While 2021 was declared as “Year of Nizami Ganjavi” in Azerbaijan, Khazar University’s Department of Languages and Literatures is implementing a project entitled “Nizami Ganjavi-880” dedicated to Nizami’s poetry.

On May 22, 2021, a virtual scientific seminar entitled “Nizami’s influence on the literature of the Turkic world” was held with the participation of Turkish literary critic, as well as a well-known figure of the Turkic world, Prof. Dr. Mustafa Isen. Opening the scientific seminar, the head of the Department of Languages and Literatures, Associate Professor Dilbar Zeynalova greeted the participants and provided them with information about the guest. Mustafa Isen is not only a literary critic, but also a statesman. He was the head of the Presidency the Republic of Turkey, and held important positions in the Ministry of Culture. It was noted that Prof. Dr. Mustafa Isen is one of the most compassionate researchers on “Divan” poetry. The scholar’s book “Poems of Sultans, Sultans of Poems” was published in 2014 by “Qanun” publishing house in Azerbaijan. The book contains information about 5 Azerbaijani rulers and examples of their poems along with many Turkish poet emperors. The scholar has also led many projects in Turkey, and has managed to implement a significant project entitled “Dictionary on Names belong to Turkish Literature”. Prof. Dr. Mustafa Isen touched upon the issues such as Nizami Ganjavi’s poetry, the time he lived and created, litireray language of poet’s works, as well as the poet’s influence on contemporaries and later literary class while delivering speech on “Nizami’s influence on the literature of the Turkic world”. In his speech, he drew attention to Nizami’s role in the literature of the Turkic World and commented on the reasons of his influence on Turkic poets of Central Asia, as well as poets of the Anatolia region.

At the seminar, Professor Hamlet Isakhanli, Founder of Khazar University, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Trustees, Irada Khalilova, Rector of the University, and Elza Samadova, Dean of the School of Humanities, Education, and Social Sciences, greeted the guests and participants and expressed their aspiration about the event. Professor Hamlet Isakhanli spoke about the necessity of re-examining Nizami’s legacy and reconsidering the philological translation of his works.

Experts from the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences, Turkey, and Germany joined the scientific seminar along with Khazar University staff and students. Professor of Kastamonu University Vusala Musali, Khazar University staff members, associate professors Khatira Yusifova and Dr. Zamina Ziyayeva also delivered speech at the seminar.

At the end, Prof. Dr. Mustafa Isen answered the questions of the seminar participants on the topic and thanked the organizers of the event.