Govhar Gaziyeva

rightGovhar Ahmad qizi Gaziyeva (; 1887, Tiflis, Russian Empire – 1960, Azerbaijan Province, Iran) was an Azerbaijani stage actress who performed under the alias Goyarchin (Azeri for "dove"). Debuting in 1910, she is considered the first Azerbaijani and the first Muslim woman in the world to appear on stage.

Early life and acting career Govhar Gaziyeva was born in Tiflis (present-day capital of Georgia) to a family of intellectuals. She graduated from the Institute of Noble Maidens, where she had received education in Russian. Gaziyeva married at an early age and moved with her husband to Central Russia. Her eldest son Ismayil was born in Voronezh in 1906. A year later, she left her husband and moved back to Tiflis with her child.

At the turn of the twentieth century, Tiflis was an important center of cultural development for various peoples of the Caucasus, including for Azeris. Amateur Azeri actors established numerous theatrical troupes, the largest ones being Dram Cəmiyyəti and Səadət which Govhar Gaziyeva joined in 1906, playing minor roles. Her first major performance was that in Najaf bey Vazirov's play Fəxrəddin Faciəsi which was staged on 9 October 1910 at the Georgian Nobility Theatre. In the next few years, she acted in over ten different roles in both Azeri and foreign plays in Tiflis, Baku, Erivan, and Nakhchivan