NEWS

Filmmakers from Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan have joined a virtual conference aimed at strengthening of the cooperation in the film industry.

The conference was attended by the Ambassador of Uzbekistan Bakhrom Ashrafkhanov, First Deputy Director of the Uzbekkino National Agency Shukhrat Rizayev, film director, People's Artist Vagif Mustafayev, the head of the Culture Ministry's Cinematography Department Rufat Hasanov, head of the International and Innovative Development Sector Isa Mammadov and the Heydar Aliyev Cultural Center in Uzbekistan.

During the meeting, the sides touched upon the production of joint commercial films based on national values and their promotion at the international level.

The sides agreed on the holding of the "Film Weeks" in both countries.

They also discussed the screening of films dedicated to the creative activities of the Uzbek poet Alisher Navoi and the Azerbaijani poet, thinker and philosopher Nizami Ganjavi, whose 580th and 880th anniversaries will be celebrated in 2021.

Notably, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan have been successfully cooperating since 1995.

The intergovernmental commission plays a major role in the development of bilateral economic relations.

A declaration on further strengthening of strategic partnership between the two countries was signed in 2004 and a solid legal base for the development of the Azerbaijani-Uzbek cooperation was established.

The bilateral agreements have been reached in various spheres, including culture, promotion and mutual protection of investments, exemption from double taxation, economic cooperation, free trade, customs cooperation and etc.

Over 30 companies with Uzbek capital currently operate in transit, trade, industry and service sectors in Azerbaijan. Moreover, transportation projects implemented in the South Caucasus are of great importance for Uzbekistan in Central Asia-Europe trade routes.

National Carpet Museum has displayed the full Karabakh Carpet Map. The ANCM team also released a new video, highlighting Karabakh carpet weaving art.

Most of the team who participated in the creation of the video are originally from Karabakh, an integral part of Azerbaijan. 

Karabakh carpets are distinguished from other national carpet schools by their artistic and technological production and their size.

This carpet school is famous for its pileless carpets, including shadda, zili, verni, kilim and palas products. Karabakh carpets are characterized by bright colors and vegetative motives.

There are 33 compositions of Karabakh carpets. These carpets are produced in the towns Malibeyli, Muradkhanli, Dashbulag, Jabrayil, Horadiz in Karabakh in mountainous part of Karabakh.

In the 19th century, Shusha city and Dashbulag, Dovshanli, Girov, Trinivz, Chanakhchi, Tug, Kohna Tughlar, Hadrut, Muradkhanli, Gasimushagi, Gubadli, Gozag, Mirseyid, Bagirbeyli, Khanlig, Dag Tumas and other villages of mountanious zone of Karabakh had essential role in the carpet weaving production.

With its colorful patterns and manufacturing technique., Zangazur and Nakhchivan are also included to Karabakh carpet school.

These carpet compositions feature classical patterns of Karabakh carpet-weaving school, including "Aran”, "Bagchadaguller", "Balıg", "Buynuz", "Barda", "Bahmanli", "Garabag", "Goja", "Gasımushagı", "Lambaran", "Mugan", "Talısh", "Lampa", "Malıbayli ", "Khangarvand", "Khanlıg", "Khantirma", "Chalabi", and "Shabalıdbuta".  

With its rich colors, this carpet school  comprises all undertones of nature of Karabakh. Historically, interim part of Azerbaijan carpets is dyed in red. Besides various plants, these colours are gained from different kind of insects. The most popular insect from which red colour is produced is scale insect or red worm.

Founded in 1967, the National Carpet Museum holds more than 14,000 exhibits of the finest Azerbaijani carpets.

The museum, 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 opened its doors in 2014 at Baku Seaside Park. All carpets were transferred to the museum's new location.

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

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

YARAT Contemporary Art Space has solemnly presented an exhibition project "Make an Island For Yourself".

Composed from both private and public collections, the exhibition opened at the Museum of Azerbaijani Painting of the 19th-21st Centuries.

"The exposition includes works created in the late 80s - first half of the 90s of the 20th Centuries by 21 national artists in various art styles. This period was marked by many changes in the world, including the beginning the first Karabakh war, the occupation of the Azerbaijani lands. As a result, a million Azerbaijanis became refugees and internally displaced persons, the exhibition curator Sabina Shikhlinskaya told. 

Notably, that the project organizers came across an artistic document  during the preparation work.

