NEWS

The Culture Ministry has awarded the winners of an essay contest dedicated to Nizami Ganjavi.

The competition was announced within the Year of Nizami Ganjavi in Azerbaijan. 

This is the second competition held within the project "A History of Museum Exhibits project" (2020). The awarding ceremony took place at National Art Museum.

In her speech, the Deputy Culture Minister Sevda Mammadaliyeva named Nizami Ganjavi the founder of the Eastern Renaissance. The poet's traditions were continued by the great poets of the East.

Sevda Mammadalieva stressed that the work of Nizami Ganjavi also influenced Western literature. In the 19th century, Russian researchers began to study in depth the poet's legacy.

The Deputy Culture Minister noted that the Year of Nizami Ganjavi was remembered for large-scale  events, such as the 7th Baku International Book Fair, Nizami Ganjavi International Forum as well as numerous events held in the Hermitage Museum and the Russian National Library. 

Next, the Culture Ministry awarded the winners of the competition aimed at promoting Nizami Ganjavi's legacy.

Over 50 participants presented their works for the competition. The first place went to Nargiz Gashimova. Aisha Safarova took second place, while Omar Mammadzade ranked third. 

The Heydar Aliyev Foundation has completed work on the repair and restoration of the Catholic Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Baku.

The roof of the church has been overhauled. The waterproofing has also been provided in the church.

The Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary was built in Baku in 1912. After the Bolsheviks came to power, in 1934, the church was destroyed like several other religious monuments.

After the restoration of Azerbaijan's independence, national leader Heydar Aliyev ordered the building of a new church.  A territory was allocated in Baku for the construction of a new church.

The Catholic Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary was commissioned in March 2008.

The church's suspended ceiling was replaced with artistically decorated glass on religious themes, made in the technique of classical stained glass in September 2008.

The renovation was made within cooperation between the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the Roman Catholic religious community.

Moreover, Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the Roman Catholic religious community have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which focuses on restoration, supporting social and religious facilities.

The MOU provides for activities aimed at the ethno-cultural development of peoples living in Azerbaijan.

"Employees of the Culture Ministry are also included in the monitoring groups established by President Ilham Aliyev in late October 2020," Culture Minister Anar Karimov told journalists, Report informs.

He said that monitoring has been underway since November 2020: “As a result of monitoring, about 400 cultural monuments and about 160 new historical and cultural monuments have been found in the liberated territories. At the same time, the venues of over 800 cultural institutions have been identified. Unfortunately, the conditions of 90-95% of historical and cultural monuments and institutions are deplorable, almost completely destroyed. This imposes an obligation on us to restore all of them. Simultaneously, after the analysis of the monitoring results, we will appeal to international organizations. Our goal is to bring Armenia to justice for these atrocities and the deliberate destruction of Azerbaijan's cultural and historical monuments.”

Azerbaijan has been elected as a member of the UNESCO Committee for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict for the next four years, the Foreign Ministry reported on December 2.

The election was held within the ninth meeting of the States Parties to the Second Protocol to the Hague Convention of 1954 for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict.

The meeting of the States Parties is convened every two years at the same time as the General Conference of UNESCO, and in coordination with the Meeting of the High Contracting Parties, if such a meeting has been called by the Director-General.

In addition to the representatives of the States Parties to the 1999 Second Protocol, the representatives of Member States of UNESCO not parties to this Protocol and permanent observer missions to UNESCO may participate in the work of the meeting as observers, without the right to vote.

Previously, Azerbaijan was elected a member of the organization's Executive Board for 2021-2025.

During the election, Azerbaijan was nominated for one of three vacancies allocated for the East European Group.

Azerbaijan gained 143 votes during the election held in conditions of intense competition.

Notably, Azerbaijan was also a member of the UNESCO Executive Board in 2005-2009.

Under the patronage of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, the Arab Republic of Egypt will host the 14th Session of the General Conference of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), on December 8 and 9, 2021, with the participation of 49 delegations out of the 51 ICESCO Member States. Egypt will also host the 42nd Session of the Organization’s Executive Council on December 6, 2021.

As part of its new vision, ICESCO follows a new approach in holding the 14th Session of the General Conference, which is completely different from the previous sessions and aims to yield practical outcomes with field impact.

The agenda of ICESCO’s 14th Session of General Conference in Cairo includes an opening ceremony, in conjunction with the organization of the Global Forum on Higher Education and Scientific Research, held by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research in the Arab Republic of Egypt, under the patronage of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. Afterward, the General Conference will hold its opening session, followed by a procedural session to examine the credentials and the list of delegations, the Conference Draft Agenda and Draft Programme, and compose the General Conference Bureau.

