On November 30, within the framework of the 21st Ankara Book Fair, as well as a presentation of the translation of the poem “Iskendername” from the original into Turkish an international conference on “Nizami Ganjavi: A source of pride for the Turkic world, a pearl of world poetry” was held.
Tahmina Badalova, an employee of the Nizami Ganjavi Institute of Literature of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, Doctor of Philology, Nizami scholar, associate professor, moderated the discussions.
She emphasized that the works of the great Nizami have stood the test of time and after centuries have rightfully been included among the masterpieces of world poetry. “Nizami’s literary heritage is extensive and multifaceted. "The poet's five poems, "Khamsa" ("The Five"), which demonstrate his deep knowledge in fundamental sciences such as mathematics, astronomy, philosophy, history, geography, philology, and architecture, brought the thinker world fame," he said.
According to the scientist, after carefully reading the poet's works, one can conclude that Nizami was one of the most educated people of his time and was deeply familiar with the problems that troubled his contemporaries.
Speaking, the director of the Azerbaijan Cultural Center, Samir Abbasov, drew attention to the importance of studying Nizami's work.
He noted that in Azerbaijan at all times, special interest has been shown in the work of the founder of the great classical literary school.
"Nizami's work has been a source of inspiration for many poets in different countries of the world. The work of the great master still occupies an honorable place in the treasury of cultural values today," the head of the Cultural Center said.
He highly appreciated the declaration of 2021 as the “Year of Nizami” in our country, emphasizing that the anniversaries of the outstanding poet and thinker Nizami Ganjavi are always solemnly celebrated in Azerbaijan and supported at the state level.
The Center, which has been operating since April 2024, is aimed at promoting the heritage of the Azerbaijani people to the maximum extent, a vivid example of which is the project of translating the poem “Iskendername” from the original into Turkish, - said S. Abbasov and noted that the structure he leads plans to hold new events related to the heritage of famous Azerbaijani writers, poets and thinkers.
He also said that the book “Iskendername” in Turkish will be presented free of charge to the funds of cultural centers and libraries of the brotherly country.
Speaking later, the director of the Azerbaijan Ataturk Center, Academician Nizami Jafarov, called Nizami Ganjavi a source of pride for the entire Turkic world.
According to him, the claims that Nizami was a Persian poet are untrue.
N. Jafarov drew attention to the fact that the brilliant son of the Azerbaijani people used the word “Turkish” in his works at least ten times and in all cases in a positive sense. “We are rightly proud of the brilliant poet of the East, who has been a bridge between cultures to this day,” he said.
Professor of Gazi University (Ankara) Ismet Cetin, teacher of Karabakh University Azizaga Najafov, director of the Nizami Ganjavi Center of the Ganja branch of ANAS Alimukhtar Mukhtarov and others spoke about the importance of the legacy of the brilliant poet.
At the end of the conference, Professor Nimet Yıldırım, head of the Persian Language and Literature Department of Atatürk University (Erzurum), thanks to whom the poem “İsgändername” was translated from the original into Turkish, made a speech.
He emphasized the importance of promoting the legacy of the great Nizami in the Turkic world and spoke about plans in this direction.
The event ended by a performance the “Azerbaijani Rüzgarları” music group.
