When
Aqa
Muhammad
Khan
got
the
news
about
Qizil
Ayagh's
return,
recruited
new
forces
and
decided
to
conquer
Karabagh.
Two
years
later
in
spring
headvanced
towards
Azerbaijan
with
his
huge
army.
The
last
three-year
celestial
andterrestrial
calamity
made
people
face
dearth
and
famine
in
the
regions
of
Karabagh.
Themajority
of
the
population
dispersed
to
the
districts
of
Shaki,
Shirvan,
Karadagh,
to
getfood.
Consequently,
the
lack
of
people
to
defend
the
fortress
of
Shushi
was
evident.
As
soon
as
Aqa
Muhammad
Khan
arrived
with
Qizilbash
army
at
the
bank
ofthe
Arax,
Ibrahim
Khan
had
to
leave
with
his
women,
sons,
retinue,
and
other
officials
forJar
and
Baylakan.
Others
also,
for
example
Nasir
Khan
Shahsevan,
Ata
Allah
Meshkini,
andbegs
of
Karabagh
joined
him,
and
they
moved
towards
the
foreign
land.
Hearing
that,
Aqa
Muhammad
Khan
sent
a
regiment
after
them
immediately.
They
came
across
by
the
Tartar
River
and
a
hard
battle
took
place
there.
Still,
they
[thewarriors
of
Aqa
Muhammad
Khan]
lost
the
battle.
Ibrahim
Khan
crossed
the
Kur
River
withhis
subjects
safe
and
sound,
and
arrived
in
Jar
and
Baylakan.
On
the
way
some
Lesghins
bythe
indication
of
Aqa
Muhammad
Khan
intended
to
attack
him,
capture
and
send
him
back.
Therivals
were
nearly
ready
to
fight,
but
the
Khan's
wife
Aqa
Bike,
who
was
the
sisterof
Omar
Khan,
the
governor
of
Avaria,
interfered
to
stop
it
and
persuaded
the
Lezgins
tofollow
their
good
custom
of
hospitality.
During
the
events
a
messenger
came
from
Shushiwith
the
news
about
Aqa
Muhammad
Khan's
murder.
The
details
of
the
incident
were
asfollows:
Hearing
about
Ibrahim
Khan's
flight
to
Jar
and
Baylakan,
[AqaMuhammad
Khan]
entered
Shushi
without
any
obstacle
with
a
Pharaoh
glory
and
full
grandeur.
He
settled
down
in
the
house
of
Muhammad
Hasan
Aqa,
the
eldest
son
of
Ibrahim
Khan,
whichwas
in
the
lower
part
of
the
fortress,
near
the
gate
of
Shushikend.
He
ordered
to
captureall
the
noblemen
and
officials,
who
had
not
left
with
Ibrahim
Khan.
Melik
Jumshud,
the
sonof
Melik
Shahnazar,
Molla
Panah
Vaqef,
and
many
others
were
among
the
imprisoned.
AqaMuhammad
Khan
intended
to
take
vengeance
and
kill
all
of
them
after
getting
ransoms
fromthem.
A
few
days
later
(99a)
he
grew
angry
with
two
of
his
servants,
because
of
theirmisdeeds.
He
threatened
them:
-Tomorrow
in
the
morning,
when
the
sun
is
seen
in
the
horizon,
I'll
order
to
cut
the
heads
of
all
Shushi
prisoners,
build
a
minaret
with
them
andI'll
put
your
heads
on
its
top.
They
say,
while
praying
his
namaz,
he
ordered
a
servant
to
callup
one
of
his
army
commanders.
The
servant
did
not
hear
this.
After
finishing
his
pray,
heasked
him:
-Why
didn't
the
commander
come?
Apologizing
him
the
servant
answered:
-
Because
of
Shah's
praying,
I
was
deprived
of
hearing
his
words.
Shah
ordered
at
once
to
cut
his
ears
saying:
-Its
better
cut
the
ears
that
do
not
hear
Shah's
order.
