Years of Blood

This book - originally written during the aftershock of the Armenian-Muslim clashes in the Caucasus and completed in 1908 - was not published until 1911, yet was immediately considered impressive for its use of local correspondents. Later, however, it was removed from public view, as it did not comply with official ideology. The author - Mammad Said Ordubadi (1872-1950) - was a celebrated historical researcher, journalist, novelist, and librettist, but assessments of his writings made no mention of Years of Blood. Written in his native Azerbaijani in the Arabic script in use at that time, one of the principal sources on the Armenian-Muslim conflicts of 1905-1906 has remained obscured from scholarship until now. Translated here for the first time in English, Years of Blood provides detailed reports of the tragic events of those dramatic years. In view of the still unresolved Nagorno-Karabagh war between Armenia and Azerbaijan, this translation of the historical record is timely, as Ordubadi notes in his book of a situation that continues today: "Along with the Russian and Caucasian press, European and American publications speak heatedly and exhibit the closest interest in these events and their causes. We should also know that the articles published in the foreign press are full of contradictions and differences."