--- title: Heydar Aliyev slug: heydar-aliyev-a1a41 url: /detay/heydar-aliyev-a1a41 type: biography language: English entity: primary: Heydar Aliyev type: biography categories: - name: Politics And International Relations slug: siyaset-ve-uluslararasi-iliskiler url: /kategori/siyaset-ve-uluslararasi-iliskiler - name: History slug: tarih url: /kategori/tarih - name: Biography And Autobiography slug: biyografi-ve-otobiyografi url: /kategori/biyografi-ve-otobiyografi tags: - State Man - New Azerbaijan Party - Politburo - Heydar Aliyev - political history - Nakhchivan - Independence Day - Azerbaijan - KGB - Diplomacy - Bakü author: Duygu Şahinler created_at: 2026-07-06T18:20:38.231394+03:00 updated_at: 2026-07-06T18:20:38.231394+03:00 image: https://cdn.t3pedia.org/media/uploads/2025/12/09/Xa9lXsmkR4CONNPNauMl53gZZGUBmZo3.jpg --- # Heydar Aliyev > Heydar Aliyev (10 May 1923 – 12 December 2003) served as the third president of the Republic of Azerbaijan and restructured Azerbaijan economically and administratively. ## KURE Information Cards ![thumbs_b_c_1a80714d65747fcd46010f07637ecd6f.jpg](https://cdn.t3pedia.org/media/uploads/2025/12/10/iTdJ3Yt1f03EvFf1QHxn7Jb7plH9pLzo.jpg) *Heydar Aliyev* | Field | Value | |-------|-------| | Date of birth | 1923-05-10 | | Place of birth | Nakhchivan | | Father | Ali Rıza Bey | | Mother | İzzet Hanım | | Position | Chairman of the Supreme Council of Nakhchivan,Third President of the Republic of Azerbaijan,Head of the KGB of Azerbaijan,Member of the CPSU Politburo,(1993–2003) | | Political importance | Leader who ensured internal stability in independent Azerbaijan, author of the phrase 'One nation, two states' | | Title | Great Leader,Supreme National Leader | | Date of death | 12 December 2003 | | Place of death | USA | ## Article Content **Heydar Aliyev** was born on 10 May 1923 in the [Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic](/en/detay/nahcivan-2/llms.txt), which was then part of Azerbaijan. He is regarded as one of the most significant figures in Azerbaijani political history, both during the Soviet era and after independence. [Heydar Aliyev](/en/detay/haydar-2/llms.txt) became the third President of the independent Republic of Azerbaijan and also served as the third Chairman of the Nakhchivan Supreme Council. He is the father of Ilham Aliyev, who currently serves as President of Azerbaijan. [YouTube Video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWkxXLtgrKs) *The Life of Heydar Aliyev (Haber Global)* ### **Family** Heydar Aliyev was born into a family that had experienced forced migration. His father, Aliriza Bey, and his mother, Izzet Hanım, were children of families displaced from the [Zangezur](/en/detay/zengezur-koridoru-751597/llms.txt) region, which fell within the borders of Armenia after the Treaty of Kars. The Aliyev family was a large household with nine children, and Heydar Aliyev was the fourth child. The family’s settlement in Nakhchivan placed them in a strategically significant geographic and political region, and Heydar Aliyev’s childhood and youth were shaped by the social, cultural and political atmosphere of this borderland. ![Image](https://cdn.t3pedia.org/media/uploads/2025/12/10/bvY1UyLmf9NJNK9SCfnddQwe1TDedpzx.png) *Heydar Aliyev and His Family (TRT Avaz)* ### **Education** Heydar Aliyev’s education began in Nakhchivan, the region of his birth, and continued in later years in [Baku](/en/detay/baku-2/llms.txt). He completed his primary, secondary and high school education in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. In 1939, he graduated from the Nakhchivan Pedagogical Technical School and enrolled that same year in the Faculty of Architecture at the Azerbaijan Industrial Institute. However, the outbreak of the Second World War prevented him from completing his studies at this faculty. Due to wartime security conditions and state needs, his education was interrupted, and he turned to active public service. After the war, Aliyev resumed his studies at the Azizbeyov Industrial Institute, now known as the Azerbaijan Oil Academy. He did not limit his academic education to technical fields alone; in 1957, he graduated from the Faculty of History at Azerbaijan State University, completing his higher education. Thus, Aliyev emerged as a state administrator with training in both technical and humanities disciplines. ![Image](https://cdn.t3pedia.org/media/uploads/2025/12/10/FMebJU02kkmOFCfcbIaAjcJ3ig2bFtUZ.png) *Heydar Aliyev’s Youth (TRT Avaz)* ### **Entry into the State Security Structure and KGB Years (1941–1969)** Heydar Aliyev’s professional career in state service began during the years of the Second World War. While still studying at the Faculty of Architecture, the