The Azerbaijan State News Agency

Arabian gazette posts article headlined “Nizami Ganjavi – The Greatest Epic Romantic Poet”

Strasburg, January 27 (AZERTAC). Arabian gazette has published an article titled “Nizami Ganjavi - The Greatest Epic Romantic Poet”.

The article reads: “Once upon a time, was a storyteller of genius who told stories about society in a small scale and about humanity on a universal scale. Nizami Gandjavi is this great poet, philosopher of the 12th century (1141-1209) from Azerbaijan who also told the story of “Leyli and Majnun” the epitome of Romanticism, borrowed at theatricality of the drama. This piece of theater was the vanguard of “Romeo & Juliet” published by Shakespeare, his most famous piece of classical British scenes of the 17th century after five hundred years later! Thus this is of Nizami, the mystic thinker of Ganja, who has preceded Shakespeare in “Leyli and Majnun” the romantic drama of the 12th century very long time before “Romeo & Juliet“.

Nizami’s third epic poem was completed in 1188 AD a retelling of an Ancient Arabic legend - of the unhappy love of a young man named Kays, whom Nizami renames as ”Majnun” (Means “The obsessed” for the beautiful girl Leyli. It is a lyrical passionate poem of tormented love written by Kays. Nizami fleshed out the story to completeness and added a psychological concept of this tragic poem of infinite love. Nizami gives another dimension, by the hero‘s lives that are divided by external events and try to bring them to a successful conclusion result only in a failure. Majnun is in a process and breaks all his bonds with human society and humanity forever. Leyli and Kays (Kays is renamed Majnun) love each other so strongly but can they happy? Leyli dies as if surrendering her life for an ideal image which lives on in Majnun. (Extract of “Leyli & Majnun” text by Jamila Hasanzade, Professor of Art-Foundation Heydar Aliyev).

Nowadays, in 2014, we would nickname “Superman” easily as far as is concerned every human being endowed with “Superhuman Power” of skills and talents. In 1214, Nizami Ganjavi, a poet, philosopher, astrologer, physician, painter, geographer, historian also specialist in literature and spiritual sciences was modestly being appointed a “Thinker” that was making of it a separate being.

This man of the Middle Ages, multifaceted with an intellectual superhuman grace. If he had existed in modern times of the second millennium, he would have been considered the exceptional expression of genius. However, it is certain that Nizami marked not only his time, but he was also able to travel through time and space thanks to his works engraved on the marble monuments erected in his image. Azerbaijan and where it comes from “Ganja, his city devoted him a cultural center and a mausoleum in his name.”

As a good scholar, Nizami, got personally involved in the spiritual elevation by studying both the holy Quran and the Hadith (extracts of the Prophet Muhammad’s hadith SAW) before exploring the science and more of legislation, physics, astrology and ethics.

Thus he combined a perfect complementary between the objective approach in all its rationality and the subjective feelings engraved in all these writings and illustrations. This will mark Nizami’s passage and a reference of a wealthy prestigious Muslim civilization. These constructions attest to the peak of the architecture and original design in a lush natural beauty rocked by the flourishing trade favourable to the development of a culture nestled at the crossroads of cultures.

This privileged position, benchmark of the crossroads where the East and West meet, encouraged the young Nizami to discover different countries and in facilitating the proximity of these remote cultures. He was actually speaking the Farsi, Arabic, the Pahlavi and the Greek by opening to the world while embracing these inflows.

He balanced in the most absolute tolerance facing anything unknown by welcoming them as himself a foreign to. Nizami Ganjavi had studied his predecessors as Biruni, AL Farabi, Avicenna, Rumi, Hafez, Jami, Aristotle, Plato, and Euclid who were his masters but also his sources of inspiration to create his own style and special refined manner of affixing his signature in his illustrations. His creations came to the next generations as he printed in the history’s parchment by the seal of his style making his own contribution to the Eastern artistic thought as one of the founders of an original literary school.

All of Nizami’s top five romantic poems were assembled in the “Khamesh” (Derived from “Khames“, which means “Five” in Arabic), considered the reference of the world literature, which are his major “Five Treasures“. This collection is considered a single work and highly respected by the community Literary Middle East as a crucial step in the heyday of the nascent Oriental Renaissance.

Among his operatic works, are named as Ghazals Qasidas, Roubais and Fahriy. In Ghazals, he evokes the nature of man, life, Epicureanism, in stories dedicated to beauty, sensuality and love always associated with aesthetics.

