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Laman Ismayilova

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The Days of Azerbaijani Culture in Kazakhstan continue with interesting concerts, events, and presentations, Azernews reports.

A memorandum of cooperation was signed between the National Libraries of Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan.

The document was signed by the director of the Azerbaijan National Library, Honored Cultural Worker, and Professor Karim Tahirov, and the director of the Kazakhstan National Academic Library Gaziza Nurqalieva.

After the signing ceremony, the opening of the Azerbaijani Literature Corner at Kazakhstan National Academic Library took place.

Initially, the directors Karim Tahirov and Gaziza Nurqalieva cut the symbolic ribbon to announce the opening of the corner.

In his speech, Karim Tahirov provided information about the Azerbaijani Literature Corner.

He noted that the corner presents publications related to Azerbaijan's current successes, including the glorious victory of the Azerbaijani Army in the 44-day Patriotic War under the leadership of President of Azerbaijan, Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev as well as books on the country's contemporary development, history, culture, and literature.

A total of over 250 books are displayed in the permanent corner.

Karim Tahirov mentioned that the Kazakh Literature Corner was inaugurated at the Azerbaijan National Library in 2019, with the participation of Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Leyla Aliyeva.

Gaziza Nurqalieva stated that the Kazakhstan National Academic Library has been cooperating with the Azerbaijan National Library since 2003.

She expressed hope that cooperation between the two libraries would continue to develop further.

Other speakers emphasized the importance of expanding the relationship between the two libraries and regarded the opening of the Azerbaijani Literature Corner in the Kazakh library as a significant event.

Later, the Secretary of the Azerbaijan Writers' Union, Ilqar Fahmi, and poet and essayist Farid Huseyn were presented with honorary membership certificates from the Kazakhstan Writers' Union.

At the end of the event, participants tasted dishes from the national cuisine and familiarized themselves with the publications featured in the Azerbaijani Literature Corner.

Notably, the Azerbaijan National Library is a treasure trove of knowledge for bookworms.

With over 5 million books, manuscripts, and maps, the Azerbaijan National Library is considered one of the largest libraries in the Caucasus region. Since 1939, the library has borne the name of the eminent playwright Mirza Fatali Akhundov.

The library has an extensive collection of literature in Azerbaijani, Russian, English, and other languages. It has collected and preserved national editions, works of Azerbaijani and foreign authors about Azerbaijan published abroad.

The National Leader, Heydar Aliyev, visited the National Library four times in 1995-1997 and donated nearly 300 books from his personal library.

In 2004, the Mirza Fatali Akhundov Library was granted the status of a national library by the decision of Azerbaijan's Cabinet of Ministers.

The building of the library is no less impressive. The library's faсade is decorated with the statues of eminent poets and writers like Nizami Ganjavi, Mahsati Ganjavi, Uzeyir Hajibayli, Shota Rustaveli, Alexander Pushkin and many others.

The scope of the library's activities is constantly expanding. In 2005, on the basis of legal copies received from publishing houses and printing companies, the library published the yearbook "Books of Azerbaijan" for 1990, 1991, 2000, and 2001.

Over the past years, the National Library has signed a memorandum on bilateral mutual cooperation with about 80 libraries.

In 2021, the Culture Ministry and Mirza Fatali Akhundov Library launched a joint campaign, "Let's go to Garabagh with a book", to restore libraries in the Garabagh region.

A large number of books were donated to the Garabagh Book Fund by a number of international organizations working in the field of culture, Turkic-speaking countries, famous foreign and local authors, publishers, and print houses.

Since 1992, the Kazakhstan National Academic Library has been a member of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) and the Conference of Directors of National Libraries (CDNL).

Morevoer, it has been part of the Non-Profit Partnership "Library Assembly of Eurasia" (BAE) since 1993.

In 2002, the library took the lead in the Kazakhstan National Committee for the UNESCO program "Memory of the World," which aims to preserve documentary heritage.

Furthermore, in 2008, it became the regional center for the IFLA PAC (Preservation and Conservation) core program, which focuses on the preservation of library materials and ensuring their accessibility for future generations.

As of now, the collection of the Kazakhstan National Academic Library boasts approximately 7 million books.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @lmntypewriterrr

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