The General Conference will conclude its proceedings with a plenary session, followed by a closing session to approve Members of ICESCO’s 43rd Executive Council, announce the date and venue of the 15th Session of the General Conference and adopt the Conference resolutions.

Azerbaijan State Opera and Ballet Theater will present Giacomo Puccini's masterpiece "La Boheme" on December 11. 

The theater invited People's Artist of Belarus Vladimir Gromov ( Marseille) and the leading soloist of the Odessa National Academic Opera and Ballet Theater Eduard Martynyuk (Rodolfo) to perform in the opera. 

"La Boheme" will also bring together the soloists of the State Opera and Ballet Theater- People's Artists of Azerbaijan Ali Askarov (Alcindor), Akram Poladov (Colline), Honored Artists Ilaha Afandiyev (Mimi), Inara Babayev (Musetta), Tural Aghasiyev (Schaunard) and the soloist Mahir Taghizade (Benoit).

The opera will be conducted by the principal conductor, Honored Artist Ayyub Guliyev. 

"La Boheme" is composed by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, based on Scenes de la vie de boheme by Henri Murger.

The opera tells about the tragic love story of Mimi and Rodolfo, set in Paris in the year 1830.

The world premiere of the opera  was held in Turin on February 1896.

Since then, it has become part of the standard Italian opera repertory and is one of the most frequently performed operas worldwide.

Azerbaijan's eminent composer Tofig Bakikhanov has significantly contributed to the country's musical culture.

He is the author of concerts for violin, violoncello, flute, oboe, dual concerts, musical comedies. This year, People's Artist Tofig Bakikhanov turns 90 years.

The State Philharmonic Hall will host a gala festival dedicated to composer. The festival will open at the Chamber and Organ Music Hall on December 6.

On the first day, Azerbaijan State Piano Trio will please the audience with chamber music composed by Tofig Bakikhanov.

The piano trio consists of Honored Artists Tofig Babayeva (violin) and Sabina Ibrahimova (cello), Elnara Kabirlinskaya (piano) and soloist Farida Ahmadbayova (piano).

The Azerbaijan State String Quartet will also perform at the concert. The quartet includes Honored Artists Jeyla Seyidova (violin), Soltan Mammadova (violin), Vakhtang Imanov (viola), Alexey Miltykh (cello), soloist - Honored Artist, Honored Teacher Samira Ashumova (piano) and Elgun Babayev (double bass).

Another concert is scheduled for December 8. Honored Artist Sahib Pashazade (tar) and Sevinj Karimova (piano) will perform the composer's music piece for piano and tar.

Tofig Bakikhanov, a descendant of Baku khans, started his musical activity as a violinist.

In 1953, he graduated from the Azerbaijan State Conservatory specializing in violin. Azerbaijan's outstanding composer Fikrat Amirov was his teacher.

He also majored in music composing under the guidance of the great national composer Gara Garayev.

In 1950-1953, Bakikhanov worked as a violinist in the trio of the Azerbaijan Philharmonic Society.

From 1970, Tofig Bakikhanov began to work as the senior teacher of the department of chamber music and as the dean of the performing program of the Azerbaijan Conservatory.

Now the composer is the professor of Baku Academy of Music. Since 1969 till now, Tofig Bakikhanov has performed recitals in Paris, Moscow, Tbilisi, Istanbul, Izmir, Tehran and in other cities.

In 1968, his ballet "Caspian Ballade'' was staged at the Azerbaijan State Opera and Ballet Theater.

His most famous works include  "One of six" operetta, "Welcoming overture", three symphonies for chamber orchestra, etc.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed an order on the erection of a monument to famous poet Ashig Alasgar in Baku on November 30.

According to the order, the Baku City Executive Power, together with the Ministry of Culture, has been instructed to take measures to erect a monument to Ashig Alasgar.

The Azerbaijani Cabinet of Ministers was instructed to resolve the issues arising from this order.

Italian designer Roberto Coin has created magnificent jewelry inspired by Khari Bulbul flower.

The designer has created two brooches of different shades. They are made of black and white gold and studded with different precious stones - diamonds, sapphires, rubies, diamonds.

The jewelry pieces can be used both as a brooch and as pendants.  The brooches were created in a single copy, but they can be ordered. The designer plans to produce jewelry in five different styles. The jewelry pieces will be sold only in Azerbaijan.

"For the first time I decided to create something unique for Azerbaijan. My friends from Baku told me Khari Bulbul flower," the designer told.