"Now we are exhibiting a series of works titled "Refugee Tent Windows". It was filmed in 1993 in the Sabirabad refugee camp. The exposition contains the painting "January 20" by Rasim Babaev, the work "The Machine of Aggression".  And we show the whole world not only wonderful art, brilliant works of our artists, but also what we went through in the 90s. The exhibition is accompanied by a video made from photographic documents, " she added. 

The curator pointed out that the lines from the poem "Make an Island For Yourself", and the works presented at the exhibition are united and echo in the intensity of both the image and the inner message. This fusion is very characteristic and symbolic of the representation of the period to which the exhibition is dedicated.

"Create for yourself, create yourself, strengthen yourself in solitude" - in those years this was our motto. Strength could only be found in spirituality, in creativity, in oneself, in order to survive all the difficulties.  The destruction of many hopes that appeared in the late 80s led to the fact that people of art - musicians, poets, writers, artists - closed in their space. Yes, artists always live in their own world, but then it happened violently. There was no hope that in those years their work would be shown in galleries, in museums, or that collectors would buy them. These were completely dark, difficult, tragic times. And representatives of art created their works in order to simply express the pain that had accumulated in the soul. Therefore,  these paintings are full of an incredible spiritual and creative power, " said Shikhlinskaya. 

Among the paintings presented at the exhibition is the work of Sabina Shikhlinskaya called "New Moon" (1989).

"This painting shows two figures. One of them is holding a candle as a symbol of the fact that when it's hard, if there is a close person, friend, beloved nearby, then you can light a candle together and wait out the dark times. The crescent moon that is depicted below means something ends. This work shows that a new day will come, it will be brighter, full of hope for the future. It shows that life will go on if we love and believe, she said. 

Notably, the exhibition consists of works by leading Azerbaijani painters Shamo Abasov, Melik Aghamalov, Kamal Ahmed, Eliyar Alimirzoyev, Museib Amirov, CHINGIZ, Elnur Babayev, Heybat Babayev, Rasim Babayev, Muslim Eldarov, Irina Eldarova, Eldar Gurban, Sanan Gurbanov, Huseyn Hagverdiyev, Ujal Hagverdiyev, Rashid Ismayilov, Inna Kostina, Nazim Rahmanov, Sabina Shikhlinskaya, Teymur Daimi, and Mir Nadir Zeynalov. Many of the works were  presented to the art lovers for the first time.

In the title of the exhibition, one can notice the themes of loneliness and solitude as spiritual salvation in times of collapse. The lines from the poem "Make an Island For Yourself", and the works presented at the exhibition are united and echo in the intensity of both the image and the inner message. This fusion is very characteristic and symbolic of the representation of the period to which the exhibition is dedicated.

The concept of the exhibition is based on an appeal to eternal existential themes - hope and disappointment, war and love, death, and rebirth.

However, from a historical point of view, the project is about art during the period of the collapse of the Soviet Union. The themes addressing the Soviet legacy have been largely exhausted today, having at some point been in great demand in the international cultural environment. But still, every new curatorial view, differing perception of a new generation, a new display of unknown works of that period may be able to reveal new historical and cultural layers.

The acquisition of state independence by former Soviet republics took place in different historical ways. In Azerbaijan, the years after the collapse of the USSR were the years associated with the war that led to the occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions of the country, which became one of the most tragic pages in Azerbaijani history. Therefore, this exhibition is largely about memory, historical heritage, and national identity.

After the collapse of the USSR, art turns into an increasingly active part of life, losing its past aloofness and conventionality. What happened in Azerbaijan, was, in a way, a breakdown in the time dimension. Time did not go forward; it did not go back; it seemed to have stopped. The reason for this was not only the war and its consequences such as refugees, economic collapse, and political anarchy but also the collapse of any hopes for a "new" life that had risen during perestroika.

It was precisely during this period of "timelessness" that artists, musicians, and poets created works of the strongest spiritual intensity, freed from any kind of conjuncture. What is interesting is that many of the works of that period were kept by the artists in their studios since the art market was not interested in art with such an impulse of tragedy, rather than sublimity and beauty.

The "Make an Island For Yourself" exhibition consists of three parts, figuratively reflecting the historical events of the period between 1988 and 1996: the period of "hopes for change and anticipation of an impending catastrophe", the period of "the outbreak of tragedy the war and its consequences" and the period of "reviving life and rays of light at the end of the tunnel."

