According to the decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan on marking the 650th anniversary of the great Azerbaijani poet Imadeddin Nasimi, on November 5, an event dedicated to the life and work of the great thinker and poet was held at Sumgayit State University.

At the anniversary event, along with teachers and students of SSU, the Deputy Minister of Education Mahabbat Veliyeva and Department head of World Literature of BSU, Professor Jalil Nagiyev took part.

First, guests visited the Heydar Aliyev Center at the university, got acquainted with photographs and an exhibition of books, and wrote their reviews in the Book of Memory.

Deputy Minister of Education Mahabbat Veliyeva visited the faculties, classrooms and laboratories, the TEMPUS office, study rooms, Training and Learning Center under the PETRA project. She also met with teachers and students, answered their questions and made a number of recommendations.

Then, the event participants familiarized themselves with the exhibition "The Best Portrait of Nasimi and Illustrations for His ghazals."

The anniversary evening was opened by the rector of SSU, Professor Elkhan Huseynov. He hailed the Deputy Minister of Education M. Veliyeva, Department head of World Literature of BSU, Professor J. Naghiyev and participants in the event. He said that the anniversaries of poets, writers and cultural figures contribute to the preservation of the spiritual values of the people. The announcement of 2019 as the “Year of Nasimi” and the solemn celebration of the poet’s 650th anniversary are a tribute to deep respect for the master of words, great national love for the poet’s personality and work. The anniversary of Imadeddin Nasimi is held not only in Azerbaijan, but also in many countries of the world. The event held today at SSU is the next in a series of events dedicated to the poet therefore. An essay competition “Poetical Word of Nasimi”, round tables and events were held at the faculties, and the book “The Nasimi Peak of Literature” was published, dedicated to the great poet and thinker.

Then the rector spoke about the difficult and contradictory path of development that the great poet followed, laying the foundations of philosophical poetry, about the strong influence of the poet on all Turkic poetry, starting from the 15th century, his manuscripts stored in famous libraries of the world. The rector noted that Imadeddin Nasimi occupies a worthy place in the spiritual treasury of the Azerbaijani people, which is largely connected with the name of the national leader Heydar Aliyev, who attached great importance to the historical and cultural values of his people. At the initiative of the national leader, Nasimi’s 600th anniversary was included in the list of UNESCO events, and in 1973 the anniversary of the great poet was celebrated in many countries of the world. In order to perpetuate the name of the great poet, one of the districts of Baku was named after him, and his name was assigned to the Institute of Linguistics of the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan. A monument to the great poet was erected in the center of Baku, and a memorable image of Nasimi was created in Azerbaijani literature and art.

The Deputy Education Minister Mahabbat Veliyeva greeted the staff and delivered speech. She said that she had visited SSU for the first time and was impressed by the work on the reconstruction and improvement carried out here. It was noted that today Sumgayit State University, as one of the prestigious universities in Azerbaijan, makes a great contribution to the scientific and intellectual potential of the republic.

Deputy Minister of Education also noted that the anniversary dates of writers, poets and artists have always been celebrated at a high level at Sumgayit State University. It was also said that the 600th anniversary of Nasimi was first celebrated at the level of all the republics of the Union on the initiative of national leader Heydar Aliyev.

President Ilham Aliyev and the first Vice-President of Azerbaijan Mehriban Aliyeva always call special attention and respect for the personality and work of Nasimi.

The guest of honor said that Nasimi wrote in all three languages of the Islamic East, especially in the Turkic Azerbaijani language. The great poet belongs not only to the Azerbaijani people, but he is a great master of words on a global scale.

Head Professor Jalil Naghiyev, Department of World Literature of the Belarusian State University, spoke in his speech about the rich heritage of Imadeddin Nasimi who laid the foundation for philosophical verse in Azerbaijani poetry.

Professor Avtandil Mammadov made a presentation on “Hurufi symbolism in Nasimi Poetry”, and senior lecturer Zohra Gafarova “Rebellious spirit of poem: Nasimi and modern poetry”. In their reports, they talked about the life and work of Nasimi, religious and philosophical teachings promoted by the great poet, languages and stylistic features of his poetry.

Then, the winners of the contest “Best Portrait and Illustration for the ghazals” dedicated to the 650th anniversary of Nasimi were awarded.

The event was continued by the literary and artistic composition of students of the Faculty of Philology.