NEWS

The Azerbaijan State Theatre of Young Spectators will take part in the international festival "Theatre. Territory of Unity" in Russia on April 10-20. 

More than 20 solo performances from 13 countries will take part in the virtual festival, including Azerbaijan, Russia, Bulgaria, Moldova, Israel, Kazakhstan, U.S. and Ukraine. The theatre lovers will be able to see each performance only once in a live broadcast.

The Theatre of Young Spectators will delight the viewers with a solo performance based on the work "Act Without Words" by the Irish writer Samuel Beckett.

Like many of Beckett's works, the play was originally written in French (Acte sans paroles I), being translated into English by Beckett himself. It was written in 1956 following a request from dancer Deryk Mendel and first performed in 1957 at the Royal Court Theatre in London. 

The stage director and set designer of the play is Isa Asadov, actor - Honored Artist Shovgi Huseynov.

Founded in 1928, the State Theatre of Young Spectators (ASTYS) was known as the Baku Children’s Theatre.

The theatre's team included Aghadadash Gurbanov, Mammadagha Dadashov, Yusif Eminli, Mina Abdullayeva, Yusif Dadashov, Susanna Majidova, Javahir Isgandarova, Suleyman Alasgarov, Huseynagha Sadikhov, Karim Hasanov, Zafar Nematov, Maharram Hashimov, and Alimammad Atayev.

The Russian section of the theatre started its activity on November 6, 1928, when a Russian troupe made a performance of the play "Five people" by N.Smirnov and S.Serbakov here for the first time.

National troupe, created on the basis of a drama circle of pioneers affiliated with the Baku Club of Sailors became a member of this theatre, in 1930. Azerbaijani section started on January 30, 1930, with "Against Red tie" by N.Ivanter.

In the first years of its existence, the theatre staged plays of Russian writers, which were constituted the repertoire of Young Spectators' Theatres of other cities of the USSR.

In the 1930s, plays of Azerbaijani dramatists were included in the repertoire of the theatre: In the streets by Jafarov and Melik-Yeganov (1932), Nargiz (1936), Ayaz (1937), Gizil Gush (Golden bird) by Seyidzade (1938), and Mammad the Partisan by Isgandarov and Sabit Rahman (1939).

In 1936, the theatre was named after Maxim Gorky. The Baku Children’s Theatre was renamed based on the order of the Commissariat of Public Enlightenment on July 18, 1936, and has been called the Azerbaijan State Theatre of Young Spectators since then.

The State Youth Theatre and the Baku Camera Theatre were united to ASTYS under the Cabinet of Ministers decisions in 2009.

Children's and Youth Theatres of the Azerbaijan State Theater of Young Spectators became members of the International Association of Theatre for Children and Young People (ASSITEJ) in May 2011.

The Azerbaijani Union of Filmmakers has announced a winner of the script contest - Karabakh is Azerbaijan!

The competition focused on scripts that reflect the National Army's heroic struggle for Azerbaijan's territorial integrity. 

The jury members selected scripts in the following nominations: "Best script for a feature film", "Best script for a documentary film", "Best script for a short film", "Best Screenplay for an Animated Film". The winners were awarded cash prizes.

The script of the feature film Alagoz directed by Maria Ibrahimova won first place at the national script competition.

The film tells the story of a Karabakh refugee who is looking for his beloved horse. The scrip won in "Best Screenplay for a Feature Film" nomination. 

Speaking about her victory, Maria Ibrahimova expressed her gratitude to the short story's author Meykhish Abdullah, author of the first draft for the script Lala Aliyeva-Klyuchkova and many others who supported her idea.

Azerbaijani cinema has come to be an internationally recognized modern art enjoying huge popularity and recognition at international film festivals, which frequently award national films.

Over the past years, more than 300 films and 1,200 documentaries, as well as hundreds of cartoons were filmed.

