Xan Babayev

Khan Yusif oglu Babayev was an Azerbaijani Soviet cinematographer. Khan Babayev was born in the village of Seydakaran, Azerbaijan Democratic Republic. In 1922, he moved with his family to Baku, where in 1926 he entered Secondary School No. 48. From 1931 to 1937, he studied at the Electronics Department of the Azerbaijan State Polytechnical School, and from 1938 to 1950, at the Department of Cinematography of the All-Union State Institute of Cinematography, in the workshop of Boris Volchek. In the pre-war years, he worked as an assistant mechanic and electrical technician in various organizations. Babayev was drafted into the Soviet Army by the Voroshilov Regional Military Commissariat in Baku in 1941, serving until 1946. He took part in the Great Patriotic War. Presumably, Red Army soldier Babayev, a signalman with the 1st Battery, 1st Battalion, 6th Artillery Regiment of the Southern Front, was awarded the Medal "For Military Merit" by Order of the Armed Forces of the Southern Front No. 21/n dated November 7, 1941, for quickly restoring communications with the observation post under heavy enemy artillery and mortar fire. By Order 1104 of the General Staff of the Don Front No. 2/n dated January 30, 1943, the commander of the communications section of the battalion command, Senior Sergeant Babayev, was awarded the Medal "For Courage" for personally ensuring communications between the observation post and the battalion in combat, eliminating wire breaks, and replacing signalmen who were out of action. He was also awarded the Medal "For the Defense of Stalingrad." He studied at the Yaroslavl Rifle and Mortar School. He was released with the rank of junior lieutenant. By order of the 55th Rifle Corps of the 1st Ukrainian Front No. 16/n dated April 24, 1945, Guards Lieutenant Babayev, commander of a mortar platoon of the 811th Rifle Regiment of the 229th Rifle Division, was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree, for the destruction of seven machine-gun emplacements and two mortar batteries. At the Azerbaijan Academic Drama Theater, he worked as the second assistant to the director of the lighting workshop. Khan Babayev married in 1954 and had a son and a daughter. Until 1967, he was the First Secretary of the Union of Cinematographers of the Azerbaijan SSR.