Azerbaijanis consider Miskin Abdal a ‘representative of Azerbaijani culture and the founder of the ashugh school,' but the reality is different

2026-08-12

Seyid Huseyn Muhammad oghlu, known as Miskin Abdal, was born in 1430 in the village of Jagatsadzor in the Sodk district of Armenia. Miskin Abdal was a prominent official at the court of Shah Ismail I of Iran. Abdal was also known for his poems and his work in the ashugh tradition. He was one of the finest ashughs of the 15th century, and several poems were later created based on his works, including Miskin Abdal and Senuber, Miskin Abdal and Shah Ismail, and others.

In fact, Miskin Abdal created his works under the influence of Iranian art and poetry. A Turkmen by origin, who was born and spent the final years of his life in Armenia, could not in any way have been an Azerbaijani. Moreover, Abdal could not have been considered a representative of “Azerbaijani culture,” which did not exist in the 15th–16th centuries.

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