Shortly after the Lumiere brothers from France invented cinematography, an apparatus for making motion pictures in 1895, Alexandre Michon, a Russian photographer and cameraman, began shooting motion pictures that depicted everyday life in Baku. 

The first short, silent film of Azerbaijani cinematography You are caught was shown in Baku on August 2, 1898. The audience witnessed a historical event - the birth of Azerbaijani cinematography.

To honour this historical day, the national leader Heydar Aliyev signed an order on December 18, 2000, to declare August 2 as a professional holiday of cinema workers – Day of Azerbaijani Cinema.

At present, it is planned to carry out systemic reforms to develop and modernize cinema art in Azerbaijan. 

The Culture Ministry has selected short feature films, documentaries and animations for the "Great Return" project. 

The ministry accepted works on patriotic themes, which reflected Azerbaijan's victory in the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War.

The project aims to support talented filmmakers, state studios and independent production centres.

Only 49 selected works, including 5 by TV channels, 7 - by state studios, 37 - by independent production centres will be qualified for the second stage. 

Films that have passed to the second stage will be judged by the jury until April 16, 2021. The projects selected among them will participate in the third stage - pitching.

During the third stage, the filmmakers will be able to defend their projects at open pitching on April 19-29.  

The winning projects will be announced on April 30. They will be filmed by the companies that submitted them on the order and financial support of the Culture Ministry.

The clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan resumed after Armenia launched large-scale attacks on Azerbaijani forces and civilians on September 27. 

The 44 days of war ended with the Russian-brokered peace deal signed on November 10 by the Azerbaijani, Russian and Armenian leaders.  

The peace agreement ended the 30-year-old conflict between Baku and Yerevan over Azerbaijan’s Nagorno-Karabakh region that along with the seven adjacent districts came under the occupation of the Armenian armed forces in the war in the early 1990s.

For about three decades, Armenia failed to implement the UN Security Council resolutions demanding the withdrawal of the Armenian troops, which was the main obstacle to the resolution of the conflict. 

The National Carpet Museum's Shusha Branch has enriched its collection with a fabulous Chelebi rug.

The central part of the carpet is formed by the single-medallion composition with sixteen notched petals against a burgundy background. It is surrounded by auxiliary elements that bear a certain meaning.​

This ancient Turkic medallion has a variety of meanings, yet, mainly symbolizes the sun.​ The carpet's main border enhanced with the zulfalam patterns, widespread in Azerbaijani carpet weaving art. 

The colour scheme of the rest elements adds special beauty to the composition.

This 18th-century carpet is made of high-quality wool and dyed with natural dyes. The art piece has survived to this day in good condition. 

The carpet was donated to the ANCM's Shusha Branch by the Azerbaijan Culture Ministry. 

Moreover, the Carpet Museum also provided insight into the 17th century Karabakh rug, namely the Khatai carpet. The art piece is on display at the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts.

The carpet features crossed khatai branches, dragon elements as well as navy, white and red colours. 

Four wide red khatai elements create a big medallion in the carpet’s centre, and big white and golden-edged palmettes adorn the four corners of this medallion.

The four white narrow khatais divide the central medallion into four parts with stylized horned dragons by its sides and palmettes on the top and bottom. The composition sports six big dragon images.

The secretary-general of the Azerbaijan National Commission for ICESCO (Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), Vasif Eyvazzadeh, has praised the country's cooperation with ICESCO.

In his speech at the 41st session of the  ICESCO Executive Council, Eyvazzadeh focused on the UN declaration of 2021 as the "International Year of Creative Economy for Sustainable Development",  startups and new project platforms. He also made a report on the successful cooperation between  Azerbaijan and ICESCO.

The 41st session of the ICESCO Executive Council, also joined by Azerbaijan, reviewed reports about ICESCO's activities for 2019-20 and many key documents, namely the organization’s enhanced vision, the draft ICESCO Chair Regulations and much more.

