On May 14-18, 2016, a delegation led by Professor Hamlet Isaxanli, the founder of Khazar University and Chairman of its Board of Directors and Trustees, visited Kahramanmaras to participate in the traditional Spring Festival there by the invitation of Kahramanmaras Sutcu Imam University. The delegation included Nailakhanim Isayeva, founder of Dunya School; Alovsat Amirbeyli, Director for Public Relations and Media; Associate Professor Zulfiyya Sadigova, Head of the Department of Music and Fine Arts; Gulyanag Mammadova, People’s Artist of the Republic; Farid Aliyev, Meritorious Artist of the Republic; the chamber orchestra; boys’ and girls’ dance ensembles led by Telman Aliyev and Sabina Ismayilova; and vocal soloists including students and faculty members.

            43 members of the delegation arrived at the Sarp Customs Control of Kahramanmaras Sutcu Imam University after traveling over 2000 kilometers by bus (an additional 4 members would travel by plane and join them). Despite the fact that they arrived during the night, representatives of Kahramanmaras Sutcu Imam University (Mithat Karaaslan, Assistant to the Executive Secretary, and Nedim Duman, Head of Security Services) met the delegation in front of their hotel. The delegation rested until early afternoon and then began to prepare their program for the concert they would perform at the Spring Festival at the University.

            On May 16 and 17, the Khazar University contingent was to perform two large concerts for thousands of students, faculty and staff of Kahramanmaras Sutcu Imam University. The concerts of the Spring Festival were to be held in the open air. The weather was very hot on those two days. While the delegation was preparing for the concert, the entire administration of Kahramanmaras Sutcu Imam University came to meet them at their hotel, Uygulama, even though it was not a work day. Administration members included Professor Ismayil Bakan, Vice President of the University; Ibrahim Ekiz, Executive Secretary; Mithat Karaaslan, Assistant to the Executive Secretary; Gulderen Aslan; Nedim Duman, Head of Security Services; and others. In the evening, an open-air banquet was held in honor of the Khazar University guests. Professor Hamlet Isaxanli, the founder of Khazar University and Chairman of its Board of Directors and Trustees, and Professor Durmus Deveci, Rector of Kahramanmaras Sutcu Imam University, participated in the dinner.

On May 16, the Khazar University contingent began to prepare for their concert early in the morning. Professor Ismayil Bakan, Vice President of the University, and other staff members mobilized all the necessary personnel to ensure a quality event.

Finally the time arrived. Professor Hamlet Isaxanli, the founder of Khazar University and Chairman of its Board of Directors and Trustees, and Professor Durmus Deveci, Rector of Kahramanmaras Sutcu Imam University, officially opened the first day of the Spring Festival. The Festival included exhibits of paper marbling, drawing, jewelry, carpet making, and other art forms.

The Spring Festival began with a dance by the Folk Dance Group. Then Mustafa, the emcee for Kahramanmaras Sutcu Imam University, greeted the official guests and many students sitting outside at the Festival, and he invited Khazar University to the stage. The Khazar University Chamber Orchestra performance, colorful dance numbers, and songs by Gulyanag Mammadova and Farid Aliyev were welcomed by the audience. The Spring Festival was recorded by Turkey’s TRT News channel. H. Isaxanli, D. Deveci and students Murad Balagadashov and Hamran Amirli gave interviews. The event was covered in the news programs of TRT AVAZ, TRT Haber and TRT channel.

After the concert, the Khazar University group decided to start preparing for their concert the next day. In the evening Mehmet Narin, Head of the Kahramanmaras Exective Power, organized a dinner for Professor Hamlet Isaxanli, the founder of Khazar University and Chairman of its Board of Directors and Trustees;  Nailakhanim Isayeva, founder of Dunya School; Alovsat Amirbeyli, Director for Public Relations and Media; Associate Professor Zulfiyya Sadigova, Head of the Department of Music and Fine Arts; Gulyanag Mammadova, People’s Artist of the Republic; Farid Aliyev, Meritorious Artist of the Republic; and Professor Ismayil Bakan, Vice President of Kahramanmaras Sutcu Imam University.

Under the direction of Hamran Amirli, student of the KSIU School of Economics, the Khazar University students toured Kahramanmaras. On the second day of the Spring Festival, in addition to art exhibits, students of KSIU demonstrated the cultures, artwork, and national cuisine of various countries. On the same day, the participation of the Khazar University musical collective brought diversity to the celebration. In contrast to last year’s Festival, this year the city residents were not invited. In recent days, many people were killed in Turkey as a result of acts of terrorism. Some of them were from Kahramanmaras. As a result, the university decided not to make this year’s Festival very celebratory out of respect to the victims.

On this day of the festival, the emcee invited Professor Hamlet Isaxanli, the founder of Khazar University and Chairman of its Board of Directors and Trustees, to the stage. Prof. Isaxanli thanked the university for the invitation, specifically mentioning Professor Durmus Deveci, Rector of Kahramanmaras Sutcu Imam University. He expressed his condolences for the recent terror acts and said that it was a great pleasure to be in Kahramanmaras. Then he presented gifts on behalf of Khazar University to the KSIU administration. In turn, Professor Durmus Deveci thanked Prof. Isaxanli for his participation in the event. He presented gifts from KSIU to Prof. Isaxanli and Alovsat Amirbeyli. On the same day, the Khazar University collective had prepared a special concert program, which they performed for two hours to the delight of the KSIU students in the audience. They especially appreciated the songs of Gulyanag Mammadova, People’s Artist, and Farid Aliyev, Meritorious Artist, as well as the students’ dance performances.

That evening, KSIU Vice President Bakan invited Prof. Isaxanli, Nailakhanim Isayeva, Alovsat Amirbeyli, Zulfiyya Sadigova, Gulyanag Mammadova, and Farid Aliyev to his home for dinner. Professor Durmus Deveci and his family also joined them for dinner. They talked late into the night. Gulyanag Mammadova and Farid Aliyev performed songs for the guests. The group returned to the hotel late in the night, where the students were still celebrating. They invited the administrators to join them.

In the morning on May 18, it came time for the Khazar University collective to depart from their dear friends in Kahramanmaras. By 8 in the morning, the KSIU administration had already gathered to send them off. The Khazar University collective didn’t want to leave, but they had to prepare for their next concert.

Prof. Isaxanli, Nailakhanim Isayeva, Alovsat Amirbeyli, Zulfiyya Sadigova, Gulyanag Mammadova, and Farid Aliyev departed by bus for the city of Giresun, where they would make their next visit.

Alovsat Amirbeyli

Kahramanmaras

15-18 May 2016