 The school was notable for having a Tatar department ("Tatar" was a common way of referring to Azeris and other Turkic-speaking ethnic groups of the Caucasus) established in 1879 as a result of Mirza Fatali Akhundov's efforts.The department was focusing on preparing instructors for primary schools attended only or mostly by Muslims.The language of instruction at the Transcaucasian Teachers Seminary was Russian.