Visions of Azerbaijan International magazine on Azerbaijan

by Muhammad Hasanli

Azerbaijan actually achieved independence twice during the 20th century. The first time was on 28 May 1918, when the National Council of Azerbaijan adopted a Declaration of Independence. The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR) established then existed for 23 ...more ››

by Jeyran Bayramova, Ian Peart, Saadat Ibrahimova

Art! Life! Earth! was the theme attracting 116 artists and sculptors from Azerbaijan, the USA, Germany, Austria, Britain, France, Israel, Italy, South Korea, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Russia, Japan, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Turkey to the II Gabala International Art Exhibition on 17 and 18 December. Organized by the Culture Fund of Azerbaijan ...more ››

by Ibrahim Zeynalov

2011 was a year of dynamic development in the oil and non-oil sectors, agriculture and other areas of Azerbaijani life. The non-oil sector’s share of Gross Domestic Product rose 2 per cent in the last year, to a figure 88 times that of 20 years ago. Of the priority sectors, transportation services rose by a factor of 3.7 and freight turnover ...more ››

by Jeyran Bayramova

Elmaddin Aliyev and Khayam Abdullayev are young Azerbaijani film directors currently in the middle of shooting a feature film. Philosophical in its approach, the film considers those conceptions of life passed from generation to generation in mother’s milk. Hence the title: ‘Milk’. Like all filmmakers, these young authors are eager to present their creations to the Azerbaijani audience, but it has not always been easy. Cinemas have only rarely shown products of the domestic film industry since Azerbaijan reclaimed independence. However, it seems the situation is going to change following extensive refurbishment on the corner of Bul-Bul and 28 May Streets in the heart ...more ››

by Ian Peart
with Fanara Bunyadzade and Kemale Shamilova

Isn’t it strange how you feel you know someone who is famous? Even if that knowledge is based on just a few moments in their life – and, inevitably, the publicity surrounding those moments. But it’s no probably no stranger than feeling you know the people of a country from hearing about a single event there.
Coming from England, where the Eurovision Song Contest is generally treated as a joke, I had been taken aback by the huge enthusiasm with which Azerbaijanis welcomed home their conquering heroes Ell and Nikki from Germany in May ...more ››

by Nigar Abdullayeva

One of the world’s oldest oil industry hubs is currently undergoing rapid and dynamic development. Construction on a grand scale is transforming the capital, with numerous ambitious projects by top-name construction companies producing attention-grabbing change.

Heydar Aliyev Centre ready in 2012

One of the largest-scale projects is the building of the Heydar Aliyev Centre. This modern cultural centre, begun in 2007, will have a multi-functional, complex structure connecting halls equipped with the latest technology. What surprises await visitors? Well, the building ...more ››

by Fiona Maclachlan

On 29 October, Azerbaijan´s very own piano factory in Qabala proudly opened its very first shop - in Kleve, Germany. The celebrations included a reception at the shop and afterwards a river boat trip to further appreciate the Kleve area.
Kleve is the home town of Herr Hans Leferink, General Designer and Production Director of Qabala´s piano factory. The factory manufactures pianos under the Beltmann brand name.
I asked piano factory General Director Dmitry Yablonsky all about the opening and he shared many photographs of the exciting event. Special guests were the deputy Mayor of Kleve and also the CEO of ...more ››

by Farhad Mammadov

Despite repeated requests by the OSCE’s Minsk Group, Armenia is again organizing further resettlement of Armenians living abroad to the occupied Azerbaijani territories in Karabakh. This is evident from an article by an Armenian journalist working in Los Angeles, USA and posted on the Eurasianet.org website (http://www.eurasianet.org/node/64435). It states that to prevent the steady outflow of human capital a new campaign has been started to resettle Armenians residing in foreign countries to Armenia and occupied Nagorno Karabakh. But the government of Armenia is remaining officially distant from this campaign, saying it is a private initiative. The essence of the campaign is to convince rich Armenians living mainly in Western countries and able to support ...more ››

by Veli Aliyev

Architectural surveys that I conducted in Gamigaya from 1968-2005 revealed seasonal dwelling settlements – sites with mud huts of circular design, characteristic of the ancient architecture of Nakhchivan, as well as many rock carvings. The walls of these dwellings (ranging from ...more ››

