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Talysh-Mugan Republic (Azerbaijan, Summer 1993)

by Jens Pattke

Historical background
Description of the flag

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Historical background

The Talysh people are an Iranian speaking people, who settled in the south of Azerbaijan. There are currently c. 200,000 Talysh. The Talysh language includes four dialects: Astara, Lenkoran, Lerk and Masal.

Talyshtan became an independent khanate with Lenkoran as its capital city in the XVIIth century. It signed two alliance treaties with Russia in 1813 and 1828. In 1919, the Talysh-Mugan Socialist Soviet Republic was proclaimed.
In 1993, the Talysh-Mugan Republic, which had been in rebellion for three months against the Azerbaijan government, was proclaimed during the civil war. The leader of the Talyshi autonomists, Colonel Alakram Alekper Gumbatov, was arrested and sent into jail. He was expected to be released due to the amnisty proclaimed on the Day of Azeri Solidarity (31 December 2000). However it didn't happen.

Source: http://www.karty.narod.ru/maps/tal/tal.html (in Russian)

June through August 1993 was a time of confusion in Azerbaijan as Surat Huseinov led a revolt against Elchibey; Haidar Aliyev became the new President of Azerbaijan, and a short-lived Talysh-Mugan Republic was proclaimed in Lenkoran, a port located near the Iranian border.
The Republic was suppressed in August 1993.

Jens Pattke, 26 July 2001

Description of the flag

On 26 July 1993, the ZDF (a German TV channel) foreign news showed a flag hanging behind Mr. Gumbatov, President of the Talysh Republic.
The flag was horizontally divided red - white - green (1:2:1 or 2:5:2), with a red crescent and eight-pointed star at the hoist. I suspect that this flag was the flag of the Talysh Republic. In my archives, the Republic is also known as Mugansko-Talysh Republic. The colors remind the Iranian colors, in reverse sequence. The general design of the flag reminds the national flag of Azerbaijan.

Jens Pattke, 25 July 2001