The National Hero of Azerbaijan Chingiz Mustafayev
Chingiz Fuad oglu Mustafayev was born on August 29, 1960, in the village of Kapustin-Yar in the Vladimir district of the Astrakhan region. In 1964, he moved to Baku with his family. Initially, Chingiz Mustafayev studied at the Jamshid Nakhchivanski Military Lyceum, but he left and continued his education at School No. 167 in the Yasamal district, which he graduated from in 1977. That same year, he enrolled in the Azerbaijan Medical Institute, which he successfully completed in 1983. After finishing his studies, Ch. Mustafayev worked as a doctor in the Shabran district for three years, then was appointed as the chief physician of the dormitory at the Engineering and Construction Institute.
In 1983, Chingiz Mustafayev became the first performer in the history of Azerbaijani musical culture to sing a rap composition “Yesterday Passed” in the Azerbaijani language. Establishing the association “Jangi” in 1985, he became the leader of Azerbaijani youth as a result of his activities in it. This was the first mature manifestation of the restructuring process in Azerbaijan, which had begun in the Soviet Union. Due to his activities in Azerbaijan’s cultural and social life, Chingiz Mustafayev became a leader-reformer and innovator.
In the 1990s, he was the creator of programs such as “Impromptu”, “Thursday”, the variety show “Ganjlik”, and the rock band “Ozan” on Azerbaijani television.
Since November 1991, he worked as a journalist and reporter for Azerbaijan State Television. His reports on the realities of Azerbaijan, which was under an informational blockade, were picked up by major American and European news agencies and TV channels. Censorship and strict bans on state television limited Chingiz Mustafayev’s opportunities, prompting him to initiate and create an autonomous organization named Studio “215 KL”. Given that his reports usually came from the front lines, many viewers regarded Studio “215 KL” as a channel providing war-related information.
Timely updates from all war-affected regions of the country, special reports on individual soldiers, and detailed information on political processes in Azerbaijan were his own creations.
Chingiz Mustafayev produced 18 documentary films about the Karabakh war in just eight months.
Despite being well-known to the Azerbaijani audience for his reports, Chingiz Mustafayev became more widely recognized by the world through the films he made in Khojaly. It was this film by Chingiz Mustafayev that seriously damaged Armenia’s reputation worldwide.
Chingiz Mustafayev died on June 15, 1992, from shrapnel wounds received during filming in the village of Nakhchivanli, in the Askaran district. He was buried at the Alley of Martyrs in Baku, in 1992.
By the decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan No. 294 dated November 6, 1992, Chingiz Fuad oglu Mustafayev was posthumously awarded the title of the “National Hero of Azerbaijan”.
A bas-relief was installed in front of the building where he lived in Baku. His bust is installed at the Jamshid Nakhchivanski Military Lyceum. A recreation area of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Shuvelan, one of the streets in Baku, ANS ChM radio station, and a tanker belonging to the “Palmali” group of companies are all named after him.
On August 31, 2011, in Germany, a postage stamp with Mustafayev’s image was issued in a circulation of 3000 copies. In 2013, a park was opened in Shabran, where he worked, in his honor.
Mount Shahdag, known as “Chingiz Peak”, located at an altitude of 4062 meters, bears his name and was first conquered in 2000. A memorial plaque with his name is installed at the summit.
The Chingiz Mustafayev Foundation has been operating since 1999. At the initiative of the Foundation, the “Chingiz Club” was established in Sheki.
Recommended literature:
- Nazimqızı, Könül. (Vəliyeva Könül Nazim qızı). Çingiz ömrü /K.Nazimqızı ; red. Q. İlqar, A. Şahverdiyev. - Bаkı: Səda, 1999. - 208 s.
- Ağa Ramiz qızı, Könül. Ölümdə yaşanan həyat /K.Ağa Ramiz qızı. - Bakı: Qanun, 2005. - 184 s.
- Əliqızı, Roza. Taleyimə yağan yağışlar/Roza Əliqızı; Red. V. Quliyev. - Bakı: Azərbaycan, 1993. - 111 s.
- Hüseynova, Aidə. Çingizli dünya /A. Hüseynova; Red. F. Ələsgərli; Rəssam. R. Əzizov. - Bakı: Azərnəşr, 1994. - 32 s.
- Əsgərov, Vüqar İsa oğlu. Azərbaycanın Milli Qəhrəmanları /V. Əsgərov; red. K. İsmayılov. - Bakı: Respublika Xatirə Kitabı, 2005. - 251 s.