Abstract:

In this article one of the unexplored areas, namely the law-related area of activity and creativity of Ahmed bey Agaoglu (1869-1939) is examined. Initially assessing the multi-dimensional activities of A. Agaoglu as a lawyer, four key areas of this activity are identified, and Agaoglu’s contributions to each of these areas are generally characterized. Then, the contribution of Agaoglu as a lawyer-pedagogue to the teaching of law in Turkey's two main universities is pointed out and his textbooks on constitutional law and legal history are covered. Further, based on the works of the thinker reflecting his public and political views, his legal views are analyzed and his opinions on a number of theoretical issues of law, such as understanding of law, individual freedoms, the relationship between rights and duties, and the relationship between law and religion, are examined. In the research, based on the analysis of various aspects of Agaoglu's activity related to law, the portrait of his identity as a lawyer is depicted in its following main traits: (1) as a fighter and consistent defender of the rights of Azerbaijani Turks and of all Turkish Muslims, as well as of women's rights, (2) as an influential deputy represented in the supreme legislative bodies of Ottoman and Republic Turkey and the Azerbaijan Democratik Republic, (3) as a lawyer-pedagogue and (4) as a liberal-minded lawyer-thinker.

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