NEWS

Spectacular concert has been solemnly at the State Philarmonic Hall as part of the third World Harmony International Competition of Young Performers.

People's Artist of Azerbaijan Murad Adigozalzade (piano) and laureate of international competitions, professor of the Pilsen State Conservatory (Czech Republic) Roman Fedchuk (violin) delighted the audience with the works of  Edward Grieg, Paul Duke, Felix Mendelssohn, Pablode Sarasate, Azernews reported.

The musicians was accompanied by the State Symphony Orchestra under the direction of famous conductor, Honored Art Worker Elshad Bagirov. The concert was truly beyond all expectations. The performance of Murad Adigozalzade and Roman Fedchuk left no one indifference. 

Notably, the 3rd World Harmony International Competition of Young performers will take place at the State Philharmonic Hall on February 17-24, bringing together talented singers from Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Russia and Ukraine.

The project aims to discover of young talents and promote classical music and folklore.

The contest was founded by  the President of Union of Georgian Folklore and Classical Music "Harmony" Tsitsino Bichikashvili in 2017. Next February, the 4th World Harmony competition will be held in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Russian IP ORCHESTRA is back to amaze audience with unique live performance. Igor Ponomarenko and his orchestra have thrilled rock fans at Heydar Aliyev Palace.

The program titled "Legendary Rock Hits" featured songs by world-famous bands, including AC / DC, Metallica, Nirvana, Aerosmith, Green Day, Placebo, Blur, Corn, Rammstein, Queen, Led Zeppelin, Marlin Manson, Cranberries and others.  

For the IP Orchestra, there are no boundaries in genres and styles. The Symphonic orchestra is conducted by an iconic figure of the music world Igor Ponomarenko, who performed in such famous concert halls of the world as L’Olympia in Paris, Queen Elizabeth Hall in London, Turin Opera House etc.

The special guest of the evening was incredibly talented tar musician Ismayil Zulfugarov, who rocked the stage until the end of the show. The musician brilliantly performed the song Cambaz by Turkish "Mor ve Otesi" rock band as well as  Led Zeppelin's epic song "Kashmir", Azernews reported.

Ismayil Zulfugarov is a multiple winner of international music competitions. Famous for his r&b/electro music, the tar musician has successfully represented Azerbaijan in Turkey, France, Russia, China and Lithuania. He also shared the same stage with well-known French musician Philippe Ganier (Filigan).

Rock music fans could truly feel the excitement and the thrill from the eternal music. Before the last note had died down the audience broke into a storm of applause.

Baku undoubtedly tops any list of romantic destinations for Valentine’s Day. There are plenty of romantic activities that love birds can enjoy together in this charming city.

On the occasion of Valentine's Day, Russian analytical agency TourStat has presented the most romantic cities in the CIS countries according to an online survey.

The City of Winds has entered the top 10 of the most romantic cities of the CIS and neighboring countries.

The Top 10 also features St. Petersburg, Paris, Minsk, Amsterdam and other cities.

According to TourStat, romantic tourism in the CIS countries accounts for more than 5 million trips per year.

Get ready to take your darling away to the places of your dreams!

Love has no boundaries. If two people love each other, nothing is impossible.

Every February 14, couples across the globe honor their sweethearts. Flowers, chocolate, dinner and champagne all enhance the romance of the day. The celebration has a tear dropping story behind it.

In the middle ages, Valentine’s Day was a day to commemorate the acts of Valentinus. Emperor Claudius II decided to outlaw marriage as he believed that it distracted soldiers.

Despite the emperor’s orders, St. Valentine began to secretly arrange marriages before soldiers went off to war.There, St. Valentine fell in love with a blind girl who happened to be the jailer’s daughter and sent her a love letter signed "from your Valentine" on February 14th, the day of his execution, as a goodbye...

If you still feel "butterflies" in your stomach, take a look at some Valentine's Day facts.

Why so sweet?

The chocolate looks feels and tastes heavenly. Ever wonder why we eat chocolate on Valentine's Day? 

Richard and George Cadbury are the two men who made Valentine’s Day so sweet and delicious. The English chocolate-making family produced the first Valentine’s Day candy box.

Richard Cadbury decorated a heart-shaped candy box with a painting of his young daughter holding a kitten in her arms.

