By Azernews

By Laman Ismayilova

Poland has widely celebrated the 880th anniversary of Nizami Ganjavi, one of the greatest representatives of the Azerbaijani literature. 

A solemn ceremony dedicated to the poet was co-organized by the Azerbaijani Embassy in Poland, the International Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation and the Azerbaijan State Committee on Work with Diaspora.

The event featured a presentation of a book of selected works by Nizami in Polish, as well as a postcard committed to the poet.

The guests also viewed with an exhibition of paintings by a young Azerbaijani artist, the author of illustrations of the book - Maryam Asadova.

President of the International Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation Gunay Afandiyeva, President of the Polish Academy of Sciences Jerzy Duszynski, Mufti of Polish Muslims of Poland Tomasz Miskiewicz, President of the Association of Polish Writers Anna Nasilowska, representatives of the Polish post, heads of higher educational institutions, academic society and others attended the event.

Speaking at the ceremony, the Azerbaijani Ambassador to Poland Nargiz Gurbanova stressed that today marks the 880th anniversary of the great Azerbaijani poet and thinker Nizami Ganjavi.

The Ambassador expressed her special gratitude to President of the International Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation Gunay Afandiyeva, President of the Polish Academy of Sciences Jerzy Duszynski and the Azerbaijan State Committee on Work with Diaspora for support provided in the preparation of the event and the book dedicated to Nizami Ganjavi.

The Azerbaijani Ambassador also touched upon Nizami's poetry. She pointed out that his epic poetry collection "Khamsa" including gazelles, gasids and rubais have been translated into many foreign languages.

Nargiz Gurbanova emphasized that 2021 was declared by the order of President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev "The Year of Nizami Ganjavi" and assessed the organization of this literary and musical evening as an important contribution to the preservation of the great heritage of the poet.

President of the International Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation Gunay Afandiyeva expressed her satisfaction with the holding of the event in the homeland of Frederic Chopin and Adam Mickiewicz - Poland, in one of the most beautiful cities in Europe - Warsaw.

The President of the Foundation stressed the importance of this year as the entire Turkic world celebrates restoration of Azerbaijan's o territorial integrity and the return of its historical lands – Karabakh.

Gunay Afandiyeva also stressed that this year the entire Turkic world marks the anniversaries of great personalities - Nizami, Yunus Emre, Alisher Navoi and many others.

"880 years is a very significant figure, but the legacy that Nizami left us goes beyond these 880 years. Nizami is always modern. The values that are the basis of his creativity are universal values,” said the President of the Foundation.

Speaking about one of the cultural centers of Azerbaijan, where Nizami lived and worked – the city of Ganja, called by the poet himself "The Land of Wizards", Gunay Afandiyeva noted that his creativity is a universal heritage not only of Ganja, but also of the entire Turkic world.

She stressed that despite the fact that the great poet spoke Pahlavi, Persian, Arabic and Greek, his spiritual and poetic language was Turkic.

Gunay Afandiyeva appreciated the announcement of the "Year of Nizami" by President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev as a vivid expression of great respect not only for classical Azerbaijani, but also for general Turkic literature.

Furthermore, Gunay Afandiyeva informed the participants of the event about the activities of the International Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation. Combining various cultures and civilizations, the Foundation aims at creating a powerful cultural layer between them.

President of the Polish Academy of Sciences Jerzy Duszynski spoke about the importance of the ceremony dedicated to the Azerbaijani poet.

He said that Nizami Ganjavi is beloved poet not only in Azerbaijan and in the East, but also in the Western world.

Duszynski also stressed his influence on world literature and philosophical thought. Duszynski expressed gratitude to everyone who contributed to the organization of the event, and also conveyed his congratulations to the Azerbaijani people.

Speaking at the event, President of the Association of Polish Writers Anna Nasilowska spoke about the book published in Polish, consisting of selected works by Nizami Ganjavi.

Emphasizing that Nizami Ganjavi's poems were first published in Polish, she noted with confidence that the works of the great poet, reflected in the book, will be loved in Poland.

Next, Nizami Ganjavi's poems were read by the Polish researcher of Azerbaijani musical art Aneta Strzemsalski and a young student Ilham Guliyev.

The ceremony was followed by a gala concert with participation of the famous pianist, composer and conductor Abuzar Manafzade, laureate of international competitions Orkhan Jalilov (baritone) and actress Karen Danger-Manafzade (soprano).

Uzeyir Hajibayov's romances "Without you", "Beloved" and other musical compositions to the verses of Nizami Ganjavi were performed at the concert.

At the end of the ceremony, the guests were presented samples of Azerbaijani national cuisine and sweets.

The event was widely covered by the Polish media.