Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences

The presentation of the decree of Shah Ismail Khatai, the founder and first ruler of the Safavid state, dated 1508, was held at the National Museum of History of Azerbaijan.

The decree, one of the 20 documents written during Shah Ismail Khatai’s lifetime that has survived to our time, was purchased at a “Christie’s” auction by an Azerbaijani citizen in April 2024 and donated to the National Museum of History of Azerbaijan.

The Deputy Minister of Culture Farid Jafarov underlined that enriching museum collections is one of the priority issues and highlighted the importance to continue the tradition of collecting historical and material facts.

The president of ANAS, Academician Isa Habibbeyli spoke about the political and historical significance of the document brought to the capital. He said that the presentation of the decree bearing the seal of the great historical figure Shah Ismail Khatai to the National Museum of History of Azerbaijan is very valuable for the museum’s collection. At the end of his speech, Isa Habibbeyli noted that the organization of this presentation ceremony by the Ministry of Culture is a contribution to our statehood history.

The director of the National Museum of History of Azerbaijan, Academician Naila Valikhanli expressed her deep gratitude to our compatriot who purchased the 500-year-old document at an auction abroad and brought it to Azerbaijan. She noted that although the decree is written in Persian, the word “sözümüz” (our word) is written in Turkish in tughra.

The director general of the Institute of History and Ethnology of ANAS named after A.A. Bakikhanov, Professor Karim Shukurov shared his thoughts on the scientific significance of the document. 

The Deputy Director for Scientific Affairs at the Institute of History and Ethnology, Tofig Najafli spoke about the text and content of the document.

Ilgar Fahmi, the secretary of the Azerbaijan Writers' Union, poet and playwright spoke about the creative features of Shah Ismail Khatai and the artistic qualities of his works.

The event continued with artistic performances.

Reyhan Majidli, Public Relations, Press and Information Department of the Presidium Administration of ANAS

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