NEWS

This year marks the 880th anniversary of the great Azerbaijani poet Nizami Ganjavi. In this regard, President Ilham Aliyev signed an order declaring 2021 the Year of Nizami Ganjavi in Azerbaijan.

The Heydar Aliyev Foundation, the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum announce a joint international carpet sketch contest dedicated to the prominent poet. Creative people over the age of 20 are welcome to take part in the contest.

The participants are requested to send their carpet sketch scanned at 600 DPI JPEG format to carpetmuseum.contest@gmail.com until May 15, 2021.

The winner will receive a cash prize.

The judging panel will announce the first-place winner on May 30, 2021.

Following this, the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum's Traditional Technology Department will weave a carpet based on the winner's sketch.

If the winner is a foreign citizen, the museum will cover his/her travel and accommodation expenses to attend the carpet's presentation ceremony.

"Naghara" ensemble has successfully represented Azerbaijan at the International Future Stars Festival-Competition in Italy. 

The ensemble of Fikrat Amirov Art School No. 6 took first place in the "Percussion Instruments" category.

The festival was held by Sopravista International Festival Association in virtually amid coronavirus pandemic. 

The members of the ensemble and its leader, naghara player Jafar Hasanov were awarded with diplomas.

The jury members also sent a letter of gratitude to the director of the educational institution, professor Adila Yusifova and teacher Jafar Hasanov.

Azerbaijan enjoys a rich, varied musical tradition. Most of the instruments  appeared in ancient times, while most of them were improved and reached our time. 

Naghara is a folk drum that is played with the bare hands. It is one of the most popular percussion instruments of the Azerbaijani folk music.

This instrument was described in the Early Middle Age Azerbaijani literary epic "Kitabi Dada Gorgud."

The rhythmic beat of naghara is believed to strengthen the heart. Gosha-naghara is Azerbaijani version for small kettledrums.

The Azerbaijan State Translation Center (AzSTC) will publish a 150-volume series "Pearls of World Literature".

The book includes works by notable world authors, such as Miguel de Cervantes, Ryūnosuke Akutagawa, Fyodor Dostoevsky, William Faulkner, Mikhail Bulgakov, Albert Camus, Hermann Hesse, Jerome Salinger, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, to name just a few. Along with samples of Western European, the USA and Latin American literature samples, the book will also include the works by notable authors of the East Europe, Asia, and post-Soviet countries.

The main goal of the publication is to promote the reading culture in the country and to acquaint the Azerbaijani reader with classical and modern samples of world literature in a perfect and accurate translation.

The first book of the series - a two-volume Selected Works including novels, stories and diaries of the world-famous Austrian writer Franz Kafka, translated from German, will be available to readers in the coming days.

The Center has recently published selected works by Mexican writer,  Carlos Fuentes in Azerbaijani language.

"The Death of Artemio Cruz", "Aura" and a short story "Chac Mool" are among the selected works of the Mexican writer.

The book was translated by Saday Budagly, and edited by Etimad Bashkechid and Salam Sarvan.

Carlos Fuentes is considered one of the leading figures of magic realism, his novels have been translated into 24 languages. His numerous literary honors include The National Prize for Arts and Sciences (1984), Miguel de Cervantes Prize (1987), Ruben Dario Prize (1994) and Pablo Picasso medal (1995).

The State Translation Center also presented Azerbaijani version of "Shah of Shahs" book by the renowned Polish writer and publicist Ryszard Kapuscinski.

The book describes the social-political processes in Iran leading to the downfall of the Pahlavi dynasty. It also includes the author’s thoughts on the writing excellence, scientific articles, speeches and interviews.

"Shah of Shahs" was translated by Vilayat Guliyev and edited by Mahir Garayev.

Ryszard Kapuscinski is famous for his non-fiction work "Emperor" published in 1978. His works "Imperium" (1993), "The Shadow of the Sun"(1999) and "Travels with Herodotus" (2004) won a "Book of the Year" award in Poland.

His numerous honors include "Hanseatic Goethe Prize", "Viareggio Prize", "Elsa Morante" "International Journalists" and others. He was also considered as a candidate for the Nobel Prize for literature.

Moreover, the State Translation Centre has released a book "About the mysteries of filmmaking" by the renowned Russian filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky.

