NEWS

Renown carpet designer Zahra Aliyeva has played an exceptional role in Azerbaijan's carpet weaving art.

She could pass on the carpet weaving traditions and its forgotten technologies to the Azerbaijani weavers.

Her beautiful decorative carpets are kept in the country's museums and private collections abroad.

Nizami Cinema Center has premiered a documentary "Knots of Life" dedicated to the outstanding carpet designer.

In her remarks, the Carpet Museum director Shirin Malikova spoke about the life and work of carpet weaver, Honored Cultural Worker Zahra Aliyeva who has been working at the museum since 1997.

" Zahra Aliyeva has been learning the secrets of the carpet weaving art from an early age. For many years she has been enthusiastically sharing her knowledge with students, passing on carpet weaving traditions and its forgotten technologies," she said.

Zahra Aliyeva expressed her deep gratitude to President Ilham Aliyev and everyone who highly appreciates her art.

Film director Mubariz Naghiyev shared interesting facts about the filming process with the audience.

The documentary reflects Zahra Aliyeva's invaluable experience and creative life.

The film  "Knots of Life" was produced by Salnamefilm Studio LLC by order of the Culture Ministry.

The film also includes archival materials and memories of outstanding carpet designers Latif Karimov, Jafar Mujiri and Kamil Aliyev.

Gala Antiques Museum was founded in 2011 on the initiative and with the support of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation based on a personal collection of engineers, restorers, Karabakh war veterans and Shahid Khabibullaev.

The rich collection, which has been going for many years, now features about 3,000 exhibits. Antiques created by Azerbaijani masters, which formed its basis, have been repeatedly exhibited at international exhibitions, including in Paris, London, Washington, Berlin, Moscow, Cairo, Rabat, Bishkek, Tashkent and other cities.

This museum has a total of 800 exhibits of a unique collection. On the first and second floors of the museum present various objects of decorative and applied art created by the Azerbaijani people over the centuries. Visitors of the museum see the ancient history of Gala village here.

The land of Nakhchivan, one of the ancient cultural centers of Azerbaijan, is rich in ancient monuments, settlements, magnificent castles, petroglyphs and stone ram statues that vividly reflect the historical past of mankind.

The monument Gamigaya, which witnessed the millennial history of Nakhchivan, attracts more attention today.

Located in Ordubad region of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic of Azerbaijan, Gamigaya is one of the oldest human settlements in the world. These monuments are located northeast of Tivi and Nasirvaz villages of the region, at an altitude of 3000-3500 meters above sea level in the Lesser Caucasus. Pictographic inscriptions on the stones were recorded in Garangush, Gamisholan and Nabiyurdu pastures.

The age of the Gamigaya pictographies and the description of the dwellings are at least 5-6 thousand years.

As a result of investigations, it was possible to observe the life and cultural development path of the people lived there. The Gamigaya pictographies are investigated from 1968. As a result of investigations, the round planned dwelling houses characteristic for the ancient architecture of Nakhchivan (the diameter of the walls 5-12m, were built of big sized rock pieces) and pictographic descriptions (on the rocks around the dwelling houses) were discovered.

The most part of the ancient art works constitute the animal paintings, of which- goat, ox, deer, dog, leopard, wolf and others.

Naturally, all animal paintings are in the form of alone, double, or in a flock form. The Gamigaya pictographies are distinguished for their compositions simplicity and complication and also for their plots. The ox pictures are of the realist style, the horns are long and arch bent. There are depicts of the bull carts. The human pictures were given alone or in the staged compositions. Some human paintings were given in the fantastic form with their zoomorphic features. Among the pictures discovered the armed stages of the hunters with arrows and bows etc. and the stage of dance draw the attention of people.

The most attractive symbolic signs of pictographic character – circles, square, triangle, the sign of the fortune of wheel were engraved in Gamigaya. These kinds of signs were scratched in the clay plates, painted potteries discovered from the Bronze Age layer, belonging to the 2nd millennium of Kultapa I, in Nakhchivan. The comparative analysis of the Gamigaya petrographies with the analogical monuments gives an opportunity to arrive at scientific conclusions about the moral culture and art of the ancient Azerbaijan and all these give a grounded confirmation to say that they belong to the Nakhchivan culture of the Azerbaijan descriptive art.

