12 Facts About Aziz Aliyev

Aziz Mammad Karim oghlu Aliyev was an Azerbaijani, Dagestani, and Soviet politician, scientist, and member of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.

Aziz Aliyev was the father-in-law of Azerbaijan's President Heydar Aliyev, who married his daughter Zarifa Aliyeva, and maternal grandfather of Azerbaijan's current President Ilham Aliyev and brother of Shamama Alasgarova, who was a doctor.

In 1928 Aziz Aliyev worked as head of the medical department of the Azerbaijan People's Commissariat of Health Care.

From January to May 1937 Aziz Aliyev was rector of the Azerbaijan State University.

In 1938 Aziz Aliyev was elected secretary of the Azerbaijan SSR Supreme Soviet.

In 1941, after the Soviet invasion of Iranian Azerbaijan and Iranian Kurdistan, Aziz Aliyev was deployed to Tabriz on a political mission.

In November 1942 Aziz Aliyev held a meeting with aul leaders aiming to reconcile them with the Communist government.

Aziz Aliyev openly supported the heritage of Imam Shamil, the 19th century Muslim leader of an anti-Russian resistance, that is well-celebrated by Dagestanis but had been frowned upon and dismissed by the Kremlin at the time due to its religious and nationalist nature.

Aziz Aliyev was twice awarded the Order of Lenin, the highest national order of the Soviet Union.

Concerned by rumours of being replaced by Aziz Aliyev, Baghirov managed to have him fired from the executive power of Dagestan and sent to Moscow to work as an inspector in the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

In 1950 Aziz Aliyev was appointed Deputy Chairman of the Azerbaijan SSR Supreme Soviet.

The official reason behind this repression was the accusation that Aziz Aliyev never reported his parents' social origin; aggravated by the fact that his sister lived in Iran.