Many prominent public and political figures who played a key role in establishing the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic were originally from Ganja.
According to Baku TV, Ganja intellectuals held a special place in the formation of the Republic both in number and activity. Their legacy is still preserved in the city today.
Historian Bakhtiyar Mammadov said that well-known families such as Khalil bey Khasmammadov, Hasan bey Aghayev, Nasib bey Yusifbeyli, Fatali Khan Khoyski, Mollazades, Mushtahidzades, Rafibeylis, and Sheikhzamanovs played a great role in the establishment of the Republic.
Nasib bey Yusifbeyli began his public activity in 1902, was one of the founders of the Turkic Federalist Party in 1917. He served as Minister of Education in the Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic, participated in the creation of the Azerbaijan National Council, and served as Minister of Education in the first government of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, later as Minister of Education and Religion.
Mehdi bey Javarlinski was also an active figure in the national liberation movement. He was among the founders of the Difai Party, and after the party was banned, he established the "Defense" organization with Ismayil khan Ziyadkhanov in 1907.
In the ancient Sabiskar cemetery in Ganja, there are graves of several prominent figures of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic: the Javarlinskis, Khasmammadovs, Khoyskis, Rafibeylis, and Sheikhzamanovs.