Azerbaijan and ICESCO have been enjoying successful partnership in education, culture and science since 1991.

These relations have entered into a new stage after Azerbaijani First Vice-President Mehriban Aliyeva was awarded as ICESCO Goodwill Ambassador on November  24, 2006.

Mehriban Aliyeva was honoured for her services in the development of education and dialogue between civilizations.

The country also closely cooperates with various  ICESCO organizations, including the Islamic Development Bank, the Islamic Conference of Parliamentary Union, etc.

Over the past years, Azerbaijan and ICESCO have built strong ties, based on common values.

The visit of the ICESCO delegation to Azerbaijan early in January was an important step in this direction. Moreover, ICESCO has proposed to declare Shusha as the capital of the Islamic world.

Azerbaijan implemented numerous international projects with ICESCO. Baku (2009) and Nakhchivan (2018) were named the Capital of Islamic Culture.

Azerbaijan's capital hosted the meeting of the ICESCO culture ministers in 2009. The 12th General Conference and the 36th meeting of the ICESCO Executive Board were held as well.

ICESCO is also one of the main partners of the Baku Process initiated by President Ilham Aliyev and adopted by the United Nations. The organization has been an official partner in the 5th World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue held in 2011.

The organization will also assist Azerbaijan in the restoration of monuments destroyed as a result of Armenian aggression. Training courses will be organized for specialists in this field.

Azerbaijan and Morocco have discussed prospects of cultural cooperation. 

The Culture Minister Anar Karimov expressed satisfaction with the development of relations between the two countries in various fields, including culture.

He noted favorable opportunities for expanding cultural ties between Azerbaijan and Morocco.

The Culture Minister  also touched upon joint agreements signed between the two countries and strengthening of cultural cooperation.

During the meeting, Anar Karimov spoke about the grave consequences of Armenia's aggressive policy against Azerbaijan, especially cultural heritage. He praised Morocco's fair position on Armenian aggression.

The Moroccan Ambassador to Azerbaijan Mohamed Adil Embarch noted that the cultural ties between Morocco and Azerbaijan are at a very good level. He stressed the importance of bringing bilateral relations to a higher level.

The sides agreed on holding joint cultural projects and exchanged views on other issues of mutual interest.

The running orders of the two semi-finals of the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 have been announced.

Azerbaijan’s Eurovision 2021 entry Samira Efendi will perform 14th in the first semi-final. She will represent Azerbaijan in Rotterdam with the song "Mata Hari".

The song is written and produced by Amy van der Wel, Luuk van Beers, Tony Cornelissen and Josh Earl.

Speaking about the meaning of the song, Efendi said that it is about female power.

"It is very important to talk about strong women in order to remind our beautiful ladies that despite the fact that we still live in a world full of prejudices, a woman can do anything and female power cannot be compared with anything. And if suddenly you do not have enough inspiration now, let the stories of strong women in history become the source of that very charge of energy with which you can cope with everything and achieve even bigger success. There is a queen in each of us and I want to remind you that it's time to release her," said Efendi.

Lithuania, Slovenia, Russia, Sweden, Australia, North Macedonia, Ireland, Cyprus, Norway, Croatia, Belgium, Israel, Romania, Azerbaijan, Ukraine and Malta will perform in the first semi-final on May 18.

The second-semifinal will bring together San Marino, Estonia, the Czech Republic, Greece, Austria, Poland, Moldova, Iceland, Serbia, Georgia, Albania, Portugal, Bulgaria, Finland, Latvia, Switzerland and Denmark on May 20.  The Eurovision Song Contest 2021 final night will take place on May 22.

Last year, the song contest was cancelled amid the coronavirus pandemic. However, fans of the music contest had a great chance to enjoy a spectacular show "Eurovision: Europe Shine A Light", featuring 41 songs of this year's entries.

During the show, Samira Efendi thrilled Eurovision fans with the song "Cleopatra".