"About the mysteries of filmmaking" includes author’s thoughts, scientific articles, as well as speeches and interviews on cinematic excellence.

The book was translated by Farhad Abdullayev and edited by Rabiga Nazimgizi.

Andrei Tarkovsky is world famous filmmaker, theatre director, film theorist and screenwriter. His first film "Ivan’s childhood" was recognized as a major event in world cinematography and awarded the "Golden Lion" at the Venice Film Festival.

Founded in 2014, AzTC is an executive body which focuses on translation work, socio-political, scientific, technical, literary and cultural ties from the point of view of language and translation

Its core functions include organizing and promoting Azerbaijani literature worldwide and world literature in Azerbaijan.

The Translation Center oversees the standard of translation in the republic and improves its quality.

Azerbaijan Film Academy has prepared a draft of a 12-episode feature film based on the work of People's Writer Ilyas Efendiyev "Karabakhname".  

A promo video of  the film "Yox içində Xarı Bülbül" (No Khari Bulbul among them) has been already released on the social network. 

The director and scriptwriter of the film is Zaur Tahirsoy, photographer- Elvin Mikayilov, costume designer - Aygun Makhmudova, makeup artist - Elnur Hasanov.

The cast includes People's Artist Parviz Mammadrzayev, Honored Artist Vefa Zeynalova.

If the film crew receives permission, the city of Shusha will become one of the film locations. 

Negotiations are underway with the Ministry of Culture on assistance and support in the filming process.

The film tells about the fate of Azerbaijani poetess Aghabeyim Agha, a daughter of the second khan of Karabakh Ibrahim Khalil khan, a wife of Iranian shah Fath-Ali Shah Qajar. 

The title of the film is borrowed from the poem "Vətən Bağı" (Garden of the Motherland).

Being the symbol of Karabakh, Khari Bulbul symbolizes the patriotic spirit and courage of the Azerbaijani people.

Khari Bulbul grows only in Shusha city. This flower has a unique appearance which makes it look like a nightingale or bulbul in Azerbaijani.

The word "Khari" means "thorny". Two petals of the flower resemble wings, while another one looks like a bird's head.

Many legends, poems and songs are associated with this beautiful flower.

The legend says that once upon a time there was a nightingale that fell in love with a flower. The nightingale loved and protected the flower and was warbling for her all day.

One day a bee saw the flower and wanted to taste its nectar. When the nightingale saw the bee flying toward the flower, it prevented it with his breast. They clashed in the air and the bee stung the nightingale. But the bird did not die. His love and courage changed him into another flower, together with the bee that wanted to sting him.”

Another legend about the flower concerns the Khan of Karabakh and his daughter. After the khan's daughter was married to an Iranian king, she began to miss her homeland of Karabakh.

To help her cope with her yearning for home, the shah built a garden that included all the different flowers of Karabakh. Despite his best intentions, the Khari Bulbul never grew there.

