NEWS

Azerbaijani poet has successfully presented her poems at International Poetry Festival in Colombia. The festival brought together 191 poets from 103 countries. 

Nigar Hasanzadeh read out her poems in original language with a translation into Spanish. The poetess is a member of the Azerbaijan Writers' Union of Azerbaijan, PEN International Association of Writers. She is a laureate of the Humay National Academy of Azerbaijan Prize.

The festival was also attended by Azerbaijan`s talented poets Ramiz Rovshan, Nigar Arif and Agshin Aliyev.

Nigar Hasanzadeh is the author of such collections as "Wings Over the Horizon", "Under the Clouds of Others", "Silver", "Wrists" and others.

Since 2015, she is the head of "Soz" literary project. Supported by the Cultural Ministry and the State Economic University (UNEC), the project is important from the point of view of promotion of the Azerbaijani culture. Soz project is headed by famous poetess Nigar Hasanzadeh.

The poetess has successfully participated in international poetry festivals and literary evenings in Europe. Her poems were published in literary publications in Great Britain, Germany, Italy, Turkey, USA, Canada, Australia, Poland, Hungary, Russia, Israel, Egypt and other countries.

The works were included in the anthology Russian Women Poets, published as one of the issues of Modern Poetry in Translations (Great Britain). Her name was included in the list of the 10 best foreign poets of 2009 living in the UK (in 2000-2014 she lived and worked in London). Nigar Hasanzadeh's works are included in the audio archives of the British Library.

Ramiz Rovshan is a national writer, essayist, film playwright, translator. Since 1981, he is a member of the Azerbaijan Writers' Union.

He is the author of the books "The sky does not hold a stone", "Breath is a book of books" and many others. He also translated poems of such famous Russian poets as Vladimir Mayakovsky, Sergey Yesenin, Alexander Blok, Marina Tsvetaeva, Anna Akhmatova into Azerbaijani.

Director-General of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Audrey Azoulay announced on Thursday that the UNESCO has launched the initiative "Beirut" to attract funds to be used in rehabilitating Beirut's heritage buildings, LBCI local TV channel reported, according to Xinhua.

"We should implement measures to preserve the national heritage of Lebanon and we will be holding a meeting for donors' country by the end of September for this purpose," Azoulay said during her meeting with Caretaker Culture Minister Abbas Mortada.

Mortada offered a comprehensive study to Azoulay about the number of heritage buildings destroyed in the city following the explosions and the extent of the damage.

The UNESCO has previously warned that 640 heritage buildings have been damaged by the explosions and 60 of them are at risk of collapse.

The next conference the International Committee for Museums and Collections of Arms and Military History (ICOMAM) will take place in Azerbaijan in 2023.

The decision was adopted on the basis of a presentation made by the Board Member and First Deputy Chairman of Qasr Cultural Heritage and Historical Monuments Preservation Public Union, member of the ICOMAM Board of Directors Parvin Gozalov.

Parvin Gozalov has been a member of the Board of the Public Union since 2007.

He was elected as an ICOMAM member at the Committee`s 25th General Conference held in Kyoto, Japan, in 2019.

The Baku conference of the ICOMAM International Committee will feature international experts in military history and collections of arms and scientists in Azerbaijan. The International Committee for Museums was founded in 1946, uniting 44,686 professionals from 138 countries, as well as 118 national and 32 international committees.

Azerbaijani designer Gulnara Khalilova will present her stunning collection at International Digital Fashion Week.

The national designer will delight fashionistas with stunning outfits from fashion collection inspired by Karabakh region.

The International Digital Fashion Week will open its doors on September 5, bringing together leading fashion designers from 75 countries.

Speaking about the fashion event, Gulnara Khalilova told Trend Life that the Digital Fashion Week is a platform that unites the fashion world of America, Europe and Asia. World famous designers will take part in the project, showcasing ther fashion collections. As Khalilova noted, it is a great honor for her to represent Azerbaijan at such prestigious international event. 

IDFW Fashion Week will be aired via FNL App. NL is available for viewing on Apple TV, Roku TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, and all Android and Apple iOS devices for six months.

Earlier, Gulnara Khalilova presented her collection "Silk Treasure" at the 5th season of Aspara Fashion Week in Kazakhstan.

The four-day fashion show was held virtually amid coronavirus pandemic, bringing together designers from many countries.

Gulnara Khalilova, the head of the Center of National Costumes, is a frequent guest of international fashion weeks. She is the two-times winner at Eurasian International Fashion Festival "Silk Road" held in China.

Her works are also very popular among Turkish public figures, representatives of culture and art such as Ajda Pekkan, Emrah Erdogan, Beyazit Ozturk, Soner Sarikabadayi, and others.

She also designed costume for Azerbaijan's 2013 Eurovision representative Farid Mammadov and created hand panel with the official mascots of the EuroGames.

During the opening of Rio 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio, Champion of the European Games Ilham Zakiyev was in national dress, created by the designer which was a novelty in the history of the Olympic movement.

Khalilova is the author of a number of books dedicated to the traditions of clothing, including the history of Azerbaijan national clothing, the textbooks and catalogs for higher education institutions.