In 2013, a building for Gamigaya Historical-Fictional Reserve and Museum was commissioned.

The museum, featuring two auxiliary rooms and an exhibition hall, hosts more than 200 exhibits. Petroglyphs which have paintings on them, various books, newspapers, paintings, photographs of rock petroglyphs on the research work carried out in Gamigaya, as well as materials of scientific symposiums on the history of Nakhchivan were collected in the museum.

National cuisine can tell many interesting things about the culture and history of a country, and in this sense, Azerbaijani cuisine, with its excellent taste and quality characteristics, as it were, speaks for itself.

Dishes of Azerbaijani cuisine are mentioned in ancient written sources, the records of travelers and explorers, merchants and diplomats.

It’s no secret that the culinary art of Azerbaijan is popular in many countries of the world, especially in the East. Azerbaijan has long been known for local varieties of grapes and fruit, which contributed significantly to the enrichment of national cuisine.

Home cooking and eating has long served as the primary ethnographic feature of Azerbaijanis in both cities and rural areas.

Using old culinary recipes from generation to generation, housewives have expanded the range of dishes and improved their quality.

Like other regions of Azerbaijan, its capital Baku has its own unique features of local cuisine.

Important ingredients of original Baku cuisine are a lot of spices - saffron, thyme, cumin, mint, tarragon, pepper, etc. In some dishes, along with lemon, the juice of unripe grapes - abgora, pomegranate juice, as well as sour sumac are used.

Azerbaijani national cuisine dishes are traditionally prepared in copper vessels, and this tradition continues to live in Baku – Icharishahar.

Below is a description of some basic traditional dishes characteristic of Baku – Icharishahar:

Kufta-bozbash: Broth is cooked from the brisket. The flesh of mutton is minced and onions are added. Salt, pepper and separately washed rice are added here, and it all is mixed manually. Palm-sized kufta balls are made from the resulting minced meat, and a plum is placed in each of them. One day before, peas are soaked and cooked in a separate dish. The ready broth is filtered through a metal sieve and placed on the fire, and when it boils, cooked peas, kufta, potatoes, 2-3 whole onions, salt, pepper, saffron, or yellow ginger are added. It is served in a bowl, sprinkled with herbs or dry mint. Peeled onions and sumac are served separately.

Dushbara (dumplings): Broth is cooked from sheep bones, and minced meat with onion, salt, pepper and cilantro is made from the flesh of meat. Stiff flour dough is kneaded with water and eggs and rolled out to 1 mm. Then the dough is sliced into equal squares of 2x2 cm. The minced meat is placed in the center of each square and wrapped in a special way. The ready dushbara is shaken on a sieve, freed from excess flour, and cooked in filtered broth. 5-7 minutes after the broth starts boiling, the dushbara emerges on the surface - the dinner is ready. Vinegar with garlic is served separately. On top, the dushbara is sprinkled with dried mint or greens, depending on the season.

Khash (jelly): The head, feet and tripe are processed, washed well and soaked for at least an hour. Then they are chopped into pieces, put in a pot, and cold water is poured on them - 2 liters of water per 1 kg. They cook it for a long time, occasionally removing the foam with a skimmer. After the cooking, the meat is removed and separated from the large bones. Then the meat is cut into small pieces and put in the broth to finish cooking. The resulting broth is filtered and served separately from the meat with vinegar and garlic added for flavor.

Gurza: They make minced meat from mutton, add salt and pepper and fry it. Stiff dough is kneaded, rolled out to 1 mm and cut into circles of 5 cm. The ready minced meat is placed in the circles and wrapped so that the seam is on top - one end remains open. Gurza is boiled in salted water; when it surfaces, it is taken away from the stove and drained. When it is ready, gatig, mint and cinnamon are served.

Kabab (shish kabab): This dish comes from the shepherd’s rather than the agricultural way of life. Today kabab is perceived as a picnic and almost a festive meal (prepared by men) which has a merely informal nature, because it is eaten by hand. Shish kabab is a kind of culinary escapism associated with escape into nature.

