esteemed status among Armenians and Russians today.
2. Hamazasp Babadzhanian (1906 - 1977)
With an HPI of 62.29, Hamazasp Babadzhanian is the 2nd most famous Azerbaijani Military Personnel. His biography has been translated into 23 different languages.
Hamazasp Khachaturi Babadzhanian or Babajanian (Armenian: Համազասպ Խաչատուրի Բաբաջանյան; Russian: Амазасп Хачатурович Бабаджанян, romanized: Amazasp Khachaturovich Babadzhanyan; 18 February 1906 – 1 November 1977) was a Soviet military officer of Armenian origin who held the rank of Chief Marshal of the Armoured Troops. He was a recipient of the Hero of the Soviet Union (1944).
3. Ziba Ganiyeva (1923 - 2010)
With an HPI of 62.18, Ziba Ganiyeva is the 3rd most famous Azerbaijani Military Personnel. Her biography has been translated into 29 different languages.
Ziba Pasha qizi Ganiyeva (Azerbaijani: Ziba Paşa qızı Qəniyeva, Russian: Зиба Пашаевна Ганиева; 20 August 1923 – 2010) was an Azerbaijani sniper, reconnaissance scout, and radio operator in the Red Army who killed at least 20 enemy soldiers in World War II. After the war she starred in a movie and became a philologist.
4. Samad bey Mehmandarov (1855 - 1931)
With an HPI of 61.09, Samad bey Mehmandarov is the 4th most famous Azerbaijani Military Personnel. His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.
Samad bey Sadykh bey oghlu Mehmandarov (Azerbaijani: صمد بگ صادق بگ اوغلی مهمانداروف, Səməd bəy Sadıx bəy oğlu Mehmandarov; 16 October 1855 – 12 February 1931) was a General of the Artillery in the Russian Imperial Army, a member of the Independence faction of the Parliament of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, the Minister of Defense of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, and a military figure of the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic and the Soviet Union. A participant in the Russo-Japanese War, Mehmandarov commanded an artillery division in the defense of Port Arthur from 1904 to 1905. During World War I, he first led an infantry division and later commanded an army corps. For his service in the Tsarist army, he was awarded various orders and medals, including the 3rd and 4th degrees of the Order of Saint George and a Golden Weapon for Bravery. He was also honored with the Grand Cross of the British Order of St Michael and St George. Following the declaration of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic in 1918, Mehmandarov was invited to serve in the Republic’s government. He held the position of Minister of Defense in the third, fourth, and fifth cabinets of the Azerbaijani government. After the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was occupied by Soviet Russia in 1920, Mehmandarov taught at military schools and worked as a special advisor in the People's Commissariat for Military and Naval Affairs of Azerbaijan. He retired in 1928.
5. Movses Silikyan (1862 - 1937)
With an HPI of 59.55, Movses Silikyan is the 5th most famous Azerbaijani Military Personnel. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
Movses Silikyan or Silikov (Armenian: Մովսես Սիլիկյան, Russian: Мойсей Силиков; 14 September 1862 – 22 November 1937) was an Armenian general who served in the Imperial Russian Army during World War I and later in the army of the First Republic of Armenia. He is regarded as a national hero in Armenia for his role in the Armenian victory at the Battle of Sardarabad. Following Russia's withdrawal from Transcaucasia and conclusion of a separate peace with the Ottoman Empire under the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk in March 1918, Silikyan and other Armenian generals organized the defense of Armenia against invading Ottoman forces. After the Armenian victories at the battles of Sardarabad, Karakilisa and Bash Abaran in May 1918, the First Republic of Armenia declared its independence. Silikyan received the rank of lieutenant general of the Armenian army and held various top military positions. Following the Sovietization of Armenia in 1920, Silikyan was exiled to Ryazan along with other high-ranking Armenian military officers, but was allowed to return to Armenia the next year. During the Great Purge of 1937, Silikyan was arrested and executed. He was rehabilitated in 1987.
6. Aliagha Shikhlinski (1863 - 1943)
With an HPI of 59.30, Aliagha Shikhlinski is the 6th most famous Azerbaijani Military Personnel. His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.
