― 21 января 2021 г.

Abay Medal of TURKSOY handed over to artists and Intellectuals of Azerbaijan

Artists and intellectuals of Azerbaijan who contributed to the promotion of Abay, the founder of Kazak national literature in Azerbaijan were handed over the Abay Medal of TURKSOY in an event hosted by the Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan  in Baku H. E.  Serjan Abdykarimov.

On the occasion of the 175th anniversary of the birthday of the famous Kazak intellectual Abay Kunanbayev and within the framework of the Commemorative Year of Abay declared by TURKSOY, an event was held in the Embassy of Kazakhstan on Baku on January 21st, 2021. The afore-mentioned event in which intellectuals of Azerbaijan were handed over the Medal of Abay in recognition of their contribution to his promotion also featured the presentation of the Art Album "Reading Abay" published by TURKSOY and featuring maxims of Abay illustrated with paintings by artists of the Turkic World.

The event which, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, gathered a limited number of guests at the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Baku took place in the presence of the President of the Turkic Culture and Heritage Foundation Gunay Efendiyeva amongst others.

In the speech he delivered at the ceremony,  TURKSOY Secretary General  Dusen Kasseinov said that the legacy of the Kazak intellectual, poet, composer and philosopher who was also the founder of Kazak national literature is the common heritage of the Turkic World as his poems and more particularly his  “Wise Words”´reflect the richness of Turkic peoples' sptiriual and cultural heritage.

Mrs. Gunay Efendiyeva who also took the floor at the event touched upon words told by the late President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Haydar Aliyev about Abay on the 150th anniversary of his birthday and said that Abay is  a notable author, poet and intellectual not only of Kazakhstan but also of Azerbaijan and that with his art, Abay actually united Azerbaijan with Kazakhstan.

At the event dedicated to the 175th anniversary of the birthday of Abay Kunanbayev, the Secretary General of TURKSOY, Mr. Kasseinov handed over Medals of Abay to Mrs. Fatima Dursunova, the Director of the Center of Kazak Language, History and Culture of the Baku State University  named after Abay, the Chair of the Turcology Department Ramiz Esgerov,  Prof. Dr. Firuze Ağayeva from the Turcology Department,  Prof. Dr. Elman Guliyev from the Department of Literature of the University of Pedagogical Studies of Azerbaijan, the journalist and columnist Aida Eyvazova  and the author  Neriman Abdulrahmanlı.

The event where guests were offered culinary specialties of Kazakhstan also featured a documentary on the life and work of  Abay and ended with a group photograph as a remembrance of the day.