27 May marks the 133rd anniversary of the birth of Bekir Çoban-zade — a Crimean Tatar scholar of Turkic studies, poet, writer, and one of the most prominent representatives of the Crimean Tatar intelligentsia of the 20th century.

Bekir Çoban-zade was born in 1893 in the city of Karasubazar (now Bilohirsk). He received his education in the Ottoman Empire and Hungary, mastered numerous languages, and became one of the leading researchers of Turkic languages and literatures. His academic works were known far beyond the borders of Crimea, and the scholar himself participated in international scientific conferences and taught at higher educational institutions.

In addition to his academic work, Bekir Çoban-zade was actively engaged in literature. In his poetry and publicistic writing, he addressed themes of culture, language, historical memory, and the future of the Crimean Tatar people. He authored the two-volume “Methodology of Teaching Turkic Language and Literature” and approximately a dozen scientific and methodological works. In 1927, Çoban-zade chaired the Scientific Council of the All-Union Committee for the New Turkic Alphabet.

In 1937, during the Stalinist repressions, the Soviet authorities arrested Bekir Çoban-zade on fabricated charges of “nationalism” and “counter-revolutionary activity”. The trial took place in Baku and lasted only 20 minutes. On 13 October 1937, Bekir Çoban-zade was executed by firing squad. With him, the Soviet regime attempted to destroy an entire generation of the Crimean Tatar intelligentsia.

Today, the figure of Bekir Çoban-zade remains an essential part of Crimean Tatar history and cultural heritage. His life and work serve as a reminder of the Crimean Tatar people’s significant contribution to the development of science, culture, and education, as well as the tragic consequences of Soviet repressions against the Indigenous people of Crimea.