Book ‘Protector of our culture and cultural pearls’ presented

Presentation of book ‘Protector of our culture and cultural pearls’ published by Culture and Tourism Ministry and Azerbaijan National Committee of International Music Board was held on June 6 at Azerbaijan State Philharmonic Society. The book, including periodic press materials (1995-2007) on the actions of Mrs Mehriban Aliyeva, First Lady of Azerbaijan, President of Heydar Aliyev Foundation and Azeri Culture Friends Foundation, Goodwill Ambassador of UNESCO and ISESCO, MP, compiled and edited by associate member of National Academy of Sciences Sevda Mammadaliyeva, is opened with words of UNESCO Director General Koichiro Matsuura: ‘First Lady of Azerbaijan Mrs Mehriban Aliyeva has created 10 years ago Azeri Culture Friends Foundation in frame of which great works have been done. I was following and closely studying her actions in this field. I saw that services of Mrs Aliyeva in this field are matchless…

She is functioning not only in Azerbaijan but also in regional, I would say, even in global scale.’

Attendees of the event saw the video reflecting the care of Mehriban Aliyeva to our culture.

Opening the event culture and tourism minister Abulfas Garayev emphasized after being appointed as the Goodwill Ambassador of UNESCO Mehriban Aliyeva has done big works in field of development of Azeri culture, protection and propaganda of intangible cultural heritage, including mugham, inclusion of that in the list of the universal pearls. He said ‘Materials contained in this book reflect only a part of works done by Heydar Aliyev Foundation and Azeri Culture Friends Foundation. Taking benefit of this book our youth will select for themselves an example of service for our people and country, happy future of Azerbaijan, take a moral advantage.’ The Minister underlined in response to the care by the President of Azerbaijan the employees of culture will be working more hardly. He informed Russian and English-language versions of the book presented are under development.    

Chairman of Artists Union, people’s artist Farhad Khalilov, secretary of Writers Union, people’s writer Chingiz Abdullayev, chairperson of State Committee for Family, Woman and Child Problems Hijran Huseynova, director of Architecture and Art Institute of National Academy of Sciences, academician Rasim Efendiyev, rector of National Conservatoire, people’s artist Siyavush Karimi talked of large-scale works done by Heydar Aliyev Foundation under leadership of Mrs Mehriban Aliyeva. They stated personal initiatives of Mrs Aliyeva played essential role in inclusion of Gobustan History and Art Reserve and Icherisheher History and Architecture Reserve in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List, publication of 7 volumes of the 10-volume fundamental research work titled ‘Anthology of folk music of Azerbaijan’, as well works ‘Letter of Sharafiyya’, ‘Kitabi-Advar’ by Safiyaddin Urmavi and ‘Code of Music’ by Fatullah Shirvani within the Mugham-Anthology Project. At the moment, ‘Encyclopedia of mugham’ is developed, Mugham Center is built under her leadership. Speakers mentioned the highest public interest in the personality of Mehriban Aliyeva, her activities towards the progress of national and universal culture and valued the book presented as a kind of reply to this.

The 7-part book widely talks of faith of the First Lady in our historical past, her care for national and moral values of our people. The book also contains materials confirming the high value set to the real civic position and multilateral actions of Mrs Mehriban Aliyeva in foreign countries and prestigious international organizations.   

Gara Garayev’s Azerbaijan State Chamber Band and famous performers of the republic provided an interesting concert.