Atakhan Pashayev

Atakhan Pashayev Avaz oglu (Azerbaijani: Ataxan Paşayev Əvəz oğlu; born 1938) is an Azerbaijani government executive who has served as Chief of the National Archive Department of Azerbaijan since 2002.

Pashayev was born in 1938 in Bashkend, Nakhchivan exclave of Azerbaijan. In 1963, he graduated from the History department of Azerbaijan State University cum laude. He started his career at Central State October Revolution Archives as the Senior Scientist in 1962. In 1963-1965, he was the Senior Tutor at the Archives Department and in 1966-1982 he worked as the Director of the Central State Literature and Arts Archives. From 1982 through 1984, Pashayev was the Senior Professor at Azerbaijan Technical University. In 1981, he obtained his PhD in History. Starting from 1984, he has also been the editor of Azərbaycan arxivi (Azerbaijani Archives) magazine.

In 1984, he was appointed the Chief of the State Archives of Azerbaijan SSR and has remained in the position since. On December 5, 2008 he was appointed the Chairman of National Archives Collegium. Pashayev was reappointed to the position of Chief of newly created independent National Archive Department on December 2, 2002.

In 1968, Pashayev was awarded by the Supreme Soviet of Azerbaijan SSR with the honorary title of merited worker and in 1981 with the title of Merited Arts Worker.