Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences

Corresponding member of the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan Aliyar Safarli was born on December 28, 1937 in Anabat village, Ordubad region of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. In 1955, he graduated from Ordubad secondary school, in 1960 - the Department of Iranian Philology, Faculty of Oriental Studies and Azerbaijan State University. In 1960-1968 he worked as a researcher at the Institute of Literature after Nizami of the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan. In 1971-1973 he was engaged in translation activities in Afghanistan.

The scientist in 1966 defended his thesis, and in 1983 - his doctoral dissertation, in 1989 he was elected as a corresponding member of Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences. He was a professor and head of the department of Baku State University.

Corresponding member of ANAS A.Safarli was one of the famous researchers of medieval Azerbaijani literature. He was the author of studies on the life and work of Mesihi (17th century), as well as the epic poems of Azerbaijan of the 17-18th century. The scientist also achieved important results in the field of textology. He was credited with identifying a number of forgotten literary monuments, as well as compiling and publishing the first poem in the native language “Dastan Ahmad Kharami”, “Divan” by Gazi Burhanaddin, “Hagigat -us-suda” works by Muhammad Fizuli, the poem “Varga and Gulsha” by Mesihi, dastan "Shahriyar", as well as works by Nasimi, Amani and others.

In 1994-1998 he was Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Islamic Republic of Iran, represented our country in the International Economic Organization.

Since 2002, scientist continued his career at ANAS Institute of Literature after Nizami, where he worked as head of the department of Azerbaijani literature of the Middle Ages. In 2015, he was awarded the honorary title “Scientist of the Year” by the Institute of Literature.

Literary scholar Aliyar Safarli died on January 4, 2017.