In a short time, the Cadbury Valentine’s day had turned into one of the best occasion to offer heart-shaped boxes of chocolates. The exchange of chocolates between a man and a woman was one of the best ways to express feelings.

In addition, people knew to use chocolate for seduction. It's been said that certain compounds in cacao can have an aphrodisiac effect. Perhaps that's why chocolate is such a popular Valentine's Day.

Cupid...shoot the arrow!

Cupid, a sweet baby with wings, a bow and arrow has a great power to make people fall in love. His gold and iron arrows are known to arouse passion or heartbreak. 

In Roman mythology, Cupid is the son of Venus, the goddess of love and beauty. 

Between 14th and 17th centuries, many artists created their art works that showed Cupid as a baby angel. In the late 1800s, baby angel began to appear on Valentine’s Day cards. Today, Cupid is seen as one of the most iconic symbols of love and romance.

Be my Valentine!

Valentine's Day is known for exchanging cards. The oldest record of a Valentine was a poem written by a French medieval duke named Charles to his spouse in 1415.

Charles wrote to his lover while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London at just 21 years old. During his twenty-four year captivity, he composed over five hundred poems.

Since the 19th century, handwritten valentines have given way to mass-produced greeting cards. The ribbon that adorns modern-day Valentines, is rooted in the Middle Ages. When knights competed in tournaments, their sweethearts often gave them ribbons for good luck.

Roses are red...

Roses are red. Violets are blue. If I could pick anyone. I would pick you!

There is nothing quite like the fragrance of flowers in full bloom. Those wishing to turn their feelings into a blossoming love delight their sweethearts with beautiful red roses.

Over 50 million roses are given for Valentine’s Day each year. Why roses are so popular on Valentine's Day?

In Greek mythology, rose bushes grew from the ground through Aphrodite’s tears and the blood of her lover, Adonis. For this reason red rose is the symbol of Valentine’s Day.

The tradition of giving Valentine’s Day flowers dates back to the late 17th century. In Persia, King Charles II was interested in a unique form of art—the language of flowers, focused on expressing feelings without uttering any words at all. 

Romeo and Juliet

The romantic play, "Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare, is probably one of the most well-known love stories of all times.

This may sound strange but Juliet still receives letters on Valentine's Day each year. Over 1,000 cards are sent to the Italian city of Verona addressed to Juliet.  

The Casa di Giulietta or Juliet's House Giulietta has become a magnet for lovers around the world.

Those wishing to express all their feelings can write directly on the special walls of the courtyard or leave a message on paper and stick it to the wall. There is an official Juliet’s Club responsible for answering these letters.

St Valentine's Day is an annual festival to celebrate romantic love but don't forget to appreciate those you love daily, not once a year. You deserve someone who loves you with every single beat of his heart!

Dry weather is in the forecast for Baku tomorrow.

Report says, citing the National Hydrometeorology Department of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources, that the weather will be partly cloudy and mainly dry in Baku and Absheron peninsula. Fog and drizzle are expected in the morning. Mild south-west wind will blow.

Temperatures on the peninsula will be 1C to 4 C at night, 7C to 10 C in the daytime, in Baku 2C to 4 C at night, and 8C to 10 C in the daytime.

Atmospheric pressure will drop from 776 mm mercury column to 771 mm mercury column. Relative humidity will make 70-80% at night and 45-50% in the daytime.

The weather will be mainly dry be rainy in Azerbaijani regions tomorrow, with fog and mild west wind expected.

The air temperature will vary from -2C to -5C at night, +7C to +12 C in the daytime, in the mountains from -5C to -10 C at night, 0 to 4C in the day.

As for the medical-meteorological forecast, the weak and moderate hesitation of the meteorological factors expected on the Absheron peninsula is relatively favorable for people sensitive to weather.

Coach of the French national trampoline team Guillaume Bourgeon hopes that the members of the French team will win medals at the World Cup in Trampoline and Tumbling in Baku.

"The World Cup in Baku is an opportunity for the athletes to obtain licenses for the Olympic Games in Tokyo,” the coach told Trend. “So, not only athletes from different countries, but also members of one team will compete."

Bourgeon said that the French team arrived in Baku two days before the competitions.