The website Armenpress.am (https://armenpress.am/rus/news/1043451.html) has recently announced that an exhibition of carpets, which were illegally removed from the Shusha Carpet Museum on the 1st of November 2020, will be held at the Alexander Tamanyan National Museum-Institute of Architecture on the 20th of February 2021. The carpets to be showcased at the exhibition under the so-called name “Arsakh” are glaring examples of our national heritage of Karabakh, which is an integral part of our country. This exhibition is yet another proof of looting and misappropriation by Armenians. Therefore, based on UNESCO’s 1954 Hague Convention on the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and Article 19 of its Second Protocol, as well as Article 11 of the 1970 Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property, Armenia's wrongful actions such as the illicit export, transportation and import of our cultural heritage from the internationally recognized territories of Azerbaijan is a blatant violation of international law, and the entire responsibility for this falls on the Government of Armenia. The carpet - while being one of the rare works of art - is an important source of information both about the history of its birthplace and the people living in that area who created it. One of the main targets of our neighbours in the Armenianisation of our carpets is to falsify the history of Karabakh. The composition, patterns and colour scheme of the carpets woven here for centuries prove once again that Karabakh is one of the ancient cultural centres of Azerbaijan. The art of carpet weaving is one of the rare examples of the Azerbaijani people's ancient legacy to our humanity. It is not coincidence that UNESCO recognised the traditional art of weaving of Azerbaijani carpet as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity in 2010. This tradition is so deeply rooted in our people that it is widespread and has developed in every region of Azerbaijan. Historically, there were 8 main carpet-weaving schools in Azerbaijan, and each of them differed from each other in its patterns and colours. The reason for the spread of carpet weaving traditions among the Armenians of Karabakh is that they adopted it from the local community of Azerbaijanis. Armenians have never engaged in carpet weaving, but in carpet trading, and in the process of trading, they have been trying to spread misleading information to the world by presenting Azerbaijani carpets as Armenian carpets. Iakob (Yakov) Simonovich Zedginidze (Zedgenidze), who conducted research in Karabakh in the 19th century, wrote that the entire Muslim population here was engaged in carpet weaving and that the carpets woven in Karabakh rank first in the entire Caucasus both in quantity and quality, while Armenians never engaged in this art; on the contrary, they were calling it an “undesirable practice”. Therefore, the exhibition of the carpets that were illegally removed from the Shusha Carpet Museum at the Alexander Tamanyan National Museum-Institute of Architecture under the auspices of the Armenian Government is a clear example of Armenia's disrespect for international conventions to which it is a party with certain obligations, and UNESCO shall not turn a blind eye to this misbehaviour. The Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan will carry out the necessary legal procedures with UNESCO in this regard.

The Astana Ballet Theater will stage  Arif Melikov's "The Legend of Love" ballet on February 19-20. 

Arif Melikov's symphonies, pieces for the symphony orchestra and other works have significantly enriched the treasury of Azerbaijani ballet and symphonic music.

For many years, "Legend of Love" has won a widespread recognition and the love, not only in Azerbaijan, but also far beyond its borders. The ballet was successfully staged in more than 80 countries, including Austria, Turkey, UK, Germany, Brazil, etc. 

The plot is based on an ancient oriental legend. The royal apartments of Queen Mekhmene Banu are plunged in mourning - her young sister, Shireen, is dying.

The Vizier and the courtiers are full of anxiety. Mekhmene Banu is in despair. A Stranger, who appears out of the blue, says he will cure the Princess but, in return, Mekhmene Banu must sacrifice her beauty. In order to save the life of her sister whom she loves deeply, Mekhmene Banu accepts the Stranger’s cruel terms. Shireen is brought back to life..

In 1958,  Arif Melikov began work on the ballet, which lasted two years. The premiere of the ballet "The Legend of Love" took place on March 23, 1961 in the Mariinsky Theater.

A Memorandum of Cooperation has been signed between the International Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation and the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania in Azerbaijan. The document was signed by the President of the Foundation Gunay Afandiyeva and the Ambassador of Lithuania to Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan Egidius Navikas.

The signing of Memorandum aims at implementing mutual cultural exchange, protecting the cultural heritage of the minority peoples of Lithuania of Turkic origin - Tatars and Karaites, expanding and strengthening cooperation.

The event was attended by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ramiz Hasanov, ambassadors of the member and observer countries of the Foundation, representatives of international organizations and intelligentsia.

Speaking at the event, President of the International Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation Gunay Afandiyeva said that the building of the organization was allocated for permanent use by a special order of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev. Gunay Afandiyeva said that the official opening of the building took place on October 14, 2019 on the sidelines of the 7th Baku Summit of the Turkic Council with the participation of foreign ministers of member and observer countries of the Foundation and heads of Turkic Cooperation organizations.

Gunay Afandiyeva stressed the importance of the Memorandum signed between the Foundation and the Embassy of Lithuania in Azerbaijan. "This is about preserving the cultural heritage of the Turkic-speaking peoples - Karaites and Tatars living in Lithuania, promoting their history and traditions. I think this Memorandum is also important for Lithuania. Because Lithuania thereby demonstrates its special attention towards the peoples living on its territory. Our cooperation with the Lithuanian Embassy began in 2019, when the Summit was held in Baku. Within the framework of the Summit, the Foundation held the " Week of the Turkic World”, where along with various exhibitions and conferences, an event dedicated to the women of the Turkic world was organized. The conference was attended by women representatives of various Turkic-speaking countries. In that time the newly appointed Ambassador to Azerbaijan, Mr. Egidius Navikas assisted in inviting the representative of the Karaites from Lithuania, the famous actress Severina Shpakovskaya. I think this collaboration was the beginning. This year has been declared the Year of Karaites and Tatars in Lithuania. I believe that various joint events and projects await us, since we are talking about the great Turkic world, its rich culture, ancient history and great spirituality.”