In 2014-2015 she worked as a teacher at the State Academy of Fine Arts. Since 2017, she is teaching at Khazar University. The designer also heads the Women's Entrepreneurship Development Association.

The Land of Fire is filled with mind-blowing historical sites and wonders out there. With its ancient history, the country is of particular interest of archeologists. Over the past years, many sample of material culture have been discovered across the country. 

Ancient pitch graves have been discovered in Yardmili. Sample of material culture dating back to the antique were founded by Urakeran village's resident on his farmland.

The leading scientific worker of Archeology and Ethnography Institute, philosophy doctor in history Jeyhun Eminli examined the territory, APA reported.

Consequently, beginning from mid-August, the Yardymly-Lerik archeological expedition for Antique era of Archeology and Ethnography Institute of ANAS has started researches in Urakeran village. 

The excavations have been conducted on four different areas. As a result, massive pitcher graves were discovered during the excavations. 

Although the graves similar to the found big pitcher graves was also encountered previously in country's various parts, the structure of grave and the funeral customs revealed on this territory are completely different. 

The main feature of the 2000 years old pitcher graves is that the big pitcher is put in upright and a bit sloping position, while the part of the mummy close to the ground surface is covered with large lids.

Researches will be continued until the middle of September. After inclusion of findings into the plan and completion of photo shooting, documentation and field works, the research work will be continued in desktop and laboratory conditions.

Furthermore, samples of material culture will be handed over to the region’s ethnography museum and the country’s leading museums.

Moreover, neolithic settlement has been also discovered in Aghstafa.

The ancient Neolithic settlement called "Chapishtepe" ("Chagritapa") and various stone tools and household items prove that the area was intensively inhabited 8,000 years ago.

The preliminary researched showed that people inhabited there in order to have access to river.

Both in the Soviet period and in subsequent years, the area was studied as a Neolithic settlement in the western region. Archaeological excavations are underway in an area of ​​200 square meters. This area may be expanded in in the near future.

Settled in the country's western part, Agstafa is home to many historical sights such as bronze age settlement Teyretepe in Ashagi Geychali village. Artifacts made of bronze from the beginning of Iron Age can  be found in Dagkesemen village.

Historical monuments like this are scattered across the whole region. The 19th century mosques placed in Girag Kesemen, Kolkhalfeli, Garahasanli, Dagkesemen are among such historical sites.

The main river of the country, the Kura River, flows through the region. Garayazi Nature Reserve here is a must-see place for all travelers.

August 26 is celebrated worldwide as the International Day of Azerbaijani Mugham and Silk Road countries’ Music.

For ten years, the day is bringing together all mugham lovers, especially those who devoted their live to this wonderful art.

The decision to proclaim the day has been made by the administration of the Canadian city of Niagara-on-the-Lake and the leadership of the traditional annual Niagara International Chamber Music Festival 2010.

First Vice-President of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva has played an exceptional role in promoting mugham art.

Thanks to the efforts of First Vice-President , UNESCO proclaimed Azerbaijani Mugham a "Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity" (2008).  The mugham art entered UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists in 2008.

Furthermore, International Mugham Center was built in Azerbaijan. Over the past years, the Center has implemented multiple cultural projects aimed at promotion of national music: "Evenings of ashug music", "Treasury of Secrets", "Unforgettable", "Pearls of ethnic music", etc.

At the initiative of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, the International World of Mugham Festival was held in country for the first time in 2009.

Music experts from the USA, France, Hungary, Italy,  Turkey, Germany and other countries took part took part in symposium held as part of the festival.

Today Azerbaijani mugham art enjoys global success. The national mugham singers known as khanende  fascinate audiences at prestigious music events across the world.

Azerbaijan's living vocal treasure Alim Gasimov has greatly contributed to Azerbaijani culture, especially mugham.

The khanende was awarded the International Music Council-UNESCO Music Prize, one of the highest international accolades for music in 1999.

For his achievement, he was quoted by the New York Times as simply one of the greatest singers alive, with a searing spontaneity that conjures passion and devotion, contemplation and incantation.

The daughter of the mugham master Alim Gasimov, followed in her father's footsteps.

Her amazing talent was discovered in 1995, when at the age of sixteen, she joined father in a concert tour in Germany.

Over the years, Farghana Gasimova, along with her father and teacher Alim Gasimov, has successfully represented Azerbaijan in the international arena, making a significant contribution to the development and promotion of mugham.

Azerbaijani mugham, one of the most valuable treasures of the spiritual culture of the nation, contains seven main modes - Rast, Shur, Segah (especially common), Shushtar, Bayaty-Shiraz, Chahargah, Humayun and three collateral kinds - shahnaz, sarendj, chargah in some other form.

Three major schools of mugham performance existed from the late 19th and early 20th centuries in Karabakh, Shirvan, and Baku.

In the late 1960s and 1970s, a completely new mugham style emerged in the country.

Vagif Mustafazade is considered the founder of Azerbaijani jazz-mugham , who blended the two music styles.