The flower Khari Bulbul grows only in Shusha. Khari means "bee" and Bulbul means "nightingale".

If you look at the flower closely, you can easily see three petals spreading in three different directions. Two of them are like wings, and the third one in the middle is shaped like a bird’s head. This beautiful  flower grows only in Shusha.

There are many legends associated with the flower. One of the stories is about the daughter of Karabakh Khan Ibrahim Khalil –Agha Beyim Aga.

After the khan’s daughter was married to an Iranian king, she began to miss her homeland  Karabakh. So, the shah decided to build a garden that included all the different flowers growing in Karabakh.

However, Khari Bulbul  was the only flower that refused to grow there.

Now, the Khari Bulbul flower is a symbol of Azerbaijan's victory in the Second Karabakh War.

Meanwhile, Roberto Coin has recently visited Azerbaijan for the fifth time.

"It is always a pleasure for me to visit Azerbaijan. I am always amazed at the beauty of Azerbaijani women. And, most importantly, they love jewelry. I am always looking for new sources of inspiration, making a fascinating journey through cultures and traditions, borrowing ideas from nature itself,"  he said.

Just one day left before the long-awaited Azerbaijan Fashion Week.

The large-scale event will take place at Hilton Baku Hotel on December 2-3.

Famous fashion designer, Honored Art Worker Fakhriya Khalafova is getting ready for the fashion week.

For the first time, the designer has created a stunning Khari Bulbul print for a silk dress, Trend Life reported. 

The dress will be presented in the final part of the designer's new collection - spring / summer 2022 as part of the 11th season of Azerbaijan Fashion Week.

The fashion show will take place at Hilton Baku Hotel on December 2. Sophisticated dress will be shown in the end of the fashion show. 

Speaking about her fashion idea, Fakhriya Khalafova noted that Khari Bulbul flower is inextricably linked with Shusha and Karabakh. It is a symbol of love and peace, a real talisman of Azerbaijan, a national symbol of Victory in the 44-day Patriotic War.

The designer dedicated her fashion project to the two major historical events in the history of Azerbaijan: first anniversary of Victory Day and the declaration of the city of Shusha as the Azerbaijan's cultural capital.

"Khari Bulbul is not only a stunning and unique flower, but it is also multifaceted and complex to design. This textile print, intended for direct printing on fabrics and used to apply patterns on natural materials, could fully reflect the inimitable beauty of the Khari Bulbul flower," the designer said. 

The designer stressed the importance of Khari Bulbul textile print. Since until now, there was no such fabric available. So, Fakhriya Khalafova decided to create it by herself.

She drew a sketch and asked specialist in ebru art (painting on water) Sevinj Aliyeva for help.

As a result, Khari Bulbul print  was created on the basis of natural paints and transferred to silk fabric. 

"Major work has been done to implement this fashion project which is an exclusively handmade. I put all my knowledge, my soul and many years of experience into designing this dress...,"  said Khalafova.

Khari Bulbul print silk dress will be presented in the final part of the designer's fashion show.

In conclusion,  Fakhriya Khalafova expressed her confidence that the fashion collection, especially a silk dress will make a great impression on fashionistas.

Being an annual large-scale fashion project, Azerbaijan Fashion Week suspended its work for two whole years for objective reasons such as the coronavirus pandemic.

Today, when the fight against coronavirus in the world and in the country has reached a new level, and most importantly, when Azerbaijan returned its territories. A new life has already started and fashion returned as well.

So, the 11th season of the fashion week will be held under the motto "Return".

Khari Bulbul, an endemic flower growing in Karabakh, has become the symbol of the upcoming season.

Azerbaijani and Kazakh fashion houses and designers Fakhriya Khalafova, Amelie, Nubi, Lora Atelier, Mario Russo, K.Fabuel, Lora, Libas, Nara Eyvazova, Giedi, Alex Chzhen (Kazakhstan), Hanym (Kazakhstan), Volskata Atelier (Kazakhstan) have already confirmed their participation in the Azerbaijan Fashion Week.

In May 2015, the first season of Azerbaijan Fashion Week took place in Azerbaijan, which marked the beginning of the Fashion Weeks in the country.

The large-scale project became the primary reason for the emergence of the fashion market as such in the country, because the few fashion designers who existed at that time were scattered throughout their activities, making considerable efforts to promote themselves.

Azerbaijan Fashion Week has become exactly the platform that united the efforts of all those who work in the field of fashion, becoming a platform that brought together designers, buyers, local and foreign press, as well as all fashionistas.

Over the ten seasons, Azerbaijan Fashion Week has retained the status of the most important fashion event in Azerbaijan.