Nizami described in his first poem Khamesh, “Treasury of Mysteries” issues relating from society to social justice, human dignity, high ethics, the relationship between man and society, the harmony between society and dear to this environmentalist avant-garde preoccupied by nature.

His remarks underlined in his poetry place him as a precursor of the declaration of human rights in the 12th century (his collection was completed in 1177 ) because he had sensed at the time that man could overcome his demons to improve and enhance it daily without injuring his neighbour.

Moreover, he put forward the dignity of man which is related to the realization of the work and the concept itself of meritocracy. He praises also the loyalty, friendship, ingenuity, courage talent, hard work and many other virtues allies to honesty to achieve as a man but also to raise humanity to the top and thus closer to the Divine beauty of these gestures.

Nizami has generously bequeathed his works capitals, a most precious treasure legacy rare for the future generations.

Nizami has multiple possible origins, but his origin has being attested from Azerbaijan, by historians

Nizami has caused much harm to historians, archaeologists, researchers and other dubious about the origin of this poet philosopher of genius. His manuscripts are now preserved around the world from Istanbul, Tehran, Cairo, St. Petersburg, Tashkent, London, Paris, Berlin and Beijing … so its influence has had an impact so deployed between East and the West. The boundaries of the time and space allowed to appropriate the origin of such a famous genius. But it was clearly proved that Nizami Ganjavi (”Vi” which means “Originally from”) is from ”Ganja“, the second city of Azerbaijan after Baku, the capital. The researcher cites philologist Rafael Huseynov, in one of his articles. “His identity has been verified after many years of research both in Europe and Middle East. From the seventeenth century the translation of his works will facilitate research, which Sprenger, Atkinson, Bacher, Levy, Arberti and other leading scientists. On Saturday, September 30, 1139, a landmark event in world history took place when one of the most destructive earthquakes ever seen turned the earth inside out. The earthquake entirely ravaged the city, Ganja. This catastrophe claimed the lives of dozens of thousands of human beings. And yet, during the 1141 calamity, seemingly compensating for those losses, nature bestowed upon Azerbaijan and the world extraordinary descendant, amongst them Nizami Ganjavi”. Thus Goethe, the German philosopher of the fourteenth century admiring the work of Nizami said of him “Among the fourteen poets of the East, seven are the best known. Among them the most famous is Nizami.”

 

Share news on social media

Follow us on social network

Azerbaijani, Nigerian FMs hold phone talk

Turkish ministers Fidan and Guler in Riyadh

Yemeni forces recapture Red Sea port city of Mokha from Houthis

Japan plans no new oil reserve release following G7 agreement: Premier

Special educational institutions celebrate World Teachers’ Day

Azerbaijani FM, U.S. Secretary of State hold phone talk

Azerbaijani culture showcased at Vietnamese festival

President Ilham Aliyev’s social media account shared video on opening ceremony of World Judo Championships VIDEO

Power outage hits thousands of homes, businesses in London

Azerbaijan joins music festival in South Korea

President Ilham Aliyev’s social media accounts shared video on inauguration of pharmaceutical manufacturing plant VIDEO

TURKPA Secretary General meets with Speaker of Kyrgyz Parliament

EU disburses $175M to Moldova as sides reaffirm path toward bloc membership

23 Chinese students to study in Azerbaijan under Intergovernmental Scholarship Program

Türkiye pursuing determined goal of becoming strong, respected global space player: President Erdogan

Azerbaijan, Digital Cooperation Organization expand cooperation

Top stories update

Government of Pakistan launches aid program to protect working-class citizens from rising global oil prices

10th DokuBaku International documentary film festival opens in Baku

President Ilham Aliyev attended opening ceremony of World Judo Championships VIDEO

Baku hosts World Judo Championships opening ceremony

Azerbaijani citizens among crew of vessel attacked in neutral waters - Zelenskyy

Bulgaria unveils new national model for technology, knowledge transfer

Azerbaijan’s gymnast wins two golds in UK

Azerbaijan Army servicemen successfully participate in exercise in Pakistan

Azerbaijan’s Ombudsperson meets with Ukrainian counterpart

Azerbaijani, Belarusian National Olympic Committees discuss sports cooperation

“Women in the History of Azerbaijan’s Parliamentarism”: From Past to Present

Azerbaijan, Türkiye enhance cooperation in labor and social protection field

Floods kill 31 in Thailand, waters recede in Bangkok

Baku to host Azerbaijan-UK Joint Intergovernmental Commission meeting

Azerbaijan’s Ganja and Kyrgyzstan’s Osh cities enhance cooperation

Azerbaijan, Belarus discuss prospects for sports cooperation

Film on female deminers in Garabagh wins award at European festival

Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games close; Japan achieves record medal haul