Ambassador of the Republic of Lithuania to the Republic of Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan Egidius Navikas hailed the cooperation with the International Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation. “Lithuania's interest in signing the Memorandum lies in the fact that we had very strong and deep ties with the Turkic world before. Small but peculiar representatives of minorities live in Lithuania - Tatars and Karaites. These Turkic people came to Lithuania in the 14-15th centuries at the invitation of the Germans from the Crimea as soldiers.”

Referring to historical facts, the Ambassador stressed that after the end of the First World War in 1918 and the collapse of the Russian Empire, many Tatars took part in the formation of a new government in Crimea. “In the same year, the Lithuanian Tatars also took an active part in the creation of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic and the establishment of various structures. Despite their small number during all this time, the Tatars and Karaites managed to preserve their identity.

With the signing of this Memorandum, we are taking a new step in carrying out further events, as well as in continuing cooperation."

A signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Cooperation between the President of the International Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation Gunay Afandiyeva and the Ambassador of Lithuania to Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan Egidius Navikas then was held.

A concert program was organized as part of the event. The concert was attended by the “Karabakh” mugham group headed by People's Artist of Azerbaijan Mansum Ibrahimov, as well as the winner of the "Mugham" TV contest Gulzar Farajova, the winner of the international mugham contest Orkhan Huseynli and the young performer Amina Nurmakhambetova.

Uzbek portal “interpress.uz” has published an article highlighting great singer Bulbul and Azerbaijani symphonic mughams.

Headlined “Bulbul and creation of Azerbaijani symphonic mughams”, the article provides information about various names of mugham in the East such as magams, shashmagam, and the only symphonic mugham in Azerbaijan.

The article says that at the initiative of the research musical department headed by Bulbul, mughams performed by different singers were recorded during 1931-1943.

The article highlights friendship between Bulbul and Jamil Amirov and cooperation with his son Fikret Amirov. “In 1947-1948, Fikret Amirov composed “Shur” and “Kurd ovshari” symphonic mughams. These mughams were first performed on August 9, 1948 and gained great success,” the article says.

A total of 706 cultural and historical monuments has been registered by Azerbaijan on the liberated territories, State Service of Cultural Heritage Conservation, Development and Rehabilitation under the Ministry of Culture has told.

This includes 5 archaeological sites of universal importance, 119 architectural monuments of national importance, 121 archaeological sites of national and 393 architectural sites of local importance, as well as 23 garden parks, monumental memorials, 22 archaeological sites and 17 decorative-applied art samples of local importance.

The Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) and the Qatari Coordinating Committee for the celebration of Doha as the Capital of Islamic Culture for 2021 held a coordination meeting to arrange for the official launch and its general program and to discuss other relevant details, according to the official website of the Organization.

During the videoconference, the Qatari Coordinating Committee presented on Monday, January 25, 2021, the draft program of the celebration and the main suggested highlights and cooperating parties. The Committee stressed the need for coordination with the relevant ministries, sectors, national bodies, and civil society given their key role in ensuring the success of the celebration.

The Qatari delegation proposed the organization of the inauguration ceremony on March 8, 2021, and pledged to provide ICESCO with the details of the major programs and highlights of the celebration, including international and regional exhibitions, international art festivals and symposia, and cultural weeks.

ICESCO pledged to inform the Qatar party of the major activities and projects planned as part of the celebration of Doha as the Arab Region Capital of Islamic Culture for 2021. The measure is part of ICESCO’s new vision, which is based on promoting culture in the Islamic world through many initiatives, projects, and programs. The most notable initiatives are “ICESCO Digital Home,” “ICESCO International Art Center,” “Islamic World Heritage Center,” “ICESCO International Chairs Network” as well as the civilizational project “ICESCO Roads for the Future.”

At the close of the meeting, the two parties agreed to hold weekly coordination meetings to review the progress of preparations and cooperate in many cultural programs and projects.