Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences

On October 31, a ceremony dedicated to the 65th anniversary of Mahira Huseynova – Presidential Scholarship holder, Honored Teacher, Vice-Rector for International Relations at the Azerbaijan State Pedagogical University, Member of the Board of the Western Azerbaijan Community, Chair of the Keshtshkend District Community of the Darralayaz region of Western Azerbaijan, renowned poet, Doctor of Philology, and Professor – was held at the Main Building of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS). The event was organized by the Nasimi Institute of Linguistics.

At the beginning, participants viewed an exhibition featuring books and photographs reflecting Professor Mahira Huseynova’s life and creative activity.

Opening the event, ANAS President, Academician Isa Habibbayli, spoke about Professor Mahira Huseynova’s versatile creative work, her scientific achievements, and social engagement. He emphasized that the generation to which Professor Huseynova belongs played a vital role in the formation and promotion of the ideology of Azerbaijani identity and has been distinguished by its sense of responsibility and patriotism.

Academician Isa Habibbayli noted that during the most difficult years of the Soviet era, Mahira Huseynova’s grandfather, the respected elder Ibrahim Mirzali oglu, was among the devoted intellectuals who enjoyed great authority among the people and worked selflessly for national unity and progress. His efforts “to turn the power of the people into the power of a flood,” as well as his initiatives for public welfare and charitable activities, are still remembered with deep respect. Attempts by Armenian officials to undermine his influence proved unsuccessful.

The ANAS President underlined that Professor Mahira Huseynova, whose jubilee is being celebrated today, has always remained true to her national roots and continues to represent both Azerbaijani science and the institutions where she serves with dignity.

He stressed that Professor Huseynova’s scholarly work covers multiple areas of linguistics – dialectology, modern Azerbaijani language, terminology, state language policy, and Turkology. Her scientific legacy, he said, is a valuable body of work born from a synthesis of intellectual integrity, civic commitment, and profound theoretical insight. These works are of great importance not only for linguists but also for the broader public.

Academician Habibbayli highlighted President Ilham Aliyev’s statement that “We have no other family; our family is the Turkic world,” noting that this idea necessitates a new stage in the development of Turkological studies. “The Presidential Decree on the 100th Anniversary of the First Turkological Congress,” he added, “is a crucial step in this direction. The ANAS aims to advance Turkology beyond the Soviet model, adapting it to modern realities.”

He emphasized that Professor Mahira Huseynova’s research aligns fully with the conceptual directions of modern Turkology and has made valuable contributions to its development. The scholar’s literary creativity, he added, stands out for expressing national emotions rooted in maternal lullabies through the poetic language of bayati. Her works, rich in bayati imagery, have made the literature of independent Azerbaijan more diverse in theme, idea, genre, and style.

Speaking about her civic engagement, Academician Habibbayli pointed out that Professor Mahira Huseynova’s active role in the Western Azerbaijan Community, her civic stance, and inexhaustible energy are vivid examples of her devotion to national values.

He congratulated Professor Mahira Huseynova on her jubilee, wishing her good health, creative inspiration, and continued success in her scientific activity. On the occasion of her 65th anniversary, she was presented with the Honorary Diploma of ANAS. He also announced that, by decision of the Scientific Council of the Nasimi Institute of Linguistics, Professor Huseynova had been awarded the title of Honorary Professor of the Institute and presented her with the corresponding diploma.

Later, Professor Nadir Mammadli, Director of the Nasimi Institute of Linguistics, spoke about Mahira Huseynova’s rich scientific heritage, productive academic and pedagogical activity, intellectual integrity, and human values. He noted that she stands out for her dignity, modesty, nobility, sincerity, compassion, and commitment to justice. “She has carried the weight of the poetic word with honor,” he said.

Professor Mammadli remarked that through her research in speech culture, onomastics, stylistics, dialectology, and language theory, Mahira Huseynova has created a comprehensive panorama of linguistic science. Her analyses are distinguished by comparative and methodologically systematic approaches. “Professor Mahira Huseynova stands at the crossroads of linguistics and literature,” he said, referring to her books Scientific and Aesthetic Problems of Language, Interconnection of Dialects and Subdialects of Common Turkic Languages, Comparative Study of Turkic Dialects and Subdialects in Azerbaijani Linguistics, and Historical and Etymological Dictionary of Azerbaijani Food and Drink Names as significant contributions to Turkological linguistics. He emphasized that these publications serve as rich scientific resources for researchers in the field.

Discussing her book Punctuation Issues in the Modern Azerbaijani Language, Professor Mammadli highlighted that it explores the theoretical and practical aspects of punctuation within modern linguistics, analyzing the punctuation system from the perspective of both education and linguistic theory.

He also drew attention to Mahira Huseynova’s activities as a poet and publicist, noting that she embodies the moral integrity, intellect, and nobility of the Azerbaijani scholar. “With every verse,” he said, “she paints a vivid picture with words. In her poetry, she seeks God and addresses her loved ones and friends.”

Professor Mammadli added that when the works of folk poets and ashigs are mentioned, scholars often refer to Mahira Huseynova’s research. He congratulated her and wished her continued success in her diverse and productive academic career.

Philosophy PhD Etibar Aliyev and other speakers also addressed the event, highlighting Professor Mahira Huseynova’s innovative contributions to linguistics and her distinctive role in exploring literary and philological issues in Azerbaijani scholarship.

The event also featured presentations by Professor Sayali Sadigova on “Mahira Huseynova’s Creativity in Azerbaijani Philology,” Professor Masud Mahmudov on “The Phenomenon of Azerbaijani Artistic and Scholarly Thought,” Doctor of Philology Gulbeniz Babayeva on “The Poetic World of Mahira Nağıgizi,” and PhD in Philology Kifayat Imamguliyeva on “The Dialectological Direction in Mahira Huseynova’s Works.”

At the conclusion, Professor Mahira Huseynova expressed her sincere gratitude to the organizers and participants for the attention shown to her scientific, pedagogical, and literary activities.

Translation by Gulhane Aghayeva, Department of Public Relations, Press, and Information, Presidium of ANAS.

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