As the singer says, Cleopatra is a song about trusting your gut instinct, standing up for yourself and being a "Queen" - even when things get tough and especially if someone betrays or hurts you.

"Cleopatra is a song about freedom, a celebration of all cultures and all sexualities. It's a song that is meant to inspire people to be who they truly are and to be proud of themselves just like Cleopatra. She was a queen who went through love, heartbreak, and betrayal, but she stood up for herself and is now remembered as an icon of strength and femininity," she said.

Notably, Azerbaijan marked its debut in 2008 with the duo of Elnur and Samir, who managed to become the eighth in the final with their song "Day after day".

The brilliant duet of Aysel and Arash, which represented Azerbaijan next year, took third place at the song contest, while Safura Alizada, who represented the country at the Eurovision 2010 in Oslo, became fifth.

On its fourth attempt with Ell and Nikki's "Running Scared" song, the Land of Fire won the event, bringing the contest to Baku's Crystal Hall in 2012. Ell and Nikki were the first mixed-gender duo to win the contest since 1963 and the first winners from Azerbaijan.

It is noteworthy that Azerbaijan reached the Top 5 in five consecutive contests - 3rd in 2009, 5th in 2010, 1st in 2011, 4th in 2012, and 2nd in 2013.

In 2018, Aysel Mammadova performed brilliantly at the Eurovision 2018 semi-final, but she couldn't make it to the final. The singer represented Azerbaijan with the song "X My Heart".

Azerbaijan's Chingiz Mustafayev impressed all Eurovision fans with his stunning performance in 2019. The singer finished in eighth place at the song contest.

With the arrival of the spring season, it is time to enjoy mouthwatering seasonal desserts.

Overall, there are more than 100 types of pastries and sweets in Azerbaijan. Sweet, savoury, tangy desserts are perfect for the spring mood. 

Pastries like shekerbura, pakhlava, shor gogal, badambura often take pride of place at traditional holidays like Novruz.

Dozens of delicate layers melt into a single tender bite of these delicious pastries.

Mouthwatering shekerbura will take care of every single craving you have in just one bite. The name "Shekerbura" comes from the Turkic word "Burulmush sheker" which is translated as "twisted sugar". The slightly crescent shape symbolizes the moon.

This sweet pastry is filled with ground almonds, hazelnuts, or walnuts, and sugar. The dough is made of wheat flour, butter, milk, egg yolks, cream and yeast. The pattern on the dough is produced using traditional tweezers called maggash.

Pakhlava (baklava) is another delicious springtime dessert that satisfies your sweet tooth. The pastry is made of paper-thin layers, chopped nuts and honey. The dough is cut into regular pieces, often in the forms of triangles, diamonds or rectangles.

Each country's region has its own special recipe for pakhlava.

In Baku, pakhlava can be made of peeled almonds or walnuts and consists of 8-10 layers.

Ganja pakhlava is stuffed with almond, sugar and cinnamon. It is baked on a copper tray over a campfire. Ganja pakhlava consists of 18 layers.

In Guba, pakhlava is traditionally filled with walnuts, hazelnuts and sharbat (sugar mixed in water).

In Sheki, pakhlava is made of rishta, stuffing (hazelnut, cardamom and coriander seeds) and syrup.

The legend says that this kind of pakhlava was made by cooks of the Shaki khan who loved sweet desserts and ordered to make something very sweet.

Shor Gogal is another delicious pastry in Azerbaijan that tastes as good as it looks. This rich-tasting bakery symbolizes the sun.

Shor Gogal is made from layers of pastry flavoured with turmeric and fennel seeds.

Your family and friends will be tickled pink when you serve them Azerbaijan's traditional pastry scrolls mutaki.

The pastry takes its name from a traditional Azerbaijani bolster called mutekke. Mutaki or mutakka are especially popular at the Novruz holiday.

You'll earn plenty of compliments when you serve this unique, yummy combination of flavours and textures.

