Correspondence of Muhammad Hasan Khan, the Muslim ruler of Shaki and Shirvan with the Ottoman government (1789-1784/1203-1198AD)

Mohammad Hasan Khan ruled over Shaki at the same time as the rivalry between the Ottoman and Russian governments in the Caucasus region. In those days, the Ottomans established political relationships with local heads such as the ruler of Shaki with the aim of countering the influence and domination of the Russians in the Caucasus. Mohammad Hasan Khan had been also inclined to the Ottomans due to the fear and concern of the aggressive policy of the Georgians against the territory of the local Muslim rulers of Ganja and Yerevan. Mohammad Hasan Khan was in contact with the Ottomans in the form of exchange of correspondence and the ambassador's(elčī) movement. The main question of the article is what issues did Muhammad Hasan Khan Shaki's letters to the Ottoman government covered and what goals did he pursue? This research relying on printed books from Ottoman archival documents and local historiographical sources of Shaki and the Caucasus and with a descriptive-analytical approach indicates that confronting the expansionist policy of the Georgian ruler with the Russians’ military support in the Muslim land and constant invasion of their forces to the Ganja state in the neighbourhood of Shaki, was one of the important issues raised in the correspondence of Mohammad Hasan Khan Shaki with the Ottoman authorities. He demanded political-military aid from the Ottoman government for this issue. It seems that these letter writings did not have any special achievements due to the lack of practical action from both sides.