Vali Khuluflu

Vali Mammadhuseyn oghlu Khuluflu (; 26 May 1894 – 13 October 1937) was an Azerbaijani literary scholar, folklorist, linguist and publicist. He was involved in the collection, publication and study of Azerbaijani oral literature, including ashig poetry, riddles and versions of the Koroghlu epic. Khuluflu was executed during the Great Purge and was posthumously rehabilitated.

Early life and education Vali Khuluflu was born on 26 May 1894 in the village of Khuluf in present-day Shamkir District. From 1905 to 1907, he received his early education at a traditional religious school. He later studied at Mədrəseyi-ruhaniyyə , and worked at the same school after completing his studies.

In 1917, Vali Khuluflu completed teacher-training courses in Ganja. After the Sovietization of Azerbaijan, he worked in Ganja from 1920 to 1922, including as secretary of the Ganja District Committee of the Azerbaijan Communist Party. He was later expelled from the party during internal party purges, but was restored to party membership in 1927. From 1922 to 1927, he studied at the Faculty of Oriental Studies of Azerbaijan State University.

Literary and scholarly activity Vali Khuluflu was an active supporter of the transition to the Latin-based New Turkic Alphabet. His book Yeni türk əlifbası ilə yazı qaydaları (; 1925) was published as a practical work on the new alphabet.

Arrest, execution and rehabilitation

Vali Khuluflu was arrested on 28 February 1937 on charges of membership in a counter-revolutionary nationalist organization. According to later accounts, his book Tapmacalar was among the materials used against him, with investigators searching for hidden political meanings in the riddles. His home was searched, and he was accused of anti-Soviet activity.

According to Xalq qəzeti, his case was heard on 12 October 1937 in a closed proceeding without witnesses, a prosecutor or a defence lawyer. The hearing reportedly lasted about twenty minutes. Khuluflu was sentenced to death and executed on 13 October 1937.

His wife, Fatma Khuluflu, was later sentenced to eight years' imprisonment as the spouse of a so-called "enemy of the people". Their family was also evicted from their home in Baku.

Khuluflu was rehabilitated on 17 November 1956. In 1957, the criminal case against Fatma Khuluflu was also closed. After her appeal, the Military Collegium of the Supreme Court of the Soviet Union annulled the decision of 12 October 1937 against Khuluflu and closed the case. His burial place is unknown.

Legacy After his rehabilitation, Khuluflu began to be described in official and scholarly sources as a literary scholar, publicist, intellectual and public figure. His work on the collection of Azerbaijani folklore, especially ashig poetry, riddles and the Koroghlu epic, has been noted in later studies of Azerbaijani literature and folklore.

Streets in Baku, Ganja and Shamkir have been named after Khuluflu. In Shamkir District, a secondary school and a house of culture also bear his name.