Life story
Martyr Elshan Kerem oglu Rzayev was born on January 10, 1971, in Mingachevir. In 1977, he was admitted to school No. 1 in Mingachevir. During his school years, he was a very active student, engaged in sports, and took percussion instrument courses. He graduated from the 10th grade of that school in 1987. In the same year, he was admitted to the Polytechnic Technical School. In 1990, during the January 20 tragedy in Baku, Elshan was serving in the military in the GDR (now Germany). When he heard about the tragedy, he was deeply moved and wrote on a postcard with the Azerbaijani coat of arms: "I sacrifice myself for my native Azerbaijani land." In 1992, he was called to the national army. He heroically fell during the battles for Lachin while trying to retrieve his commander's body when he was shot by a sniper. His grave is located in the Martyrs' Alley in Mingachevir.