Baku, September 10, AZERTAC

“Fifty years ago, the 600th anniversary of great Azerbaijani poet Imadaddin Nasimi (1369-1417) was marked on the initiative of national leader Heydar Aliyev, thereby increasing interest in his life and work in our country and beyond. Studies of native-language manuscripts of the powerful Sufi poet, who made an invaluable contribution to the development of our national culture, whose perfect poetic samples have been for centuries performed by Ozans, the masters of mugham art, have significantly expanded since then and his works have been published with large print-runs. It is no coincidence that a feature film, which occupies a special place in promoting the legacy of Imadaddin Nasimi, was shot in 1973 during great leader Heydar Aliyev’s leadership of Soviet Azerbaijan. The shooting of the film was directed by Hasan Seyidbayli and based on a script by Isa Huseynov, while the image of the poet was recreated by the then young and talented actor Rasim Balaev. The film was extensively acclaimed by the public,” Azerbaijani President`s Assistant for Public and Political Affairs Ali Hasanov has posted on his Facebook page.

Ali Hasanov noted that works by Nasimi have found a well-deserved place in the publications published in accordance with the Order of the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev “On the implementation of mass publications in the Azerbaijani language with Latin graphics” dated 12 January 2004, the publications donated to the country's libraries. Everyone is also well aware that considering the particular relevance of Nasimi’s heritage in the context of modern requirements of the humanitarian worldview in terms of promoting national cultural and spiritual values, the head of state has declared 2019 a Year of Nasimi. In accordance with this Presidential decree, numerous scientific and cultural events and studies have been carried out during the year, including extensive media articles on the poet, that have left a mark on the history of the literary and philosophical thought of our people. Activities are still under way.

The Presidential Assistant said that on the initiative of the First Vice-President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mehriban Aliyeva, 650,000 trees will be planted in the republic in one day on the occasion of the 650th anniversary of the poet and thinker Imadaddin Nasimi. “As is evident from the message circulated in this regard, representatives of the general public from all the regions of the republic, as well as state and government agencies, diplomats, executive authorities, non-governmental organizations and volunteers, will join this noble initiative aimed at promoting Nasimi’s poetry on the international arena, perpetuating his memory, popularizing Azerbaijani literature and cultural heritage.”

“In my opinion, one of the valuable contributions to the Year of Nasimi has been made by our compatriot, British performer of Azerbaijani descent Sami Yusuf whose latest song is posted on his Youtube channel. The "Nasimi" composition he performed on the frets of the "Shur" mugham quickly became popular on social networks and was received with great approval. Such a famous performer as Sami, who regularly comes to Azerbaijan, has taken part in the Nasimi Festival of Poetry, Art and Spirituality held with the organizational support of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the Ministry of Culture in September last year and whose concerts are attended by hundreds of thousands of spectators, is the admirer of classical poetry who distributes the pearls of our spiritual culture around the world in a new and professional form. And this, of course, deserves great approval. On the way to work, taking advantage of the opportunities provided by the Internet, I listened to a song composed with our folk instruments. It represents a synthesis of national, classical and modern music and has been prepared with the successful performing skills of khanende Tayyar Bayramov and other artists. I was very pleased to listen to this song. Therefore, I want to express my gratitude to everyone who has contributed to the transformation of the “I can’t fit into the place” ghazal by Nasimi, one of the seven great ozans of the Turkic world, into this amazing and enchanting music. I am happy to share this video with you, my Facebook friends. I am sharing this also because I want to bring you to the conclusion that Heydar Aliyev and Ilham Aliyev have exalted our historical personalities and thinkers such as Nasimi in the eyes of our society and the world so much that they do not fit into the standard framework of space.”