SHUSHA, Azerbaijan, July 15. "My Homeland Karabakh" poetry hour has been held within the framework of the Vagif Poetry Days being organized by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, the Ministry of Culture and the Writers' Union of Azerbaijan on July 15-16 in Azerbaijan's Shusha city, Trend reports from the scene.
Shusha is the birthplace of many prominent poets, the cradle of ancient Azerbaijani culture, many prominent poets and writers who made a big contribution to the development of national culture and art. This beautiful city gave the world such outstanding personalities as Molla Panah Vagif, Khurshidbanu Natavan, Aghabayim-agha Javanshir, Jafargulu khan Nava, Gasim bay Zakir, Khurshidbanu Natavan, Baba bey Shakir, Mir Mohsun Navvab, Fatma khanum Kamina, Abdurrahim bay Hagverdiyev, Najaf bay Vazirov, Suleyman Sani Akhundov, Yusif Vazir Chamanzaminli, Uzeyir Hajibayli, Ahmad bay Aghaoghlu, Ashug Pari and others.
Azerbaijani poets Vahid Aziz, Seyran Sakhavat, Elchin Iskandarzade, Barat Vusal, Gasham Najafzade, Alisamad Kur, Akbar Goshaly, Shafag Sahibli, Alamzar Sadiqgizi, Malahat Yusifgizi, Gulnar Umud, Aybaniz Aliyar, Asad Jahangir, Naringul, Shahla Aghbulud, Fakhraddin Asad, as well as foreign guests Khurshid Davron (Uzbekistan), Serhat Kabakli, Atabey Baris and Hayat Sami (Türkiye) recited their verses.
The event was held in front of the house of a prominent poetess, the last princess of the Karabakh khanate, Khurshidbanu Natavan.
As part of the event, the director of the Research Institute of Turkic Studies at the International Kazakh-Turkish University named after Khoja Akhmet Yassawi, Turkish teacher and translator Omer Kucukmehmetoglu was awarded the prize of the prominent Azerbaijani writer Bakhtiyar Vahabzade and a certificate of honorary member of the Azerbaijan Writers Union by the vice-president of the Writers Union of TURKSOY, secretary SPA Salim Babullaoghlu.
"It's a great honor for me to visit the blessed land of Karabakh and the city of Shusha for the first time. I'm overwhelmed with the most amazing feelings! Thanks to President of Azerbaijan, Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev, the victorious army and people, this sacred land was liberated from the Armenian occupation and is now reviving and flourishing," said Kucukmehmetoglu, who, together with Babullaoghlu, has implemented a number of projects by translating the works of many Azerbaijani classics and contemporary authors into Turkish.
The well-known UK writer and teacher Ian Perth, who for over 20 years has made a great contribution to the development of cultural and social relations between Azerbaijan and the UK, is the author of the "Karabakh. History in the context of the conflict" and "Khojaly Witness of a war crime - Armenia in the Dock" books and others, the translator of Azerbaijani classics and modern authors into English, also expressed his most vivid feelings.
"It's a great happiness for me to become a guest of the Vagif Poetry Days and for the first time to visit such a beautiful city as Shusha, which is historically known as the land of prominent writers, poets, musicians and performers," Perth noted. Azerbaijan has given me a lot, I have studied history, culture and traditions well, and since then Since Karabakh was liberated, I dreamed of visiting Shusha, and this dream came true!"
"I express my gratitude to the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, the Ministry of Culture and the Union of Writers of Azerbaijan for organizing such an amazing poetic holiday, which not only promotes the ideas of humanism, but also brings nations together. I admire the heroic Azerbaijani soldiers who gave freedom to this land. I am overwhelmed with the brightest emotions on this earth!” he added.
The Poetry Days event is named after Molla Panah Vagif who was an XVIII century Azerbaijani poet, statesman and diplomat. He is regarded as the founder of the realism genre in Azerbaijani poetry.
