One of the first art historians and ethnographers of Azerbaijan - Jalil Bey Baghdadbeyov

One of the personalities who has made significant contributions to the development of Azerbaijani science and cultural history is Jalil bey Bagdadbeyov. He was among the first Azerbaijani art historians and ethnographers, and also distinguished himself as a theatre actor, director, organizer, and translator. Baghdadbeyov’s multifaceted activities left a profound mark on the formation and enrichment of the national cultural heritage. He devoted a substantial part of his life to the spiritual and cultural advancement of the people and to the development of theatrical art in Azerbaijan. The memoirs and notes authored by Jalil bey constitute valuable scholarly sources for the study of Azerbaijani music history, ethnography, and particularly the social and cultural environment as well as everyday life of the Karabakh region. The present article was inspired by a marriage certificate belonging to Jalil bey Baghdadbeyov, preserved in the Documentary Sources Fund of the National Museum of History of Azerbaijan. This document provides researchers with 2 an opportunity both to re-examine Jalil bey’s life and activities and to investigate marital relations involving foreign citizens in the early twentieth century. According to the certificate, in 1917 Jalil bey married Ilza Karkliņa (Elsa Karklin), a woman of Latvian origin. Drawing upon existing literature and museum materials, the article examines Jalil bey Baghdadbeyov’s life and diverse activities, his place in Azerbaijani and world culture, his contributions to the development of theatrical art, and his services in the field of ethnography