In March 2011, the Second Mugham World International Festival was held in Baku
involving recognized music experts and researchers from the US, Turkey, China, Iran,
Uzbekistan, Iraq and Jordan. The Festival was accompanied by the scientific symposium, opera
performances, mugham operas, mugham-based symphonies, classic mugham and ethnic jazz
performances.
The Gabala International Music Festival
In the summer of 2009 international Music Festival and contest of the pianists were held in
Gabala with the support of the Foundation. Musicians representing different countries
participated in the festival set a new musical tradition.
Within the framework of the Foundation sponsored International Music Festivals in
Gabala, international contests of young pianists were followed by mugham, classic, chamber,
jazz and vocal performances in 2010, 2011 and 2012.
Traditional annual festivals brought together renowned performers, musicians and world-
class symphony and philharmonic orchestras from a number of countries.
The International Ashyg Festival
In October, 2010, with the support of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and organizational
support by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Azerbaijan
Ashygs Union, the opening ceremony of the International Ashyg Festival was held. Performers
from 8 countries (Azerbaijan, Turkey, Iran, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan Georgia and
Russia (Dagestan)) took part in this event, the first of its kind in Azerbaijan. Following the
initiative by Mrs. Mehriban Aliyeva, the President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, in 2009, the
ashyg art was inscribed on the Representative List of the UNESCO’s World Intangible Cultural
Heritage.
The Heydar Aliyev Foundation as an official partner of the Eurovision Song Contest 2012
The initiator of Azerbaijan joining to the Eurovision Song Contest was Mehriban Aliyeva,
the President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation. Since this initiative Azerbaijan has been
successfully participating at the contest starting from 2008. With 221 votes our representatives
became the winners of the 56
th
Eurovision Song Contest held in Germany in 2011.
An Organizational Committee, under the leadership of Mehriban Aliyeva, the President
of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, was created following the order signed by Ilham Aliyev, the
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, on May 19, 2011.
Eurovision Song Contest was a very important event in regards with promoting
Azerbaijan’s rich history and cultural heritage. The Heydar Aliyev Foundation, being an