Shovkat Salimova

Salimova was born on 25 December 1920 in Lahıc, Ismayilli, Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic.^[1] She grew up in Baku and was the eldest of ten children in her family. Her father was an oil worker.^[2]

Inspired by a portrait of Anna Shetinina,^[3] Salimova studied at the Baku Maritime School, graduating in 1940. After graduation she was assigned to the Black Sea Shipping Company.^[1]

During World War II, Salimova worked as deputy ship captain then ship captain,^[1][4] delivering weaponry, ammunition and oil to the Soviet front near Stalingrad, USSR, and transporting the wounded soldiers to Baku and Krasnovodsk.^[2][3] She was Azerbaijan's first female ship captain^[5][6] and the first Muslim woman to captain a ship in the Middle East.^[3]

After the war, Salimova worked at the Azerbaijan State Oil and Chemistry University.^[3][7] She died on 2 July 1999 in Baku, Azerbaijan.^[1][2]

In 2025, the production of a feature film about Salimova, called Shovkat, was completed. The film features Nazrin Abdullayeva in the role of Salimova and was directed by Asif Rustamov. The film also stars Gurban Ismayilov [az], Hikmat Ragimov [az], Elsever Ragimov and Nigar Mursalova.^[2][8]

• Medal "For the Defence of the Caucasus"
• Medal "For the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945"
• Order of the Patriotic War, 2nd class
• Order of the Red Star