outbreak of war became a decisive turning point in his life, leading him to be immediately assigned to Soviet security structures. Between 1941 and 1944, Aliyev held positions including Director of the Secret Archives Department of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Head of the Branch of the Nakhchivan People’s Commissariat Council. During these duties, he attracted the attention of senior officials. As a result, in 1944 he was recruited into the Committee for State Security of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (KGB). Thus, Heydar Aliyev’s long-term career in security and intelligence officially began. Aliyev advanced steadily within the KGB, rising to increasingly influential positions. The peak of this ascent came in 1967 when he was appointed Chairman of the KGB of Azerbaijan. With this appointment, he was granted the rank of major general. Heydar Aliyev’s years in the KGB provided him with firsthand experience of the Soviet administrative system. The bureaucratic, administrative and political experience he gained during this period formed a decisive foundation for his later rise to lead the Azerbaijan Communist Party and eventually assume leadership of independent Azerbaijan. ### **Political Rise During the Azerbaijan SSR Period (1969–1982)** Heydar Aliyev’s political ascent within the Soviet Union entered a new phase in 1969 when he was appointed First Secretary of the Azerbaijan Communist Party. This position marked his elevation to the de facto leader of the [Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic](/en/detay/azerbaycan-3/llms.txt). From 1969 to 1982, Aliyev held this position continuously and played a decisive role in shaping Azerbaijan’s political, economic and social structure. According to sources, Aliyev’s tenure as First Secretary was a period of extraordinary development in industry, production, construction, technical infrastructure, agriculture and culture in Azerbaijan. Major transformations were carried out in the republic’s economic structure, production capacity was expanded, and large-scale industrial investments were accelerated. Several major factories and industrial complexes were directly initiated under Aliyev’s leadership. One of the most notable infrastructure projects of this period was the construction of the 41-kilometer Baku Metro. This metro line not only transformed urban transportation but also directly contributed to Baku’s emergence as a modern capital. In this way, Aliyev’s leadership extended beyond political and economic development to actively shape urbanization and modernization processes. At the same time, while serving as First Secretary of the Azerbaijan Communist Party from 1976 to 1982, Aliyev was also elected as an alternate member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. This development clearly demonstrated that he had become an influential politician integrated into the central leadership of the entire USSR, not merely at the level of Azerbaijan. This period stands out as a phase of Aliyev’s rise in which he became an absolute determinant in Azerbaijani domestic politics and was directly integrated into the Moscow-centered Soviet power structure. The experience he gained as a KGB official merged with his party leadership role, enabling him to develop a multidimensional practice of power encompassing security, politics and the economy. ### **Membership in the CPSU Politburo and the Moscow Period (1982–1987)** Heydar Aliyev’s political career within the Soviet Union reached its peak in 1982 when he was invited to Moscow and elected as a full member of the Political Bureau (Politburo) of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. This position placed him among the highest decision-making bodies of the Soviet political hierarchy. Thus, Heydar Aliyev became one of the 19 most influential figures in the USSR’s leadership. In the same year, Aliyev was also appointed First Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR. This role was a powerful position within the executive branch, carrying direct responsibility for the economic, administrative and political functioning of the Soviet state apparatus. With this appointment, Aliyev’s authority extended far beyond Azerbaijan to encompass a high-level administrative responsibility covering the entire Soviet territory. During his tenure in Moscow from 1982 to 1987, Aliyev, as a Politburo member, undertook official visits to countries in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. He thus became one of the Soviet state leaders engaging in global diplomacy. However, this high-level political position did not last long. In 1987, amid the political transformations that marked the final