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Molla Nasraddin magazine
A satirical magazine published from 1906 to 1931, famous across the Muslim East for its cartoons.
Molla Nasraddin was founded by Jalil Mammadguluzadeh in Tiflis on 7 April 1906, taking its name from the quick-witted hero of folk anecdotes.
It attacked ignorance, superstition, the lack of women's rights, official abuse and colonialism with biting satire. The cartoons of Oskar Schmerling and Azim Azimzade made it especially famous, and it was read from Iran to Central Asia and from Türkiye to India.
Published in Tiflis, in Tabriz in 1921 and then in Baku until 1931, it is regarded as the school of Azerbaijani satirical journalism and cartoon art.
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Updated: October 1, 2026