The artworks of the exhibition are presented together with video from documentary photographs and video chronicles of those years, reconstructing and visualizing the state and mood of the society of that period.

Artworks on display at this exhibition are from public collections of the Modern Art Museum (Baku), Union of Artists of Azerbaijan, and Azerbaijan Photographers Union. The exhibition curator is Sabina Shikhlinskaya, researcher- Zahra Mammadova

Notably, the Museum of Azerbaijani Painting of the 19th-21st Centuries is situated on the territory of the National Flag Square, founded by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation. The official opening took place in June 2015 and YARAT Contemporary Art Space presented the first exhibition entitled "Labour, Leisure, and Dreams: 1960s-1980s Through the Eyes of Azerbaijani Masters" on May 26, 2018.

The exhibition includes works by twenty-three famous Azerbaijani painters, together constituting The Golden Fund of Azerbaijani Culture.

Thanks to regular meetings with local and foreign art experts, curators, and artists, visitors of the exhibition had an opportunity to learn more about the creative development of the artists and their works exhibited in the museum. Under the guidance of famous artists, master-classes for children ("Little Master") and adults ("Explore Yourself") helped the participants discover their creative potential and master the basics of visual art. Moreover, the visitors enjoyed various musical pieces from classical to rock, which accompanied them within the museum halls.

The Museum collaborates closely with educational institutions and the museum's staff familiarizes pupils and students with expositions through interactive tours by teaching them to comprehend and interpret art.

YARAT is an artist-founded, not-for-profit art organization based in Baku, Azerbaijan, established by Aida Mahmudova in 2011. YARAT (which means 'create' in Azerbaijani) is dedicated to contemporary art with a long-term commitment to creating a hub for artistic practice, research, thinking, and education in the Caucasus, Central Asia, and the surrounding region.

YARAT comprises YARAT Art Centre, ARTIM Project Space, YARAT Studios, and an extended educational and public program. YARAT Art Centre, a 2000m2 converted Soviet-era naval building, opened in March 2015 and is the organization’s main exhibition space. The exhibition program features new commissions by artists responding to the region. It supports and provides access to artists from the region while engaging and introducing established, international artists.

In October 2015, YARAT opened ARTIM, a central, accessible, and dynamic space in Baku's Old City. ARTIM (meaning 'progress' in Azerbaijani) shows experimental practices and new work by emerging Azeri art professionals (selected through open call) and the international artists from the residency program. It features multiple small-scale projects each year and hosts ARTIM Lab, a program enabling young artists to engage in workshops and daily studio practice to generate new ideas and works.

In 2016 YARAT launched a renewed residency program. Aimed at developing young Azerbaijani voices and emerging international artists, the focus is on new, innovative practices and artists with an interest in the region. The residency program hosts 6 international and 4 local artists a year at YARAT Studios' spaces.

The exhibition will last from December 1 until  May 30, 2021. Art lovers can enjoy the exposition from Tuesday through Friday ( 12:00 - 18:00). Admission is free Address: Bayil District, National Flag Square.

Famous national designer Gulnara Khalilova has delighted fashion lovers with her stunning collection "Karabakh: in the city of Sofia as part of the international fashion show "Art for Diplomacy" held by diplomatic missions in Bulgaria.

The main goal of the "Art for Diplomacy" project is to brief the representatives of diplomatic missions with history and culture of different countries. The fashion show focuses on the promotion of the national heritage.

The show was organized by the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Bulgaria and the famous Bulgarian artist Peter Iliev under the patronage of Simeon II. The event was held at the Vrana Palace - an unofficial residence of the Bulgarian monarchs.

Students of the Faculty of Theater and Cinema Arts at the Bulgarian National Academy presented the "Karabakh" collection as models. Azerbaijani folk song "Sari Gelin" sounded during the defile. The fashion collection aroused great interest among the guests. 

This collection has previously been successfully presented on international catwalks in the UK, USA, Russia and China.

Gulnara Khalilova could not personally take part in the event amid coronavirus pandemic.

Within the framework of the event, the history, traditions and peculiarities of clothing in various regions of Azerbaijan were discussed, educational literature was presented as part of the project.

Gulnara Khalilova, the head of the Center of National Costumes, is a frequent guest of international fashion weeks. She is the two-time winner at the Eurasian International Fashion Festival "Silk Road" held in China.

Her fashion collections have been successfully presented in Turkey, Russia, China, Austria, Romania, Great Britain, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and other countries.