"Our team is easily adapting to the atmosphere on eve of the World Cup in Trampoline and Tumbling,” the coach added. “I think two days before the competitions are enough for training. Moreover, the team was intensively training in France. Good conditions are always created for the participants of the competitions."

Bourgeon emphasized that he was at the competitions in Baku several times and attended the 2015 European Games.

“It is a great pleasure for me to visit Baku every time,” he said.

The World Cup in Trampoline and Tumbling will be held in Baku on February 15-16. Qualifications will be held on the first day of the two-day competition, and finals will be held on the second day.

The gymnasts, who will score highest in the tournament, will traditionally be awarded the AGF Trophy Cup.

Azerbaijan will be represented by two gymnasts - Seljan Magsudova in individual trampoline and Farid Mustafayev in tumbling.

The choice of the majority of the country’s population and the leading operator of the local mobile market, “Azercell Telecom” LLC, always stands out with initiatives aimed at the personal and scientific development of youth.

Continuing the tradition in this regard, on February 12, the company held a meeting with Abutalib Namazov, Murad Eynizadeh, Aziz Huseynov, and Ibrahim Taghizade, who honorably represent our country at International Olympiad in Informatics. Vahid Mursaliyev, CEO of Azercell Telecom, Nigar Shikhlinskaya, Corporate Communications Section Manager, Fuad Garayev, head of the Department for Work with Talented Children of the Institute of Education, Gorkhmaz Mustafayev, specialist of the Institute of Education, Kanan Asgarli and Rashad Mammadov, trainers of the national team, congratulated the winners and wished them success in their future activities.

“Major achievements of our schoolchildren in international Olympiads during the last few years is a source of pride. I am very pleased that Azercell has also contributed to this achievement of our students. Our company always supports projects aimed at the development of education, human capital and the training of highly qualified personnel in the field of information technology, and plans to continue its activities in this direction in the future”, - said Vahid Mursaliyev at the meeting.

F. Garayev especially noted the joint work of the Institute of Education and Azercell to identify talented students in the field of informatics and expressed hope for the further achievements of the Azerbaijani team at the following international Olympiads. Also, the winners were rewarded with valuable gifts by Azercell.

It should be noted that our schoolchildren accomplished great success this year. Winning a gold medal in informatics at the 16th Zhautykov Olympiad which took place on January 8-15 in Almaty, Kazakhstan, the 11th-grade student of the Lyceum in physics, mathematics, and computer science under the Ministry of Education Abutalib Namazov brought the first highest award in this subject to the country. The 11th-grade student of the same lyceum Murad Eynizadeh achieved a silver medal and the 10th-grade student of Ganja secondary school N15 Aziz Huseynov won a bronze medal at the Olympiad.

It is worth mentioning that, since 2017, Azercell in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, has been conducting special trainings for students preparing to take part in international Olympiad in order to support the development of their scientific potential.

The leader of the mobile communication industry, the largest taxpayer and the biggest investor of the non-oil sector of Azerbaijan “Azercell Telecom” LLC was founded in 1996. Currently, 4.8 million subscribers choose Azercell services. Mobile operator controls 49% of market share; while its geographical coverage constitutes 99.2% (excluding the occupied territories); and population coverage 99.8%.

Azercell was the pioneering mobile operator to introduce a number of innovations in Azerbaijan, including GSM technology, advance payment system, mobile internet services, 24/7 call center service (*1111), 7/7 Front Office service, Azercell Express offices, M2M services, 4G technology and pilot version of 5G, mobile, online customer care services and customer services through social media, mobile e-signature service “ASAN Imza” etc.

Rapidly increasing 4G network of Azercell covers nearly 60 regions of the country, including Baku and Absheron peninsula. According to the results of mobile network quality and wireless coverage mapping surveys by international systems, Azercell’s 4G network demonstrated the best results among the mobile operators of Azerbaijan. Azercell is the only company in Azerbaijan and CIS region which has been awarded Gold Certificate of International “Investors in People” Standard.

The Chairman of the Food Safety Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan Goshgar Tahmazli, has revealed the types of food products production date of which falsified most often.

According to Tahmazli investigations made clear that most often the production date changed for dairy products and confectionery.

Tahmazli: “Expiration date is also subject to interventions. In 2019, on the eve of the New Year, expiry date of caramel products for children found falsified”.

