Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences

The decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, dated February 3, 2025, on the celebration of the 140th anniversary of Uzeyir Hajibeyli, and the tasks facing ANAS in this regard were discussed at the meeting of the Presidium of ANAS.

The head of ANAS underlined that in September 2025, the 140th anniversary of the birth of the great Azerbaijani composer, the creator of the first opera in the East, renowned musicologist, talented publicist, playwright, pedagogue, prominent public figure, People’s Artist, laureate of state awards, and full member of the Azerbaijan Academy of Sciences, Uzeyir Hajibeyli, will be celebrated.

Academician Isa Habibbeyli said that Uzeyir Hajibeyli, the author of the State Anthem of Azerbaijan, the founder of the first national Azerbaijani opera and operetta, and the organizer of the first national symphonic orchestra, made invaluable contributions to the enlightenment of our people in the 20th century and in educating in the spirit of patriotism, not only through his magnificent compositions but also through his rich journalistic works.

“There is no composer in the history of Azerbaijani music, or in the Muslim and Turkic world, whose name is mentioned on the same level as his. The operetta “Arshin Mal Alan” (The Cloth Peddler) was staged in many countries around the world. His birthday is celebrated in Azerbaijan as National Music Day at the highest level. In short, Uzeyir Hajibeyli is our national pride. While composers like Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin, and Schubert are famous worldwide, there is no composer with such multifaceted contributions as Uzeyir Hajibeyli”, - said Academician Isa Habibbeyli.

The academician noted that, alongside his rich compositional activity, the great composer Uzeyir Hajibeyli also played an important role in the activity of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, being one of the 15 founders of the Academy in 1945. He added that Uzeyir Hajibeyli was elected a member of the Presidium and made significant contributions to Azerbaijani music science, including transcribing our folk music into musical notation. According to the academician manuscripts and personal archive belonging to Uzeyir Hajibeyli are currently preserved at the Institute of Manuscripts of ANAS named after Muhammad Fuzuli.

Academician Isa Habibbeyli said that many works and articles about the life and creativity of Uzeyir Hajibeyli have been published till today and particularly highlighted the work of Academician Zemfira Safarova, who extensively researched the composer’s activities and presented them not only to the public of the country but also to the world. However, he also mentioned the necessity of preparing a collective monograph that fully reflects Uzeyir Hajibeyli’s rich life and multifaceted activities: “So far, musicologists have studied Uzeyir Hajibeyli’s compositional work, and literary scholars have examined his literary creations. There is a need for a comprehensive work, a collective monograph, that reflects Uzeyir Hajibeyli’s multifaceted activities, and this will be a historical contribution of Azerbaijani science to his 140th anniversary”.

The head of ANAS also drew attention to the fact that the 140th anniversary of the prominent composer will be celebrated with a grand event at the Academy, with the participation of representatives from the Turkic world and foreign guests. He also said that last year, the ANAS collective organized “Leyli and Majnun” opera viewing, performed by the collective of Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater, and a similar event will be organized this year as well.

Academician Isa Habibbeyli said that the country’s leadership always pays special attention to Uzeyir Hajibeyli’s personality and expressed gratitude to the head of state on behalf of the Academy’s staff for the decree. This document will provide an opportunity for the re-examination of the great personality’s creative work and its presentation to younger generations and the world.  

Taking the above into account, the Division of Humanitarian Sciences and Division of Social Sciences of ANAS have been tasked with preparing the “Action Plan of ANAS” for the celebration of Uzeyir Hajibeyli’s 140th anniversary. Furthermore, it has been decided to organize a scientific conference on the topic “Uzeyir Hajibeyli: Literary-Cultural Value and Spiritual-Aesthetic Wealth” with the joint organization of Presidium of ANAS, the Division of Humanitarian Sciences and Division of Social Sciences of ANAS. The Nizami Ganjavi Institute of Literature of ANAS and the Institute of Architecture and Art of ANAS have been tasked with preparing a joint monograph dedicated to Uzeyir Hajibeyli's life and work.

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

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