Seyid Azim Shirvani

Seyid Azim Shirvani was born in Shamakhi. 

His father died when he was young, and he lived under the care of his maternal grandfather, Mullah Hussein, who lived in Dagestan. Having learned Arabic and Persian from his grandfather, he returned to Shamakhi, where he studied at a madrasah and completed his secondary theological education. In 1856, his desire to receive higher theological education took him to Iraq at the age of 21, first to Najaf and Baghdad, and then to the city of Damascus in Syria. While studying in Iraq, he also showed interest in secular sciences. After returning to Shamakhi, in 1869, he opened a school there according to the new method and taught there until the end of his life. Mirza Alakbar Sabir, Sultan Majid Ganizadeh and other writers studied at his school. He has a rich literary creativity, and his artistic heritage consists of two large collections, one in Azerbaijani and the other in Persian. The basis of the Azerbaijani artistic heritage is the ghazal genre. The newspaper "Ekinchi" played an important role in his transition to the field of realistic poetry. 

Seyid Azim Shirvani died in Shamakhi in 1888.

By the decision of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan dated May 7, 2019, Seyid Azim Shirvani was included in the list of authors whose works are declared state heritage in the Republic of Azerbaijan.