Badambura is an unbelievably delicious treat for just-a-bit-warmer weather. This multilayered pastry is filled with almonds meal, sugar, and ground cardamom. Notably, the word badambura means almond pie.

As you can, there is something for everyone in this fabulous spring desserts guide.

Azerbaijan's Gazakh region is filled with mind-blowing historical monuments waiting to be explored.

There are 112 protected monuments in Gazakh region that will certainly give you thrills. 

Scientists believe that the foundation of Gazakh region was laid in the 8th century A.D. 

During the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, Armenian troops occupied Azerbaijan's historical lands, including several villages in the region.

The Azerbaijani armed forces liberated the country's territories from Armenia's occupation during the 44-day Nagorno-Karabakh war in 2020. 

Gazakh is rich in ancient architectural monuments. The temple belonging to the V-VIII centuries in the village of Yukhary Askipara, the temple of Shekargala, Daireevigala, the Gyzylhadjily bridge, Girmizi korpu (XII century) and others testify to the ancient history of these places.

Let's look through some of these historic monuments.

Albanian Temple 

An ancient Albanian temple in Gazakh`s Yukhari Askipara village was built in the 5th-8th centuries. There is an Albanian cross on the doors of the temple.

The inside columns are decorated with floral ornaments and fish paintings. Several gravestones were discovered in the courtyard of the temple.

In 1990, the Armenian armed forces occupied and burned Yukhari Askipara village.

Four-cornered Watch Tower

The four-cornered tower is one of the monuments that remained relatively intact in Yukhari Askipara village 

The watchtower was erected on the banks of the Choghaz river. The thought-out windows, observation holes, traces of fire intended for warning proves it once again.

The tower is square in shape. The length of each side is 8 m. It was very orderly built of the river stone.

There are strap-patterns made of red baked bricks. The cords connecting the storeys were made of wood. There were supporting buildings in the courtyard. The rooms were built in a style typical for the region in terms of architecture and engineering.

The tower is considered a significant example of the medieval fortifications in Azerbaijan.

Galakend Galasi Temple Complex

Some hypotheses state that it was one of the residences of the Caucasian Albania rulers. The complex stretches for about 2.5 ha and is surrounded by double walls.  

Galakend Galasi dates from the 6th-9th centuries A.D. The distance between the walls is about 12 m. In general, the walls are adjusted to the relief and are strategically built in a perfect style.

There are religious, official and household buildings in the inner part of the castle. The most important of them is the temple in the upper part. 

Many parts of the temple complex got lost in the course of substantial architectural measurement and exploration works in the 1970s. 

Red Bridge

The Red Bridge in Gazakh region was built in the 12th century under Atabek ruler Muhammad Jahan-Pahlavan.

The total length of the bridge, similar in architectural style to the Ganja, Khudaferin and Ardabil bridges, reaches175 meters. 

Gatir Bridge

The list of exciting monuments cannot be completed without the Gatir Bridge erected over the Askipara River near Yukhari Askipara village.

The length of the bridge is 7.3 m, width in the centre 2.7 m and overall height from its arch till the surface of the river is 5.8 m. The bridge is arched and made from rocky stones. The overall appearance of the bridge span is a semi-circle. 

Every day, the City of Lights draws curious visitors from around the globe who come here to enjoy numerous amazing modern architectural wonders.

So, it comes as no surprise that deciding which spots are the best places to visit in Baku can be difficult. Here is a small travel guide for those who want to see Azerbaijan's modern architecture in all its beauty.

Heydar Aliyev Centre

Designed by architect Zaha Hadid, the centre fascinates everyone with its unique architecture.

The construction of the centre’s facility was launched in 2007 and completed on May 10, 2012, to celebrate the 89th anniversary of Azerbaijani National Leader Heydar Aliyev.

For a short time, the Heydar Aliyev Centre has grown into a signature landmark of modern Baku.

