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Culture
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The original national culture of Azerbaijan goes
back into centuries and has absorbed the best traditions of East and West. Azerbaijan
literature is represented by such luminaries as Nizami Ganjavi, the peak of
whose creative activity "Khamsa" is included in the
treasure-house of world literature, Afzalladin Khagani, Mehseti Ganjavi,
Mohammed Fizuli, Molla Panah Vagif, Khur-shud-banu Natavan - their lyrics
have acquired world acknowledgment, dramatist and thinker Mirza Fatali
Akhundov, and satirists Sabir, Jalil Mammadkuluzade.
Azerbaijan gave the world a great theorist of
music, Safiatdin Urmovi, who created a new note system. His world famous "Treatise on Music"
written in the 13th century has become a handbook of musicologists of many
generations. Azerbaijan has always taken pride in its masters of fine and
applied arts. The works of Bakhrus Kenderlu, the master of the miniature,
colorful canvases of Sattar Bakhulzade, and paintings of Tahir Salakhov
decorate museums and art galleries of the world. The Azerbaijan art of
carpetry, being universally recognized, has deep roots.
Azerbaijan is
the motherland of a galaxy of architects who created masterpieces of
architecture in many countries of Moslem East. In the Republic itself there
are monuments of the "Nakhchivan" and "Shirvan"
architect school which have been preserved even to the present days -
Momina khatum mausoleum, Maiden Tower, Shirvanshah's Palace. The flight of
modern musical culture in Azerbaijan was impetuous and at its root was a
great composer Uzeyir Hajibayov, who created the first opera in the East -
"Leyli and Madjnun". His followers strengthened and multiplied
the success of the Azerbaijan School of composing, and raised the music of
the people to the highest achievements of world music art. The music of
Kara Karayev, Fikret Amirov, Niyazi, Arif Melikov fascinated the world and
was admired. Mugam is unique phenomenon, not only in national but also
world music culture. It is usually performed by a trio (kamancha, tar,
daf). Among the records of best music sent to outer civilization on the
"Voyager" spaceship in 1977, 2 minutes and 20 seconds, out of 90
total minutes of music, was mugam.
The Golden
fund of world mastery art owns the names of Jabbar Garyagdi, Byul-Byul,
Rashid Beybudov, Vagif Mustafazade and others.
A wide net of
cultural educational establishments are active in Azerbaijan: 150 museums
and art galleries, about 4650 public libraries including the M.F.Akhundov
State Public Library, Republican children and youth library, hundreds of
Culture Palaces and Clubs, 25 state theatres, Philharmonic Society, Musical
Academy, Children's Philharmonic Society, Arts Gymnasium.
Azerbaijan
inherited rich historcal traditions in science which has connections with
Medieval learning and relation to the famous Maragha observatory of the
XIII century well-known astronomer Nasreddin Tusi.
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