Ibragim-Bek Gaidarov

Ibrahim Bey Gaydarov (; ; ) or İbrahim Haydaroğlu (August 3, 1879 – September 23, 1949) was a travel engineer, noble, nationalist activist and one of the Northern Caucasian intellectuals. In 1918–1919 he served as Minister of Transport, Post and Telegraph in the Mountainous Republic. In 1919 he participated in the Versailles Peace Conference in France. Muslim noble, nationalist activist and one of the Northern Caucasian intellectuals, along with his brother Omar Bey.

After completing the best school of the region, Temir-Khan-Shura school in 1897, he entered the prestigious St. Petersburg State Transport University and graduated in 1907. After completing his studies and graduating, finally reaching great levels of education, Gaydarov returned to his homeland.

He worked as a communication engineer in Baku in various industries. Gaydarov, who was among the leaders of the Baku Society in 1907, was elected to the State Duma of the Russian Empire from the Dagestan region and the Zagatala region on October 14, 1907 at the age of 28 and went to Saint Petersburg. At first, Gaydarov, who had a Social Democratic ideology, first joined the Russian Social Democratic Labor Party in the Duma and took part in the Bolshevik faction of the Party. However, he left this party and joined the Muslim party, considering that the Russian Bolsheviks did not give any importance to the interests of the national minorities and had a negative view of Islam. He participated in the work of five commissions: agriculture, work, communication, budget and fisheries.

Returning to Baku after the completion of his duty to the Duma, Gaydarov assumed duties in many non-governmental organizations. He founded an oil company called "Deyanat" in order to gain funds in order to support Caucasians. He participated and played a big role in the charity organisations "Safa" and "Nijat". He also participated in organisastions teaching the Azerbaijani language and Islam to young children. After the February 1917 revolution and the overthrow of the Tsarist rule, he chaired the Transcaucasus Muslims Committee. Upon the appointment of the Transcaucasus Special Committee, he was appointed Commissar of Dagestan Region (April 5, 1917). He was elected as a member of the First Congress of Caucasian Muslims held in Baku. Sources go on to claim that he may have had ties with the Grande Loge de France, especially in 1924 with the Parisian lodge "Golden Fleece" No. 536, from 1928 to 1936 lodge "Astrea" No. 500. Azerbaijani and other Muslim Caucasian sources have mostly denied these claims.