With many breathtaking and incredible historical sites, Azerbaijan has much to offer to curios adventurers. There is an array of ancient monuments that are still waiting to be explored.

On the way from Baku to Shamakhi there is Maraza village known for its wonderful mausoleum-mosque.

Diri Baba is a two-storied mausoleum-mosque of the 15th century. The mausoleum stands in a square located on a glyptic cliff. The monument was built of white limestone in a cave hollowed out of a rock in 1402.

This information is written on a decorative writing tier separating the floors of the building from each other: 805th year of Hijra.

They say that the monument was built by Shirvanshah Sheikh Ibrahim I. The tomb "Diri Baba" refers to the Shirvan-Absheron architecture of the Middle Ages.

The dome of the monument has the same style of decorative work as the Shirvanshahs palace complex, which links it with the famous 15th-century monuments in Baku.

For centuries, legends about the monument have been widely discussed among people. The monument is considered a sacred place.

For a long time the local residents have kept the legend that Saint Diri-Baba had been buried at this place.

There is a hypothesis that the person named Diri Baba is Pir Muhammad, who died during the prayer. It is even claimed that his body has not undergone decomposition for more than 300 years.

Another legend says that a man named Atam Ibn Emir arrived in Shirvan with his retinue and died here. It was his grave that is in the Diri Baba mausoleum. This man was a follower of the Prophet Muhammad and the "secret" teachings of the Sufis.

With its ancient mysteries, this landmark attracts many curious visitors. The monument consists of two floors with a dome. The main part of the monument is the second floor with a wide square room.

A small corridor covered with an octagonal cupola, where guests take their shoes off, is followed by the hall. There is an entrance to half-dark stairs that lead to the second store of a burial vault.

The mausoleum is closely adjoined the cliff, on a massif of which is carved a grotto. This place is where the Saint was buried. A narrow entry in the northern wall leads to this place.

Diri Baba mausoleum is a masterpiece of the Shirvan architectural school and a majestic creation of arts of ancient masters.

In 1956, the monument was restored. By a decision of the Cabinet of Ministers of August 2, 2001, the Diri Baba monument is protected as an important historical and cultural monument of the country.

Azerbaijan presented it tourism potential at the International Mediterranean Tourism Market 2020 (IMTM 2020) exhibition held in Tel-Aviv on February 11-12.

The country's tourism companies participated in the exhibition with the organizational support of the State Tourism Agency and the Azerbaijan Tourism Board.

Azerbaijan was represented at the exhibition by the 80 square meters stand, as well as four hotels, three tour operators and the Mountain Jews Museum, State Tourism Agency reported.

Bahruz Asgarov, Deputy Chief Executive Officer at Azerbaijan Tourism Board said that in recent years, Israel has been showing particular interest in Azerbaijan.

“We can confidently say that the indicators will increase even more, because the vast tourism potential, the ancient Jewish heritage in Azerbaijan, as well as friendly relations between the two nations create great opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation,” he said.

Rufat Sadikhov, Regional Manager in International Markets Management Department at Azerbaijan Tourism Board emphasized that information tours for representatives of a number of Israeli media and travel agencies were organized in 2019, and promotional events will continue this year.

He noted that health tourism is one of the main types of tourism that Israeli tourists are interested in and for this reason more intensive measures will be taken in health tourism destinations, such as Galaalty, Duzdag, Naftalan, etc.

As part of the visit, the presentation of the Mountain Jews Museum was held. Speaking at the event, the executive director of the museum Igor Shaulov noted that the museum created in Guba is already operating on a trial basis and it will officially open in the near future.

Note that Krasnaya Sloboda - the Jewish settlement located in Guba has been preserved for centuries as one of the most obvious examples of multiculturalism.

Azerbaijan’s Tourism Board is preparing a tourist route covering Baku, Guba, Oguz, Ismayilli and other regions where the Jewish heritage exists.

The exhibition hosted B2B meetings with local and international travel agencies, as well as Israeli travel agencies and they assessed the opportunities for cooperation.

Note that in 2019, the number of Israeli citizens visiting Azerbaijan amounted to 47,000 people, which is 66.8 percent more compared to 2018. In January 2020, 1,722 Israeli citizens visited in Azerbaijan, which is 158 percent more compared to the same period in 2019.