Maiden Tower festival ahead

/By AzerNews/

By Amina Nazarli

Baku will host the sixth International “Maiden Tower” Art Festival on June 11-14.

The traditional festival, which the capital has held since 2010, is organized by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation.

This year, a total of 27 artists from 17 countries will take part in the festival.

As every year, artists will decorate models of Baku’s symbol -- Maiden Tower in their own style, creating works that reflect the synthesis of different cultures and customs.

The festival aims primarily to contribute to the promotion of the Maiden Tower in Icherisheher (Old City), one of the most ancient and mysterious monuments in Azerbaijan, which is included in UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 2000. It also helps to familiarize international artists with Azerbaijan's art and culture.

Built in the shape of a cylinder on the Caspian Sea shore, the Maiden Tower is a construction which rather like a buttress, sticks out from the cylindrical tower on the sea side.

There have many calculations and speculations when it comes to determining the date of its construction. Some suggest that it was constructed in between the 4th and 6th centuries AD others have speculated it was built somewhere in between the 11th and 12th centuries. The tower rises to a height of 29.5 meters and has a diameter of 16.5 meters.

Earlier in 2014, the Maiden Tower opened a new exposition after a long process of conservation.

For four years, the festival has been held in Baku, once it was held in the French city of Cannes. Since its establishment, the festival was attended by many renowned artists from around the world.

Last year, the festival hosted 28 well-known artists from 26 countries who worked in the open air in front of the art lovers and passers-by. The festival introduced a 3D drawing, one of the most popular types of street art.

As part of the festival, which is constantly pushing art boundaries, this year's artists will also be invited to paint pomegranate and gazelle, which are the official mascots of the inaugural sporting event -- the European Games to be held in Baku on June 12-28, 2015.

More than 6,000 athletes from across Europe will represent their nations over 17 days of competition in 20 sports. Some 16 of these sports will be Olympic and four non-Olympic. Moreover, a total of 12 of the sports will offer qualification opportunities for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.