Not a single straight line was used in the centre’s design. Nearly 12,027 pieces of special panels were used on the centre’s roof.

The Heydar Aliyev Centre successfully holds exhibitions, gala concerts and other events to promote Azerbaijan's culture and to expand ties between countries and nations through its projects.

In 2019, The Times listed the Heydar Aliyev Centre amongst the best architecture of the past decade.

"Built on the site of a former Soviet munitions factory, the centre's architecture embodies an enlightened philosophical framework. Its fluid forms promise to open and engage Azerbaijan’s culture with an act of attraction rather than imposition," the message said.

Named "Design of the Year" by London's Design Museum, the centre was cited as "a masterwork of invention and execution".

Flame Towers

If you want to enjoy a marvellous city view, then take a look at the Flame Towers.

The three flame-shaped towers attract the attention of a great number of tourists and Baku citizens.

The height of the tallest tower is 182 m (597 ft). The Flame Towers symbolize the element of fire - historically resonant in a region where natural gas flares shoot from the earth and Zoroastrian worshippers saw in fire a symbol of the divine.

The towers are completely covered with the LED screens that display the movement of a fire visible from the farthest points of the city.

The Flame Towers delights Baku residents with the images of the Azerbaijani flag, a figure waving a flag and much more.

Baku Crystal Hall

Baku Crystal Hall is an outstanding example of an innovative approach to the construction of new modern buildings.

The marvellous building which opens up a magnificent view of the city was specially constructed for the Eurovision Song Contest 2012.

Its construction was carried out under the supervision of a state committee under President Ilham Aliyev's decree.

The diamond-faceted sports and concert venue was designed by the German company GMP and Swiss company Nussli International AG.

The construction of three main components of the stadium (the arena, facade and roof) was launched in parallel at the same time.

The facade of the building is equipped with numerous modern dynamic LED lights which allow creating impressive lighting effects.

One of the modern architectural pearls became the venue for the 6th e-Sports World Championship, the 42nd Chess Olympiad, multiple sporting events held as part of the 2015 European Games.

National Carpet Museum

Founded in 1967, the National Carpet Museum never cease to amaze everyone with its beautiful architecture.

Initiated by eminent carpet artist Latif Karimov is beautiful inside and out. The museum's new building is designed in the form of a rolled carpet.

The Carpet Museum stores over 14,000 exhibits of the finest Azerbaijani carpets.

The museum hosts multiple events, including international symposiums, conferences and various exhibitions.

In 2019, the museum received national status for its significant contribution to the popularization and promotion of the Azerbaijani Carpet Weaving Art.

In 2020, the Carpet Museum enriched its collection with beautiful pile carpets purchased by the Culture Ministry at the Sartirana Textile Show in Italy.

The 19th century Guba carpet "Ugakh" was donated to the Carpet Museum, while Karabakh carpet "Chelebi" enriched the collection of the museum's Shusha branch.

The Carpet Museum also focuses on cooperation with world-leading museum organizations.

Moreover, the Carpet Museum won Travelers' Choice Awards for the fourth time in a row last year.

International Mugham Centre

Famous for its spectacular concerts, the International Mugham Centre also delights Baku residents and the city's guests with a wonderful architectural style.

The construction of the building started in April 2005. The centre covers 7,500 square meters and has 3 stories. The funding was provided by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation.

The design of the building was based on the elements and shapes of the Azerbaijani musical instrument tar. Furthermore, the centre was commenced on the base of the architecture works of Vahid Tansu, Xauddin Yayk and Etirne Ahmed. The concert hall fits 350 people.

More than 2000 glasses of various sizes were used for the construction of the building.

The centre is currently working on a plan for the development of various cultural events, lectures and online projects aimed at promoting mugham and national music.

The Mugham Centre has recently signed an agreement with Heydar Aliyev Palace, the Federal Directorate of Music and Festival Programs ROSCONCERT, the Polish Baltic Philharmonic, etc.