The
other
servant
had
also
made
a
small
delinquency.
After
hearingShah's
threats,
they
did
not
go
to
bed,
because
they
knew
that
cruel
Aqa
MuhammadKhan
never
changed
his
mind
and
pardoned
nobody.
The
same
night
they
decided
to
murderhim.
Before
dawn
they
entered
his
bedroom,
stabbed
the
sharp
dagger
into
his
body
and
cutit
into
pieces
like
the
armor
of
David.
Then
they
took
his
jewels,
(99b)
bracelet,
crown,
and
armor,
and
fled
to
the
famous
commander
Sadeq
Khan
Shaqaqi.
They
informed
him
aboutthe
incident.
At
first
Sadeq
Khan
did
not
believe
them,
because
he
was
always
cautiousabout
Shah's
treatment.
He
thought
that
it
was
one
of
Shah's
tricks
played
withthe
purpose
of
testing
his
fidelity.
At
last
they
the
servants
reassured
him
with
solemnoaths
and
led
him
to
Muhammad
Hasan
Aqa's
house,
which
was
Shah's
shelter.
SafarAli
Beg
[one
of
the
servants]
was
the
first
to
enter
Shah's
bedroom
and
to
takethe
blanket
off
Aqa
Muhammad
Shah's
body.
He
once
again
stabbed
his
dagger
into
thelatter's
heart.
Seeing
this
Sadeq
Khan
became
anxious.
He
took
only
the
crown,
bracelet,
and
the
jewels,
then
returned
to
his
house.
Afterwards
he
announced,
as
if
Shahhad
assigned
him
to
capture
Ibrahim
Khan
and
his
friends
at
all
costs.
Therefore,
he
tookthe
Shaqaqi
troops
and
safely
departed
from
Shushi
under
that
pretext,
taking
with
himAbbas
Beg,
one
of
Shah's
murderers.
Safar
Ali
Beg
stayed
in
Shushi.
After
Sadeq
Khan's
departure
the
people
of
the
fortress
wereunaware
of
the
accident
until
noon.
When
at
noon
the
news
about
Shah's
murder
spreadin
the
town,
Qizilbash
khans
were
confused
and
embarrassed.
They
took
their
subjects
andloads
and
retreated.
The
troops
got
out
of
the
fortress
with
groups
and
made
their
way
totheir
country
in
complete
disorder.
The
Karabagh
inhabitants
invaded
Shah's
quarters
and
started
toplunder
its
gold-ware,
and
silverware,
precious
stones,
and
the
royal
set.
Everywherepeople
robbed
and
killed
Qizilbash
prisoners.
At
that
time
Muhammad
Beg,
IbrahimKhan's
nephew
also
entered
Shah's
quarters
and
took
the
remainder
of
Shah'streasures
to
his
house.
Then
he
held
the
post
of
Karabagh's
khan
and
governor,
tryingto
install
order
in
the
country.
He
cut
Aqa
Muhammad
Shah's
crownless
head
off
andmade
it
a
ball
for
child
games,
-
a
shah
who,
with
utmost
arrogance
and
haughtiness
hadconsidered
many
others'
heads
too
heavy
for
their
bodies
and
intended
to
cut
themoff.
His
body
was
thrown
in
the
square
of
the
town.
Aqa
Muhammad
Shah's
rule
lasted
for
twelve
years.
He
was
a
veryrough,
cruel
and
blood-sucking
king,
hostile
and
vindictive
to
everybody.
Most
of
his
timehe
was
busy
hunting
and
feasting,
because
otherwise
he
would
look
for
a
pretext
to
kill
orpunish
someone.
In
spite
of
being
castrated,
he
loved
rosy
cheek
beautiful
ladies.
(101a)
When
Ibrahim
Khan
received
the
news
about
Aqa
MuhammadKhan's
death,
first
he
sent
his
son
Mahdi-qoli
Aqa,
then
his
eldest
son
MuhammadHasan
Aqa
to
Karabagh.
After
that
he
went
and
sassumed
his
power.
