APersonIndependent states
Samad bey Mehmandarov
Artillery general (1855–1931), hero of the defence of Port Arthur and war minister of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic.
Samad bey Mehmandarov was born in Lankaran in 1855 and served in the army of the Russian Empire.
He won fame commanding the artillery in the defence of Port Arthur in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904. In the First World War he commanded a corps and rose to the rank of general of artillery.
As war minister of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic in 1918–1920 he led the building of the national army. He died in Baku in 1931.
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Updated: October 11, 2026