Norway to temporarily ban AI glasses in some public places

120th anniversary of Latif Karimov celebrated in Vienna with special carpet exhibition by “Azerkhalcha” OJSC

Israeli researchers discover new insect species preserved in 99-million-year-old amber

Crime in Kazakhstan decreases by 15% over first nine months of 2026

ANAMA: 1,144.9 hectares cleared of mines and unexploded ordnance last week

Unveiling ceremony of Garabagh horse statue held in Astana

Azerbaijani delegation attends 77th International Astronautical Congress in Türkiye

Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi ranks first in UAE across five specialties in Newsweek’s World’s Best Specialised Hospitals 2027

Oman crude oil price rises by USD 1.72

Kyrgyzstan, Oman consider establishing Investment Fund

EU Reporter” publishes analytical article on President Ilham Aliyev’s speech

Chairman of Caucasus Muslims Office to visit Kazakhstan

Nikkei stock index briefly tops 70,000 for 1st time since July

Azerbaijani companies join INNOPROM. Belarus exhibition

Euronews highlights Azerbaijani judoka’s success at Judo 2026 World Championships

Selçuk Bayraktar: We are witnessing the rise of TEKNOFEST generation in Azerbaijan as well

President Ilham Aliyev received newly appointed ambassador of Malaysia to Azerbaijan VIDEO

® IE Business School turns ABB Bank’s transformation journey into a case study

® Kapital Bank holds more than 30 business meetings at Sibos 2026

21 countries adopt Antalya Declaration for peaceful use of space

President Ilham Aliyev received newly appointed ambassador of Austria to Azerbaijan VIDEO

Chinese researchers reconstruct face of 8,000-year-old man from remains

“Impact Pioneers 26 EUROPE” programme’s Swedish week concludes in Stockholm

China’s vaccine assistance strengthens Pakistan’s livestock disease-control efforts

The New Tashkent Airport will become a symbol of modern Uzbekistan

Top stories update

FIDE President arrives in Baku

Spain's PM Sanchez calls early general election

Four Azerbaijani taekwondo fighters claim medals at Albanian Open 2026

Ebola cases surge to 8,376 in DR Congo

Portugal edge Norway 2-1 to maintain perfect Nations League start

President Ilham Aliyev attended inauguration of pharmaceutical manufacturing plant in Pirallahi Industrial Park VIDEO

® PASHA Holding continues to support opportunities for farmers

Gold and silver prices rise on global markets

Oil prices fall on global markets

Azerbaijan beat Lithuania 1-0 in UEFA Nations League

Egyptian president rejects foreign interference in African affairs, urges cooperation on shared rivers

Top stories update

Azerbaijani judoka crowned world champion in Baku

Azerbaijan leads OTS countries in imports from Türkiye

Zelenskyy says Germany provides Ukraine with $1.46B support package

‘There is no military solution’ to end war, Iran tells US

President Ilham Aliyev’s social media accounts shared video highlighting his speech at 8th Congress of YAP VIDEO

Gold and silver prices decrease on global markets

Oil prices fall in global markets

Turkish President inaugurates new interchange on Azerbaijan Boulevard in Sanliurfa

People's Writer Ilyas Afandiyev's 30th death anniversary commemorated

Azerbaijan’s Parliament Speaker embarks on working visit to Tanzania

RSF attack in Sudan killed more than 25 civilians in North Kordofan, says medical group

Türkiye carrying out 'complete revolution' in defense industry, says president

Top stories update

Azerbaijani referee to officiate UEFA Nations League match

US-Ukrainian investment fund seals first critical minerals deal

Dresden hosts international scientific symposium on epic "Kitabi-Dede Gorgud"

Exhibition dedicated to Kelaghayi traditions opens in Ankara

President of Türkiye: I hope our unity, togetherness and solidarity will remain everlasting and enduring

Azerbaijani, Iranian FMs hold phone talk

European Union to Azerbaijan hosts fourth “Taste of Europe” Culinary Festival

IEA chief warns surging diesel prices will fuel global inflation

3rd International Opera Festival brings art lovers together in Azerbaijan`s Ganja

Azerbaijani trampoline gymnasts shine with six medals in international tournament

Top stories update 

Türkiye’s Foreign Ministry: We are building the Turkic Century in unity and solidarity together

President Ilham Aliyev received President of International Judo Federation VIDEO

To His Excellency Mr. Nizar Amedi, President of the Republic of Iraq