years of the Soviet Union, differences emerged between Aliyev and the then Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. Due to his objections to certain policies and reforms proposed by Gorbachev, Heydar Aliyev was forced to resign from the Politburo and all his official positions. This resignation effectively marked his exclusion from Soviet central politics. With this break, Heydar Aliyev’s Moscow-centered political career came to an end; yet this rupture also became a historical turning point that paved the way for his later return as a decisive figure in Azerbaijani politics. ### **The January 20, 1990 Baku Massacre and the Break with the Soviet Union** The historical turning point that definitively severed Heydar Aliyev’s ties with the Soviet system was the military intervention by Soviet forces in Baku on 20 January 1990. Known as the “January 20 Massacre” or “Bloody January,” Soviet armed units entered Baku by land, air and sea and unleashed severe violence against the civilian population. A state of emergency was declared, demonstrations were banned, and numerous Azerbaijani citizens lost their lives. In response to these events, despite being in Moscow at the time, Heydar Aliyev **openly protested the Soviet military intervention in Baku and resigned from the Communist Party of the Soviet Union following the massacre**. With this resignation, he repositioned himself as a political figure aligned with the Azerbaijani people in their independence movement and returned to Azerbaijan, where he began direct political activities centered in Nakhchivan. ### **Nakhchivan Period and Return to Politics (1990–1993)** In the elections of 1990, Heydar Aliyev was elected as a deputy to both the Supreme Soviet of the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic and the Supreme Soviet of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. Within the same year, he was appointed Chairman of the Parliament of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic and also assumed the position of Deputy Chairman of the Azerbaijan Parliament. These roles enabled Aliyev to reemerge as a central actor in post-Soviet Azerbaijani politics. After Azerbaijan declared its independence in 1991, Heydar Aliyev continued his duties in Nakhchivan. One of the most important developments of this period was his founding of the New Azerbaijan Party on 21 November 1992. This political structure, established after independence, later became Azerbaijan’s ruling party and served as the primary political base for Aliyev’s return to Baku. By 1993, as internal conflict intensified, central authority collapsed and armed groups gained power, Heydar Aliyev began to be seen as the only political figure capable of restoring stability to the country. Under pressure from the public and political circles, he was invited to Baku and on 15 June 1993 was elected Chairman of the Supreme Council of Azerbaijan. This development marked the official beginning of his path to the presidency. On 24 June 1993, the National Assembly of the Republic of Azerbaijan passed a resolution granting Heydar Aliyev the powers of President of the Republic of Azerbaijan. This decision meant he formally and practically assumed the highest executive authority of the state. Thus, before being elected by popular vote, Aliyev had already taken on the role of leader wielding the state’s executive power. This laid the political and legal groundwork for his upcoming formal presidential election. ![Image](https://cdn.t3pedia.org/media/uploads/2025/12/10/gGilCx9c8BTXbE16aYMiHwfme8de0MU1.jpg) *Heydar Aliyev (AA)* ### **Presidency (1993–2003)** On 3 October 1993, Heydar Aliyev was elected President of the Republic of Azerbaijan with the overwhelming support of the electorate. This election confirmed the popular legitimacy of the interim presidential powers granted to him on 24 June 1993. From this date onward, Aliyev launched a comprehensive reform process aimed at overcoming the political, military and economic crisis facing the country. At the time of his election, Azerbaijan faced coup attempts, armed rebellions and assassination attempts. Aliyev suppressed all these initiatives through political and administrative maneuvers, reestablishing state authority with the backing of public support. During this period, he ended internal turmoil and laid the foundations for political stability. When Aliyev became president, the Nagorno-Karabakh War was still raging at full intensity, and Armenian forces had occupied Azerbaijani territories. Aliyev prioritized strengthening the military, enhancing Azerbaijan’s defense capacity through modernization of weapons, ammunition and military equipment. As a result of these military and