He is rightfully considered to be one of the leading representatives of education in Azerbaijan. He was born in the village Khanlyglar. His only son is Boyuk aga Dilbazi. Wishing to provide his son with good education the father entrusteda 7 year old boy to the care of Mariya Vasilyevna Oblomskaya, an experienced teacher in old Tiflis (also a representative of the old Russian nobility). After a year’s preparation the boy entered the preparatory form of the 3-rd classical type men’s gymnasium which in itself was quite a difficult task as the educational aspirations of the “Tatars” (ethnonym of the Azerbaijanis under tsarism) faced a lot of possible obstacles. During his study at the gymnasium Veli aga contin- ued to improve his knowledge of the Russian and French languages with Mariya Oblomskaya. In his notes Veli aga Dilbazi gratefully remembered Mariya Vasilyevna, her methods and recommendations.

In 1918/19 academic year he finished the gymnasium and returned to Gazakh. Since 1920 he began to teach at the Gazakh teachers’ seminary. In 1924 wishing to get a univer- sity education Veli aga entered the Kharkov University but on the 4-th year transferred to the Azerbaijan Pedagogical Institute thus getting a higher education in Baku.

After this, his roaming around the districts of Azerbaijan began: before 1931 he taught at the village Shykhly of the Gazakh district, then he worked in the vil- lages Lek Chilpak, Muradkhanly and Sigirly of the Goychay district. In 1931 Veli aga arrived in Baku and got into the process of the “cultural revolution”. Many years later he recalled that during the mass arrests of 1937-1938 he as a son of the former bek also came under the pressure. He and his uncle Khamza Kerbalaev were often called “there” forced to provide in- formation about the “public enemies”. They, however, steadfastly refused to smear the honest people. Once Veli aga was even kept “there” for a few days.

Before 1958 Veli aga Dilbazi taught the Azerbaijani language and literature at schools 3, 7, 5 and 173 in Baku. He was awarded more than once with prizes and honorary certificates. He was awarded with the Order of Lenin and the Order of the Red Banner of Labour. Veli aga Dilbazi’s 80th jubilee was solemnly celebrated by the pedagogical community of Baku.

Veli Aga had a hobby-horse breeding. We should point out his contribution to the study of the history of the Dilbaz horse breed. He as a true expert clarified some controversial issues. First of all, he proved the correct spelling of the breed as “dilbaz” and not “diliboz”, ”dilboz” or deliboz” (strange as it is, such a mistake is still made nowadays). Secondly, he distinguished the subtypes of the breed. Under the auspices of the Ministry of Agriculture Veli Aga published a brochure named “The Dilbaz horse” (1982). Veli aga’s family has kept the manuscript in which he speaks of the history of the bek/aghalar Dilbazi family, proud history of the dilbaz horse breed, tells about his fa- ther Beyuk aga’s meeting with the renowned com- mander Nuri pasha in the town hotel in Gazakh in 1918. The manuscript dates from April 1979. Veli Aga Dilbazi was married to Zakiye khanum who was a daughter of the Gazakh noble man Israfil aga Kerbalaev whose name is closely connected with the dramatic history of the people’s hero Gachag Kerem. Zakiya khanum (1905-1973) graduated from the women’s gymnasium in Tiflis, later she finished the Turkic Pedagogical Institute in Baku. They had five daughters: Tamella (doctor), Zemfira (lawyer), Elmira, Ramella and Aza (Russian language teachers).

Veli Aga and Zakiya khanum are buried in the Upper cemetery in Baku.