Kabab is prepared not only from meat but also from vegetables or adding vegetables - eggplants, potatoes, peppers and tomatoes. Many varieties of plov decorate Baku cuisine. Plov is boiled rice cooked in a special way and seasoned with butter. Often, plovs are prepared with meat, fish, vegetables, egg and flour garnishes, fruits, berries, etc. In most cases, plovs are prepared from boiled rice, while undrained rice (demya) is rarely used.

Among the many varieties of plov, we should note turshu govurma, ali-musamba, sabzi govurma, parcha doshama, doyma doshama, fisinjan plov, mutanjam, lobya-chilov, giyma plov, marji plov, kuku plov, juja plov, toyug plov, gizil balig plov, sudlu plov, shirin plov, yarma plov, gir-gir plov, kishmishli plov, etc.

National Theater Day has been celebrated with colorful flash mob at Baku Metro Station.

The metro passengers enjoyed theatrical show within "Theater Everywhere" project carried out by the Culture Ministry with the support of the State Musical Theater, Azerbaijan State University of Culture and Arts, Ganjlik Mall and Baku Metro. The general producer of the project is Zaur Mirzazade.

Fascinating shows took place at Ganjlik Mall, Icharishahar, Sahil and other metro stations.

Scenes from the plays "Homage to Notre Dame de Paris" and "The Cloth Peddler" were shown during the flash mob.

National Theater in Azerbaijan was created in the 1870s at the initiative of prominent playwright Mirza Fatali Akhundov.

On March 10, 1873, Baku Real School performed the comedy "Adventure-vizier-khan Lankaran" by Mirza Fatali Akhundov.

Azerbaijan prominent playwrights, actors and directors have played a great role in the formation of the national theater.

Eminent cultural and public figures like Mirza Fatali Akhundov, Hasan bey Zardabi, Najaf bey Vazirov, Jalil Mammadguluzade, Jafar Jabbarli, Ilyas Efendiyev, Huseyn Arablinski, and many others played an invaluable role in the formation and development of the national theater.

There are a number of theaters operating in Azerbaijan, including Shaki Drama Theater, YUGH Theater and many others.

This year the professional national theater in Azerbaijan turns 149 years old.

Today, Azerbaijani theater art is taking a new turn in the art world. The country pays great attention to the development of theater art.

The fashion industry is one of the most polluting industries in the world. Only 20 percent of the 62 million tons of clothing that is used worldwide each year is reused or recycled.

The exhibition project  "Sustainable fashion: Future of textiles" focuses on how manufacturers and consumers can minimize the undesirable environmental impacts of the fashion industry by remanufacturing, reuse and recycling of garments and their components.

The initiative also reflects reflections on Swedish and Azerbaijani fashion, environmental art and textile production, traditional and environmentally friendly women's crafts.

The project  will be presented at the Khirdalan Cultural House on March 11.

The project is co-organized by the Absheron Executive Power region and Khirdalan municipality in partnership with the Swedish Embassy in Azerbaijan and Sumgayit Regional Cultural Department.

The exhibition has been prepared by the Swedish Institute in cooperation with fashion researchers and experts.

It focuses on key issues in the fashion industry and showcases Swedish solutions and initiatives for a more sustainable future. The curator of the exhibition project is Konul Rafiyeva.

Gurama, a kind of handicraft, where a single piece is sewn from pieces of fabric according to the principle of a mosaic, will be also showcased as part of the exhibition.

It should be noted that samples of gurama for the exhibition were made from unused textile fabrics collected by the Khirdalan residents, which is a product of the community's collaboration.

It reflects a personal artistic vision of the future of sustainable textiles in Azerbaijan and is an example of a completely different approach, combining traditional craftsmanship and collective environmental experience.

The exhibition will also feature works by invited artists Ludmila Khristeseva (Sweden) and Gunel Ravilova (Azerbaijan). Through a multimedia dialogue, the artists offer two different perspectives on fashion, textiles and ecology and try to define the role of textiles in shaping women's identity.

The exhibition "Sustainable Fashion: Future of Textiles" will run until  April 11, 2022. Entrance is free.

The European Union (EU) strives to maintain cultural ties with Azerbaijan, EU Ambassador to the Republic of Azerbaijan Peter Michalko said at the Bridges of Europe photo exhibition within the framework of the FantazEU festival, Trend reports.

According to him, the purpose of this festival is to develop cultural partnerships among the EU, Azerbaijan, and other countries.