diplomatic efforts, an armistice protocol was signed between Azerbaijan and Armenia in Bishkek on 4–5 May 1994, bringing an end to the prolonged and intense hostilities. This development became one of the most critical achievements of Aliyev’s foreign policy and security strategy. A cornerstone of Heydar Aliyev’s presidency was the establishment of economic independence. To this end, Azerbaijan transitioned to a market economy and pursued international cooperation in the oil sector. The most important step in this process was the signing of the “**Contract of the Century**” on 20 September 1994, which outlined the development of the Azeri-Chirag-Guneshli oil field and the export of oil to global markets. This agreement, involving 11 oil companies from seven countries, was an international energy project that formed the foundation of Azerbaijan’s economic development. During his state-building process, Heydar Aliyev implemented constitutional reforms. Following a referendum during his presidency, a new constitution reflecting universal democratic values was adopted, and the death penalty was abolished. This development is regarded as a historic turning point in the institutionalization of Azerbaijan’s new political order based on the rule of law. ![Image](https://cdn.t3pedia.org/media/uploads/2025/12/10/md9quNifReRCkCO9WhjbRQDYoW7PZoKt.jpg) *Infographic on the Life of Heydar Aliyev (AA)* ### **Relations with Turkey and the Turkic World** During his presidency, Heydar Aliyev attached special importance to [Türkiye](/en/detay/turk/llms.txt) and the Turkic world. His frequently repeated phrase, “**We are one nation but two independent states**,” became the foundational doctrine of Turkey-Azerbaijan relations. Aliyev was one of the strongest advocates of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan main oil pipeline project and exerted intense diplomatic efforts to ensure the pipeline passed through Türkiye. This determination culminated in the signing of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Oil Pipeline Ankara Declaration on 29 October 1998, at which Aliyev, along with other heads of state, formally signed the agreement. ![Image](https://cdn.t3pedia.org/media/uploads/2025/12/10/M6cxqLzcXvHStdLwucRqlTiDvsU1fGDq.jpg) *Then Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Ilham Aliyev (AA)* ### **Reelection as President and Final Years** On 11 October 1998, Heydar Aliyev was reelected President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, receiving 76.1 percent of the vote. This election demonstrated the continued legitimacy and public support he enjoyed. He had planned to run again in the elections scheduled for 15 October 2003, but due to worsening health problems, he withdrew his candidacy in favor of his son, Ilham Aliyev. Shortly thereafter, on 12 December 2003, he passed away in the United States, where he was receiving medical treatment. His body was buried on 15 December 2003 in the Alley of Honor in Baku. On the day of his death, 12 December was declared **Heydar Aliyev Memorial Day**. Heydar Aliyev is commemorated every year on 12 December by his admirers. ![Image](https://cdn.t3pedia.org/media/uploads/2025/12/10/OC7ywHusndtMlzmVBFakMzKXBoEGOQmH.jpg) *Ilham Aliyev and His Wife Mihrivan Aliyeva Paying Respects to Heydar Aliyev at the Alley of Honor (AA)* ## Academic Sources and References 1. Adıgüzel, Hüseyin. "Haydar Aliyev'in Hayatı." İleri Yayınları, 2007. Accessed December 10, 2025. http://anl.az/el\_en/s-12727.pdf 2. Anadolu Ajansı. "Azerbaycan'ın 'Umummilli Lideri' Haydar Aliyev vefatının 18. yılında anılıyor." Accessed December 10, 2025. https://www.aa.com.tr/tr/dunya/azerbaycanin-umummilli-lideri-haydar-aliyev-vefatinin-18-yilinda-aniliyor/2445324 3. Anadolu Ajansı. "Azerbaycan'ın mimarı Haydar Aliyev." Accessed December 10, 2025. https://www.aa.com.tr/tr/dunya/azerbaycanin-mimari-haydar-aliyev/3080130 4. Anadolu Ajansı. "Haydar Aliyev doğumunun 97. yılında anılıyor." Accessed December 10, 2025. https://www.aa.com.tr/tr/dunya/haydar-aliyev-dogumunun-97-yilinda-aniliyor/1835524 5. Haber Global YouTube Channel. "Haydar Aliyev'in Hayatı." Accessed December 10, 2025. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWkxXLtgrKs 6. TRT Avaz YouTube Channel. "Haydar Aliyev, Serving in Difficult Times in Azerbaijan." Accessed December 10, 2025. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cd3BjZ6ZJDc 7. Yıldız, Seher. \*Azerbaycan Cumhuriyeti’nin Kurulma Sürecinde Haydar Aliyev ve Fikirleri (1993–2003)\*. Master's thesis, Marmara Üniversitesi Türkiyat Araştırmaları Enstitüsü, Istanbul, 2016. https://tez.yok.gov.tr/UlusalTezMerkezi/TezGoster?key=DPTyuy3wRPq\_qvCPSqUB6\_THyv\_RAdH05NjYqXiAkKmMjrWDp\_xTvR3e3-evwf2E