Bust of Nizami Ganjavi Unveiled at Ural Federal University

On January 26 at the Ural Federal University the bust of the Azerbaijani poet Nizami Ganjavi, one of the greatest poets of the medieval East, was unveiled. In his works, he skillfully combined the traditions of oral folk art and written historical chronicles. His poetry had a great influence on poets and writers of different countries.

“He was a man of many talents, an outstanding philosopher and poet with the greatest knowledge of astronomy and medicine. Many people still discover something new in his poems. In his works he masterfully described kings and craftsmen, he was also a master of romantic poetry. His famous five poems are truly a golden contribution to the treasury of world literature. They are read with pleasure by many generations of students and the elderly. All of them are still relevant today. He was able to capture smells, music, instruments, and performers brilliantly. The astronomical bodies he described were discovered many hundreds of years later”, noted Victor Koksharov, Rector of UrFU, at the opening ceremony.

Using themes from traditional oral folklore and written historical chronicles, Nizami’s poetry united pre-Islamic and Islamic Iran. Nizami’s heroic and romantic poetry continued to influence the entire Persian-speaking world for centuries to come, inspiring young poets, writers, and dramatists who sought to emulate him for many generations, not only in Persia itself but throughout the region, including the cultures of such modern countries as Armenia, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Georgia, India, Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey, and Uzbekistan.

The ceremony of the Nizami Ganjavi bust unveiling was held at the University’s Azerbaijan Studies Center. The ceremony was also attended by Deputy Minister of International and Foreign Economic Relations of the Sverdlovsk Region Lyudmila Berg, Acting Consul General of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Ekaterinburg Mustafayev Shohrat Rustam oglu, Director of the Ural Institute of Humanities Elvira Symanyuk and Professor of the Department of Composition and Art Training of the Ural State University of Architecture and Art, author of the bust concept Valentina Sokolova.