by Kamil Ibrahimov

The president’s declaration of 2011 as the Year of Tourism gave historians further encouragement to study and preserve historical and cultural monuments for future generations and thus also contribute to the tourism sector. The custodians of historical architecture and ethnographic reserves sustain our cultural heritage by both protecting ...more ››

by Turan Mammadaliyeva

Development
There are moments in the life of every person which determine the course of his destiny; these moments are sometimes the result of a chance encounter with s great personality. Someone who played a decisive role in the life of Mstislav Rostropovich and his parents was the great Azerbaijani composer Uzeyir Hajibeyov. In 1925, two musicians from Orenburg, Leopold Vitoldovich Rostropovich and his wife Sofya Nikolayevna, were invited by Hajibeyov to the Azerbaijan State Conservatoire; they came to Baku and settled in a central apartment at 17 Kolodeznaya Street (now 19 Rostropovich Street). In fact, they already knew Baku quite well. As musicologist Sheyla Heydarova wrote ...more ››

by Jeyran Bayramova

The Christmas cracker has just celebrated a jubilee! The year 2011 marked 150 years since Tom Smith, the English sweets seller, invented his ‘bon bon’, a sugared almond wrapped in a twist of tissue paper which eventually led to the creation of the Christmas Cracker. Nowadays there is hardly a family in the UK that celebrates Merry Christmas without crackers. Adults and children are brought together to pull apart the cracker in joyful anticipation of the goodies inside. Christmas has long been seen as a family holiday. On this day, 25 December, the Christian tradition is for families to celebrate together, to taste Christmas turkey, mulled wine and exchange presents in the bosom of their family. It’s no ...more ››

by Yagub Mahmudov

Uzun Hasan (1453-1478) of the Aghgoyunlu dynasty was the first ruler in this region to exchange letters and establish relations with the Holy Roman Empire, in the 1470s, when he made military-political alliances with European and Asian states against the Ottoman sultan Mehmed II (1451-1481).
Azerbaijan-European contacts increased in the 16th century ...more ››

by Shamistan Nazirli

Words of the guide
The first time I heard his name was in the museum in Sevastopol city, in 1976. The girl tour guide was standing before a picture of a giant cruiser, giving information about heroes of the war of 1853-1856. She told us:
Russia’s growing strength in the Balkans in March 1854 began to worry Britain and France. Their aim was to grab the Black Sea straits and close Russia’s trade routes. Thus both countries joined in war and moved their forces to Crimea. Sevastopol was besieged and a heroic defensive operation began. Despite the courageous struggle by admirals Istomin, Nakhimov and Aslanbeyov (she pronounced it Aslambekov ...more ››

by Nushaba Huseynli

She turns her head towards her mother and points to me. Although I cannot catch the meaning in her expression, I feel that it is about me. Then she looks at me and smiles. Her smile amazes me, as it did the first time we met. It is so sincere, from the bottom of her heart, that the love of life there confuses me. Samira Salmanova, in a wheelchair and dumb, only able to express herself via looks and various sounds, has a very good memory. Although ten years have gone by since our first meeting, she remembers me immediately and tells her mother so.
She says she remembers you. She is happy to see you ...more ››

by Atakhan A.Pashayev

The Molla Nasreddin magazine was one of the most remarkable projects in the history of the Azerbaijani press; it represented a new stage in the development of national consciousness through art and literature, the first swallow of a glorious summer of political satire in the region in the early 20th century.
From its very inception, the magazine was involved in the fiercest struggle with the old world, in the process attracting a huge following, not only in the South Caucasus and Russia, but across the Near and Middle East. It fought on many fronts, against: the colonialism of imperialist countries and tsarist autocracy. In the East – especially with the despotic ...more ››

by Aydin Talibzadeh

Children perceive the world through fairy tales, they grow up little by little on these tales. There is nothing conditional, fictional or false for them: everything is true, real; as real as the sea, ships sailing on the sea, as real as the earth and the trees growing in it. There is a fine line between reality and fantasy, fantasy and reality, in such tales.
Fairy tales are a nation’s childhood. Every country is mirrored and senses its cultural identity in these stories. Mothers hand on this identity card to their children. If you want to discover a nation for yourself, observe its traditions, learn its language and then read its tales.
The Baku International Puppet Festival also had its origins ...more ››