The Baku Branch of the MSU held an event dedicated to the foundation of the Scientific Center of Azerbaijan and Caucasian Studies at the University of Oxford. Notable public, cultural and science figures attended the event. Professor Nargiz Pashayeva, the rector of the Baku Branch of the Lomonosov MSU, a corresponding member of ANAS, PhD of Philology, welcomed the guests and noted the role of the project in Azerbaijan.
'The project originates from 2013, it is gratifying to note that we have successfully realized it and we are entering a new stage of development today. We have held very important meetings, organized round-table conferences, exchanged opinions within the framework of realizing the project. In the last two years, we have been made working visits to the University of Oxford, held a seminar, I have addressed famous scientists, answered their questions in the last two years. Delegations and scientists of the University of Oxford has visited our country, participated in various projects. We have managed to create a very high level of relations between our universities. We have accomplished the goal and we may now say with confidence and pride: the first research center for studies of history and culture of Azerbaijan and the Caucasus Region - the Nizami Ganjavi Scientific Center of Azerbaijan and Caucasian Studies - has been created and operates at the University of Oxford. It has become a historical event indeed.
It is proven by a publication about the Center on the official website of the University of Oxford. The fact has become a public, scientific and cultural event, it is of great value for Azerbaijan, it has been recognized by the world scientific community. Thusly, we have passed the main and the most complicated part of the path. Out willingness, the dream has become a reality,' noted Nargiz Pashayeva.
In Nargiz Pashayeva's words, the establishment of the Center at such prestigious and one of the oldest education centers, such as Oxford, raises the prestige and the value of the Scientific Center of Azerbaijan and Caucasian Studies itself.
The second hallmark is that Scientific Center was named after Nizami Ganjavi on the initiative of Prof. Nargiz Pashayeva.
The Center will realize long-term scientific and research projects related to the historical heritage and culture of Azerbaijan, hold scientific, cultural and public events, lectures and discussions, realized various academic and cultural projects. The Center will realize scholarship programs, provide grants to students, researchers, journalists, cultural and art figures to conduct Azerbaijan-related research at the University of Oxford.
Furthermore, master's, post-graduate and doctoral programs will be initiated. Special attention will be paid to philology, Oriental studies, Turkology, history, archeology, ethnography, music and art.
'Today, our universities and scientists take an active part in the development of relations between scientific centers of other countries. It is the Nizami Ganjavi Scientific Center of Azerbaijan and Caucasian Studies that became the country's first scientific center abroad. The doors of the University of Oxford, which has many-century-old history, are not opened for every scientific representative. First of all, besides the great responsibility, it demands high professionalism, scientific moderation, sustainability organizing of the process that meets corresponding scientific rules. During my visit to the University of Oxford, we signed a program, then we started the preparatory process, developed an academic and a scientific program for 2015-2020. The program was approved and adopted by the Oriental Institute of the University of Oxford. It is a great honour for me that I have become the first scientist from Azerbaijan to represent the country at the oldest university of the world,' said Nargiz Pashayeva.
'Realizing the project, we give Azerbaijani science, the public opinion, modern scientific potential access to the world level of science. Our cooperation with the University of Oxford has created all the opportunities to accomplish the goals. Every young person willing to dedicate life to science can represent Azerbaijani science in the future with the support of our Center. We plan to train three post-graduates and three masters in five years, and translate the most significant scientific and theoretical books to different languages,' states Nargiz Pashayeva.
One of the functions regularly realized by the Center will be to collect scientific information related to Azerbaijan and the Center, then form resources and a library. The Center will also form a calendar of events and research on Azerbaijan at the University of Oxford. Using electronic addresses, the Center will inform the scientific community of Great Britain, Azerbaijan and the world about new resources, discoveries and new opportunities.
It is also symbolic that the Centre is named after a man of genius - Nizami. It is interesting that Britain did not agree immediately with the Nargiz Pashayeva’s proposal to name the center after Nizami Ganjavi, referring to the ambiguity of perception of the ethnicity of the great poet. In particular, representatives of the University of Oxford informed that in the university Nizami is represented as a Persian poet. However, Nargiz Pashayeva was able to convince them of the loyalty of her position in respect of this issue.
"However, I underlined that we can prove that Nizami has a relation to our nation. We prove it with facts, his works, and aphorisms. We show that Nizami is originally from Ganja, he has the Azerbaijani roots and we also can show his Turkish traces in his works.
We are also understand and recognize that Nizami is a great personality of the Islamic culture spawned by world culture, not only Islam. He is a brilliant thinker of the East. In addition, he is an outstanding representative of world culture. His valuable works were studied by the Azerbaijani scientists, and then spread at the University of Oxford,’’ Nargiz Pashayeva said.
However, she stressed that the idea of establishment of the center is not the desire to prove that Nizami Ganjavi is an Azerbaijanian poet. The main task is promoting of the history, the language and the literature in such a well-known temple of science as the University of Oxford. Besides, the Centre intends to promote outstanding scientific and public figures of Azerbaijan. The international scientific community did not have any information about them at the time of the Soviet Union and their works remained out of sight for many reasons. One of these reasons is that their works have not been translated into European languages. It is necessary to establish a process of translation and publication of their works in English, French and German.
The book "Nizami Ganjavi - Azerbaijani poet" of famous scientist Bertels will be issued in English. This book is to draw a wide response. Archaeological researches in Barda, the capital of Caucasian Albania, under the guidance of Robert Gerard Oylanda, Professor of the Institute of Oriental Studies at the Oxford University and leading researcher of the Center for the Study of Antiquity NYU also arouse strong interest.
It should be noted that on the initiative of Nargiz Pashayeva it was formed a fund in order to support science and education. It also helps implement and promote these programs. The fund was established at the request of the University of Oxford.
Deputy Prime Minister of Azerbaijan, Doctor of Philology, a national writer of Azerbaijan, Professor Elchin Efendiyev evaluated the establishment of the Nizami Ganjavi Research Center of Azerbaijan and the Caucasus in the University of Oxford and gave a high appraisal of the Azerbaijani literature and culture. Elchin Afandiyev noted that this significant event has particular importance, not only from the point of view of the Azerbaijani language, literature, history and culture, but also from the viewpoint of enriching of the scientific potential for the future generations.
The President of the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan, academician Akif Alizadeh noted in his speech that the establishment of the Nizami Ganjavi Centre of Azerbaijan and the Caucasus at the Oxford University is the necessity of the time and it has great importance to promoting of the ancient heritage of the country and development of science and culture. He highly appreciated the establishment of the Centre from the viewpoint of the recognition of Azerbaijan and the Azerbaijanian literature in the world.
In conclusion, Nargiz Pashayeva expressed her gratitude to the participants of the event, and noted the necessity to consolidate the efforts of the Azerbaijani scientists for establishing of effective work of the Centre. She urged not to lose of the sight the young and promising scientists who are willing to devote themselves to the science. She reminded that the motto of the University of Oxford is: "My God is the light.’’
"Indeed, science and knowledge have always been the divine light of humanity. If the person regardless of his position, origin and nationality, can find strength, courage and resolution to perceive all the difficulties of real life, to distinguish good from bad and keep on improving,’’ Nargiz Pashayeva underlined.