Michalko noted the great importance of establishing ties between people at a time when military actions are being conducted in one of the European countries.

The exhibition also included photographs of the Khudaferin Bridge, which connected the northern and southern banks of the Araz River in the Jabrayil district.

Khan Shushinski entered the music history as one of the most prominent Azerbaijani mugham singers. He left after himself a strong school of talented composers and musicians.

Heydar Aliyev Palace has honored a memory of the exceptional musician and composer with a marvelous concert. The concert was also timed to the Year of Shusha, a native city of the mugham legend.

People's Artists Mansum Ibrahimov, Nazakat Teymurova, Malakhanum Ayyubova, Teyyub Aslanov, Gyulyaz Mammadova, Gyulyanag Mammadova, Samir Jafarov, Natiq rhythm group, Honored Artists Tayyar Bayramov, Sevinj Sariyeva, Anar Shushaly, Babek Niftaliyev, Sabuhi Ibayev, as well as Kamila Nabiyeva, Sabina Arabli, Azerbaijani pearl Dance Enseble led by honored artist Naili Mammadzade, Baku Choreographic Academy and many others captivated the audience with marvelous performances under the baton of the Buta Instrumental Ensemble conducted by Rovshan Gurbanov.

Azerbaijan's folk songs and mugham compositions such as Arazbari, Mahur-Hindi, Bayati-Kajar, as well as the author's works of the outstanding mugham singer Khan Shushinski sounded at the concert.

The guests were shown video materials about Khan Shushinski and the foundation named after him headed by his daughter Beyimkhanum Javanshirova-Verdiyeva.

Descendant of Karabakh khan

The mugham singer is a descendant of the founder of the Karabakh Khanate Panah Ali Khan Javanshir.

The khan founded the Karabakh khanate in the 18th century. He made Shusha his capital and founded Shusha Castle.

After his brilliant performance of the Kurd-Shahnaz  mugham in Shusha, the people started to call Khan Shushinski  a khan when he was only 16 years old.

The owner of a powerful voice skillfully sang mughams, folk songs and tasnifs, among which were Mahur-Hindi, Heyrat, Karabakh Shikastasi, Arazbari, etc.

He performed folk songs with special brilliance, everytime surpising listeners with something new.

Since Isfandiyar also played the tambourine well, he always had success performing rhythmic mughams.

Khan Shushinski was known as a talented composer after writing a number of songs, including the compositions "Beuaty", "Gamar" as well as "The mountains in Shusha are covered with fog" dedicated to his native city of Shusha.

In the film "If Not That One, Then This One", Khan Shushinski was accompanied by Talat Bakikhanov (kamancha) and Bahram Mansurov (tar).

In 1960, he created the "Mugham studio" in the Azerbaijan State Philharmonic, where he gave private lessons to the young mugham singers. He later taught vocal arts at the Asaf Zeynally Music School.

The outstanding mugham singer was named the People's Artist of the Azerbaijan SSR (1943) and received the Order of the Badge of Honour (1959).

Khan Shushinski was much beloved by the Azerbaijani public. The people's love for Khan Shushinskyi knew no bounds. He was buried in the Alley of Honor in Baku.

The Khan Shushinski Foundation operates in Azerbaijan to perpetuate the singer's name. There is also a street named after him in Baku.

Jidir Duzu is located near the city of Shusha. This plain overlooks the valley and the Dashalti gorge, through which the Dashalti River flows 200 meters below.

The plain is located in the heart of the mountains, the only large and smooth area of the city. For this reason, horse races, chovgan games, Novruz and other folk festivals have been held here since ancient times.

Jidir plain has always been a favorite place of Shusha residents and visitors to Shusha. It is located on the outskirts of the city - in the upper part of the Dashalti gorge. The fascinating view from here amazes people.

The song with which Nadir Rustamli will represent Azerbaijan at the international song contest Eurovision 2022 has been selected. The representative of Azerbaijan at the contest wrote about this on his İnstagram page, Trend reports.

"I’ve been absolutely thrilled to share this news with you - WE HAVE THE SONG! We recorded it yesterday and I was super happy cause it was the one I’d been really hoping for", he wrote.

The Eurovision Song Contest 2022 will be held in Turin (Italy), the semi-finals will be held on May 10 and 12, the final on May 14.