Nizami Museum of Azerbaijan Literature
Encyclopedia
The Nizami Museum of Azerbaijani Literature - was established in 1939, in Baku
Baku
Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...

. It is located in the centre of the capital of Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...

, not far from the fountains square
Fountains Square, Baku
Fountains Square is a public square in downtown Baku, capital of Azerbaijan.The square was previously called Parapet and is often referenced to by the same name now...

 and near the entrance of Icheri Sheher. Now this museum is one of the greatest and richest treasuries of Azerbaijani culture
Culture of Azerbaijan
Following their ambiguous geographic location, the Azerbaijani culture has developed under influence under both Islamic and European cultures, including its Persian, Caucasus and Turkic heritage as well as Russian influences due to its former status as a Soviet republic...

 .

Main goals

Collection, research and storage of scientific and other materials about Azerbaijani literature
Azerbaijani literature
Azerbaijani literature refers to the literature written in Azerbaijani, which currently is the official state language of the Republic of Azerbaijan and is widely spoken in northwestern Iran and eastern Turkey...

 and culture, presentation of these materials on expositions and exhibitions is the mail goal of the museum. There are carried out great scientific researches, published and written books and monographs.

History of the museum

Building, where the museum is located, was built in 1850, as a one-storeyed caravanserai
Caravanserai
A caravanserai, or khan, also known as caravansary, caravansera, or caravansara in English was a roadside inn where travelers could rest and recover from the day's journey...

s. In 1915, the building was given to “Metropol” hotel and the second store was rebuilt. Then, in 1918-1920’s, workers of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic
Azerbaijan Democratic Republic
The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was the first successful attempt to establish a democratic and secular republic in the Muslim world . The ADR was founded on May 28, 1918 after the collapse of the Russian Empire that began with the Russian Revolution of 1917 by Azerbaijani National Council in...

 lived and worked there, in 1920-30’s, there located the labor union soviet of Azerbaijan .

On November 1, 1939, according to the order of the Council of People’s Commissars of the Azerbaijan SSR under the number № 4972, a memorial museum named after Nizami was created in this building in connection with the 800th anniversary of the great Azerbaijani poet Nizami Ganjavi. The building was overhauled by the project of architects Sadikh Dadashov and Mikayil Huseynov, were placed sculptures in the façade and reconstructed two floors. Later, the memorial museum was changed to the Museum of Azerbaijani Literature. Interior of the museum was designed by Letif Kerimov. During the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, when the 800th anniversary of Azerbaijani poet Nizami Ganjavi was celebrated in Leningrad Blockade, the placement work of the museum’s exposition was continued. On May 14, 1945, the museum opened its doors to its visitors only after the victory in the Great Patriotic War
Eastern Front (World War II)
The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945...

, in spite of that, the museum was established in 1939.

Twice, in 1959 and 1967, the museum was overhauled, expanded and upgraded. In 2001-2003’s, the museum was changed again.

In summer, 2005, after the visit of Ilham Aliyev
Ilham Aliyev
Ilham Heydar oglu Aliyev is the President of Azerbaijan since 2003. He also functions as the Chairman of the New Azerbaijan Party and the head of the National Olympic Committee...

-the President of Azerbaijan on December 30, 2004, were prepared new projects, on the basis of which the museum was overhauled and renewed . The Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan Republic
Cabinet of Azerbaijan
The Cabinet of Azerbaijan is the chief executive body of the Republic of Azerbaijan.-The Executive Power:The President of the Republic of Azerbaijan is the head of state....

 assigned 13 million manats
Azerbaijani manat
The Manat is the currency of Azerbaijan. It is subdivided into 100 qəpik. The word manat is borrowed from "moneta" which is pronounced as "maneta"...

 for that reason. Area of the exposition was expanded 2500 square meters, and the number of halls upgraded to 30 main and 10 auxiliary. If there were demonstrated only 1000 of 120000 exhibits till the reconstruction, after the reconstruction the number of them reached 25000.

The building

The total area of the museum is 2500 square meters, the 1409 meters of which consists of exposition and 173 square meters of fond. There are more than 3000 manuscript
Manuscript
A manuscript or handwrite is written information that has been manually created by someone or some people, such as a hand-written letter, as opposed to being printed or reproduced some other way...

s, rare books, illustrations, portraits, sculptures, miniature
Miniature (illuminated manuscript)
The word miniature, derived from the Latin minium, red lead, is a picture in an ancient or medieval illuminated manuscript; the simple decoration of the early codices having been miniated or delineated with that pigment...

s, memories of poets and other exhibits in 30 general and 10 auxiliary halls of the museum’s exposition. Part of the museum is a book shop.

The sculptures of the eminent Azerbaijani poets and writers were placed on the façade of the museum on the following way: Muhammad Fuzuli
Fuzûlî
Fużūlī was the pen name of the Azerbaijani or the Bayat branch of Oghuz Turkish and Ottoman poet, writer and thinker Muhammad bin Suleyman...

 (sculptor: F. Abdurrahmanov), Molla Panah Vagif
Molla Panah Vagif
Molla Panah Vagif was an 18th-century poet, the founder of the realism genre in the Azerbaijani poetry and also a prominent statesman and diplomat, vizier – the minister of foreign affairs in the Karabakh khanate.- Life :...

 (sculptor: S. Klyatskiy), Mirza Fatali Akhundov
Mirza Fatali Akhundov
Mirza Fatali Akhundov , former – Akhundzade , was a celebrated Azerbaijani author, playwright, philosopher, and founder of modern literary criticism, "who acquired fame primarily as the writer of European-inspired plays in the Azeri language"...

 (sculptor: P.Sabsai), Khurshidbanu Natavan (sculptor: Y. Tripolskaya), Jalil Mammadguluzadeh
Jalil Mammadguluzadeh
Jalil Huseyngulu oglu Mammadguluzadeh was an Azerbaijani satirist and writer.-Life:Mammadguluzadeh was born in Nakhchivan into an Iranian Azeri merchant family from Khoy...

 (sculptor: N.Zakharov), and Jafar Jabbarly
Jafar Jabbarly
Jafar Gafar oglu Jabbarly, often spelled Jabbarli was an Azerbaijani playwright, poet, director and screenwriter.-Literature and theatre:...

 (sculptor: S. Klyatskiy). There are 120000 exemplars of the museum exhibits stored in the fond of the museum.

Exhibits

A manuscript of Nizami’s “Isgendername”, which was written in 1413, exemplar of a manuscript of Fuzuli’s “Bangu-Bade” (1569), “The Eastern poem about Pushkin’s decease” of Mirza Fatali Akhundov, personal autographs and other exhibits and expositions of great value are prides of the museum.
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