The meeting of the Presidium of ANAS discussed the Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev “On the celebration of the 140th anniversary of Uzeyir Hajibeyli” dated February 3, 2025 and the tasks facing ANAS.
President of ANAS, Academician Isa Habibbeyli, said that in September 2025, the 140th anniversary of the birth of the great Azerbaijani composer, creator of the first opera in the East, great musicologist-scientist, talented publicist, playwright and teacher, well-known public figure, People's Artist, laureate of State Prizes, full member of the Azerbaijan Academy of Sciences, Uzeyir Hajibeyli will be celebrated.
Academician Isa Habibbeyli emphasized that Uzeyir Hajibeyli, the author of the National Anthem of Azerbaijan, the founder of the first national Azerbaijani opera and operetta, and the organizer of the first national symphony orchestra, rendered unparalleled services in the enlightenment of our people and instilling a patriotic spirit in them in the 20th century, not only with his magnificent compositions, but also with his rich journalism, which was on a par with the Mollanesraddinists.
The speaker, who said that the great composer, along with his rich compositional activity, also played an important role in the life of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences and that he was one of the 15 founders of the Academy in 1945, said that Uzeyir Hajibeyli was elected a member of the Presidium, and that he made great contributions to Azerbaijani music science and transcribed our folk music into music. He noted that manuscripts belonging to Uzeyir Hajibeyli and his personal archive are currently preserved at the Institute of Manuscripts named after Muhammad Fuzuli of ANAS.
Academician Isa Habibbeyli also noted that the 140th anniversary of the outstanding composer is planned to be celebrated at the Academy with a grand event with the participation of foreign guests, including representatives of the Turkic world. At the same time, he noted that last year the ANAS collective organized a viewing of the opera "Leyli and Majnun" performed by the collective of the Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater, and a similar event will be organized this year.
Stating that the country's leadership has always paid special attention to the personality of Uzeyir Hajibeyli, Academician Isa Habibbeyli expressed gratitude to the head of state for this Order on behalf of the Academy's collective, and said that the aforementioned document will allow the creativity of the genius to be re-examined and presented to the younger generations and the world in the light of the wide opportunities provided by our independence.
Taking into account the above, the Humanities and Social Sciences departments of ANAS were instructed to prepare the “ANAS Action Plan” in connection with the celebration of the 140th anniversary of Uzeyir Hajibeyli. In addition, it was decided to organize a scientific conference on the topic “Uzeyir Hajibeyli: literary and cultural value and spiritual and aesthetic richness” jointly organized by the Presidium of ANAS and the Humanities and Social Sciences departments of ANAS. Also, the Nizami Ganjavi Institute of Literature of ANAS and the Institute of Architecture and Art of ANAS were instructed to prepare a joint monograph dedicated to the life and work of Uzeyir Hajibeyli.