She also designed costumes for Azerbaijan's 2013 Eurovision representative Farid Mammadov and created a hand panel with the official mascots of the EuroGames.

During the opening of Rio 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio, Champion of the European Games Ilham Zakiyev was in national dress, created by the designer which was a novelty in the history of the Olympic movement.

Khalilova is the author of a number of books dedicated to the traditions of clothing, including the history of Azerbaijan national clothing, the textbooks and catalogues for higher education institutions.

In 2014-2015 she worked as a teacher at the State Academy of Fine Arts. Since 2017, she has been teaching at Khazar University. The designer also heads the Women's Entrepreneurship Development Association.

Reportedly, a group of cultural figures from the Russian Federation have appealed to UNESCO to help protect the Christian heritage in Karabakh and inscribe this heritage in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Referring only to the Christian monuments, this letter disregards the fact that numerous Islamic cultural heritage sites have been destroyed during the occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh and its neighbouring areas by Armenia, as well as the fact that the Azerbaijani Government protects all historical, cultural and religious heritage sites located in its territory without any discrimination, and takes this issue very seriously. This letter is addressed directly to UNESCO, which proves that it is biased and was deliberately prepared as part of a smear campaign against our country. The First Deputy Minister of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Acting Minister Anar Karimov, sent a letter to the cultural figures who signed the afore-mentioned appeal. The letter first informs them about the destruction of our cultural heritage sites (in most cases, both Muslim and Christian heritage sites) located in the territories of Azerbaijan, which were previously occupied by Armenia for many years. The letter further refers to the facts proving that our state protects both religious (Muslim, Christian, Jewish) and cultural heritage sites located in the various cities of Azerbaijan. In addition, the letter reproaches the Russian cultural figures for addressing their concerns directly to UNESCO, not the Azerbaijani Government, and advises them not to fall victim to Armenian propaganda. At the end of his letter, Acting Minister Anar Karimov invited the cultural figures who signed the afore-mentioned appeal to visit the heritage sites in the liberated lands of Azerbaijan, which have been destroyed and looted for nearly 30 years, and to see how our country takes care of the cultural heritage. It is noteworthy that the letter to UNESCO was not welcomed unequivocally by a number of renowned people and cultural figures who widely criticised it.

World-renowned singer and composer of Azerbaijani origin Sami Yusuf, who is currently living in the UK, made a post on the liberation of Lachin district on his Twitter account.

“Can’t wait to visit Lachin,” Yusuf tweeted, also sharing photos of Lachin district.

With its fascinating historical sites, Gakh region has much to offer visitors. The region is home to some of the most ancient monuments waiting to be explored.

Kurmuk temple in Gakh region was built on the ruins of an ancient Albanian temple (I-III centuries).

As a result of archaeological excavations in 2006, fragments of ancient buildings were found on the territory of the 19th century temple. Being an Albanian temple of the early Middle Ages, it was restored in various historical periods. It is also believed that there was a Moon Temple on the rocky hill near the Kurmuk Temple. 

The Azerbaijani Culture Ministry has launched a new project aimed at promoting the country's Christian heritage. 

The short video about Kurmuk temple has been released as part of the Culture Ministry's project aimed at promoting the country's Christian heritage. 

Earlier, the Culture Ministry provided insight into Albanian Kish temple in Sheki's Kish village. 

The current building of the temple of Saint Elisha was built in the 10-12th centuries. Some scholars suggest that the church in Kish stands on the same place where St. Elisha founded his own church. That is why the temple in Kish is often referred to as one of the oldest spiritual centers in the Caucasus since St. Elisha was the first patriarch of the Church of Caucasian Albania and an early Christian leader in the Caucasus.

Nowadays, the church is functioning as a museum that is open for all the curious tourists.

For centuries, representatives of all nations and religions have lived peacefully in Azerbaijan, a multicultural and multi-confessional country.

The assessment of the material and cultural heritage, the restoration, and the reconstruction of historical and religious monuments, including churches and synagogues, is an integral part of the policy pursued by the Azerbaijani state in this area.

In 2020, within the project of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, the Albanian Church of the Holy Virgin Mary in Gabala's Nij village was thoroughly restored. Moreover, the Azerbaijani state restored and handed over for free use of the Armenian Church in Baku. 

With the support of the state, the Catacombs of Saint Sebastian in the Vatican were restored. In addition, the catacombs of Saint Marcellin and Pietro in Rome were restored within the "Bilateral agreement on the restoration of the Roman catacombs" signed between the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the Holy See.