Ali Agha Ismail Agha oghlu Shikhlinski (Azerbaijani: Əli Ağa İsmayıl Ağa oğlu Şıxlinski;); 3 March [O.S. 15 March] 1863 – 18 August 1943) was an Azerbaijani lieutenant-general of the Russian imperial army, Deputy Minister of Defense and General of the Artillery of Azerbaijan Democratic Republic and a Soviet military officer.
7. Albert Agarunov (1969 - 1992)
With an HPI of 51.93, Albert Agarunov is the 7th most famous Azerbaijani Military Personnel. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
Albert Agarunovich Agarunov (Azerbaijani: Albert Aqarunoviç Aqarunov; 25 April 1969 – 8 May 1992) was an Azerbaijani military officer and prominent war hero in Azerbaijan. Agarunov was killed in action during the Battle of Shusha, in the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, on May 9, 1992. His actions of valor during the battle posthumously earned him the National Hero of Azerbaijan, highest national title in the country.
8. Hikmat Mirzayev (b. 1968)
With an HPI of 50.39, Hikmat Mirzayev is the 8th most famous Azerbaijani Military Personnel. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
Hikmat Izzat oghlu Mirzayev (Azerbaijani: Hikmət İzzət oğlu Mirzəyev; born 29 February 1968) is an Azerbaijani military officer who serves as Deputy Minister of Defense and commander of the Azerbaijani Land Forces since 2024. He is a colonel general of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces and the former commander of the Special Forces from 2014 to 2024, and participated in the 2016 Nagorno–Karabakh clashes and the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War, during which he led Azerbaijani forces in the 2020 battle of Shusha. He received the title of the Hero of the Patriotic War.
9. Polad Hashimov (1975 - 2020)
With an HPI of 46.96, Polad Hashimov is the 9th most famous Azerbaijani Military Personnel. His biography has been translated into 21 different languages.
Polad Israyil oghlu Hashimov (Azerbaijani: Polad İsrayıl oğlu Həşimov; 2 January 1975 – 14 July 2020) was an Azerbaijani military officer, National Hero of Azerbaijan and a major general who served as the Deputy Commander and the Chief of Staff of the 3rd Army Corps of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces. Hashimov was a popular military figure who took part in the First Nagorno-Karabakh War and the Four-Day War. He was awarded numerous honours during his military career, including jubilee and other medals. He commanded the Azerbaijani forces during the border clashes with Armenia in July 2020 and was killed on the morning of 14 July while fighting on the front-line in the Tovuz District of Azerbaijan. His death sparked violent protests throughout the country calling for war with Armenia, a prelude to the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, which began in September of the same year. He was awarded the title of National Hero of Azerbaijan posthumously in December 2020. Hashimov is the first and only general of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces to be killed during battle. Before him, Ismat Gayibov, the first Prosecutor General of Azerbaijan, and Mahammad Asadov, a major general in the Azerbaijani Ministry of Internal Affairs, were killed in November 1991 when the Mil Mi-8 helicopter they were in was shot down by Armenian forces.
People
Pantheon has 9 people classified as Azerbaijani military personnels born between 1855 and 1975. Of these 9, 1 (11.11%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Azerbaijani military personnels include Hikmat Mirzayev. The most famous deceased Azerbaijani military personnels include Ivan Bagramyan, Hamazasp Babadzhanian, and Ziba Ganiyeva. As of April 2024, 2 new Azerbaijani military personnels have been added to Pantheon including Movses Silikyan, and Albert Agarunov.
Living Azerbaijani Military Personnels
Go to all RankingsDeceased Azerbaijani Military Personnels
Go to all Rankings
Ivan Bagramyan
1897 - 1982
HPI: 69.94
Hamazasp Babadzhanian
1906 - 1977
HPI: 62.29
Ziba Ganiyeva
1923 - 2010
HPI: 62.18
Samad bey Mehmandarov
1855 - 1931
HPI: 61.09
Movses Silikyan
1862 - 1937
HPI: 59.55
Aliagha Shikhlinski
1863 - 1943
HPI: 59.30
Albert Agarunov
1969 - 1992
HPI: 51.93
Polad Hashimov
1975 - 2020
HPI: 46.96
Newly Added Azerbaijani Military Personnels (2024)
Go to all RankingsOverlapping Lives
Which Military Personnels were alive at the same time? This visualization shows the lifespans of the 6 most globally memorable Military Personnels since 1700.