A short selection of Azerbaijani mugham, played on the Azerbaijani wind instrument balaban, was included among many cultural achievements of humanity on the Voyager Golden Record, which was attached to the Voyager spacecraft to represent world music.

Azerbaijan Photographers Association and IRS magazine has announced the winners of photo contest. 

The winners of "This is my Motherland" photo contest include Ilham Mustafayev ("My Land" category), Etibar Jafarov ("My City"), Fargan Gasimli ("Customs and Traditions"), Mahir Rustamli ("Nature of Azerbaijan"), Araz Adiloghlu ("Sea"), Zamin Jafarov ("Mountains"). The prize winner in "View from the Top" has not been yet identified, Trend Life reported. 

The photographs were evaluated by Vice-President of the Russian International Guild of Professional Photographers of Russia Sergey Kivrin (jury chairman), editor-in-chief of the IRS and Azerbaijan Airlines magazines Musa Marjanli, editor-in-chief of the Dubai-based IRS Publishing House Andrey Vasiliyev and design director of "Azerbaijan Airlines" magazine Elena Chirikova.

Top five photo works will published in the IRS and Azerbaijan Airlines magazines, as well as in the Irs-Heritage-Heritage series of the IRS Publishing House. These  photographers will receive two copies of each edition as a gift.

French actor and director of Azerbaijani origin Robert Hossein has been awarded at Molodist Kyiv International Film Festival. 

The awarding ceremony took place in Vittel commune in France, where the actor is currently living.

The 92-year-old Robert Hossein is the author of more than 20 performances. Robert Hossein's "Notre Dame de Paris" musical (1978) was a great success in France. The show attracted more than 580,000 spectators.

He also directed the 1982 adaptation of Les Misérables, and appeared in Vice and Virtue, Le Casse, Les Uns et les Autres and Venus Beauty Institute.

His other roles include Michèle Mercier's husband in the Angélique series, a gunfighter in the Spaghetti Western Cemetery Without Crosses (which he also directed and co-wrote), and a Catholic priest who falls in love with Claude Jade and becomes a communist in Forbidden Priests.

Molodist Kyiv International Film Festival is an international film festival which takes place every October in Kyiv, Ukraine. It began in 1970 as a two-day festival of films, shot by students of Kyiv State Institute of Theatrical Arts, presenting 33 movies that year. 

In 2010, the festival screened more than 400 films, making it the biggest film festival in Ukraine, with 127,000.spectactors. 

Headed by Andrii Khalpakhchi, it s the only film festival in Ukraine accredited by International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF). The event is included into the list of 26 specialized international competition festivals.

The Molodist participants were later honored with the Golden Palm (Bruno Dumont) and the Oscar (Alan Berliner).

International Committee for Museums and Collections of Arms and Military History (ICOMAM) will hold its conference in Azerbaijan. The conference is expected to take place in 2023 for the first time in Baku.

The decision on holding the event was made on the basis of a presentation made by the board member and  First Deputy Chairman of Qasr Cultural Heritage and Historical Monuments Preservation Public Union, ICOMAM member, Parvin Gozalov.

Parvin Gozalov has been a member of the Board of the Public Union since 2007. He  was elected as ICOMAM member within the 25th ICOM General Conference held in Japan.

ICOMAM fosters the study of arms, armor, artillery, fortifications, uniforms, flags and medals. It develops and maintains relations between museums and other institutions concerned with the preservation and interpretation of such artifacts. 

The organization is the only International Committee of its kind dealing comprehensively with this particular subject area in the museum field.

The Committee actively holds triennial congresses and annual symposia or conferences and organizes the triennial Justus Lipsius Award for outstanding published research in the field. 

The organization seeks to explore both the technical development of the material culture of its subject area and the often profound impact this has had on national and international politics and economics, society and art.

For many centuries, Alinjagala fortress attracts many curious visitors from all over Azerbaijan. Mostly known as a symbol of strength, the fortress was one of the strongest defensive buildings of that times.

The ancient site is located on the top of the mountain of the same name. 

Spanish merchant and traveler, Rui Qonsales de Klavikho once described Alinjagala as the fortress surrounded by walls and towers.

Some studies suggest that the name of the historical monument means "take off your hand", which is linked with its invincibility of the fortress. It is also believed that Alinjagala was built about 2,000 years ago.

The ruins and foundation stones of the dwelling houses and public buildings built in the upper part of the fortress used to serve as "Shah throne" for feudal.

Alinjagala played an irreplaceable role in the history of Middle Age states of Azerbaijan and was used as a fortification against enemies.

In the times of the Eldaniz dynasty, Alinjagala turned into shelter for the rulers’ families.

The residence of Zahida Khatun, the ruler of Nakhchivan and the treasure of the Eldanizlar were situated in the Alinjagala.

In the 80-90 years of XIV century, the fortress was the main foothold of the Azerbaijani people in the struggle against Timur and was bravely defended for 14 years.

After the death of Timur (1405) the Alinjagala again was under  the power of Jalairlar and later the Garagoyunlular.

However, the legendary fortress was destroyed as a result of feudal intrigues and wars.

In 2014, Alinjagala was restored and granted a status of historical and cultural museum-reserve.