Azerbaijani Minister of Culture Anar Karimov gave an interview to France 24 news agency.
In an interview, the minister said that Azerbaijan’s record as a multi-cultural nation should not be in doubt and that Christian cultural heritage sites in Nagorno-Karabakh would be preserved under its rule.

Following over a month of military action to liberate its territories from Armenian occupation, Azerbaijan has pushed Armenia to sign the surrender document. A joint statement on the matter was made by the Azerbaijani president, Armenia's PM, and the president of Russia.

A complete ceasefire and a cessation of all hostilities in the zone of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is introduced at 00:00 hours (Moscow time) on 10 November 2020.

Armenian Armed Forces launched a large-scale military attack on positions of the Azerbaijani army on the front line, using large-caliber weapons, mortars, and artillery on Sept. 27. Azerbaijan responded with a counter-offensive along the entire front.

Back in July 2020, the Armenian Armed Forces violated the ceasefire in the direction of Azerbaijan's Tovuz district. As a result of Azerbaijan's retaliation, the opposing forces were silenced. The fighting continued the following days as well. Azerbaijan lost a number of military personnel members, who died fighting off the attacks of the Armenian Armed Forces.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, the Armenian Armed Forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.

American martial artist and actor Chuck Norris has congratulated Azerbaijan on the liberation of its territories from Armenian occupation.

"Karabakh, you are now happy with your real family. Stay safe and all the best!", the actor said. 

On November 10, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a Russia-brokered agreement to end fighting in Karabakh and work towards a comprehensive solution.

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

For nearly three decades, Armenia failed to implement the UN Security Council resolutions (822, 853, 874 and 884) demanding the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of its troops, which was the main obstacle to the resolution of the conflict.

 The OSCE Minsk Group co-chaired by the United States, Russia and France had been mediating the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict since the signing of the volatile cease-fire agreement in 1994. The Minsk Group’s efforts resulted in no progress as Armenia refused to abide by the UN Security Council resolutions.

The Azerbaijan Culture Ministry and the UN Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) have discussed ways of expanding cooperation. 

The virtual conference was held between First Deputy Minister of Culture, Acting Minister Anar Karimov  and UN High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations (UNHCR) Miguel Ángel Moratinos. 

The sides discussed a number of issues, including "Baku Process" initiated by President Ilham Aliyev and the holding of the 6th World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue in 2021.

The Culture Minister briefed the UN High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations on the damage caused to Azerbaijan's cultural heritage as a result of Armenia's aggression. 

Karimov noted that UN Alliance of Civilizations has been a partner of the Baku Process and the World Forum for Intercultural Dialogue since 2010. He also noted that the 7th UNAOC Global Forum was held in Baku in 2016 at a high level.

Mr. Moratinos praised the cooperation with Azerbaijan in the field of intercultural and interreligious dialogue and expressed interest in implementing joint projects in this field.

Recalling the UNAOC's mandate as the body responsible for the implementation of the "Action Plan for the Protection of Religious Monuments" by the UN Secretary General, Anar Karimov noted that Azerbaijan is ready to cooperate with the organization to protect all places of worship. 

The UN High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations  stressed  that the protection of religious monuments is one of the priority activities of the organization. Mr. Moratinos praised the cooperation with Azerbaijan in this field, emphasizing the importance of implementing specific projects.

In the end, it was agreed to implement initiatives and projects related to the development of intercultural and interreligious relations in the region and to present these projects at the World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue 2021. 

The Culture Minister also met with the Mexican Ambassador to Azerbaijan Juan Rodrigo Labardini Flores. 

Anar Karimov spoke about the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war. He stressed that with its rich heritage Karabakh region is known as the center of Azerbaijani culture.

The Minister highlighted the damage to Azerbaijan's cultural  sites as a result of Armenian vandalism.

Noting the successful development of relations between Azerbaijan and Mexico in various directions, Karimov stressed the importance of taking appropriate measures to expand this partnership.

The Mexican Ambassador, in turn, expressed satisfaction with the development of cooperation between Azerbaijan and Mexico in the cultural,  economic and political fields.

The meeting also touched upon the agreement between Azerbaijan and Mexico  on cooperation in education, science, youth, culture and sports. The issues of implementation of joint projects were discussed as well.

The sides exchanged views on development prospects in the relevant field and other issues of mutual interest.