Event To Raise Awareness On Azerbaijan's Cultural Heritage Held In Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 22 (Bernama) -- An event on cultural heritage of Azerbaijan was held recently  at Badan Warisan Malaysia to create awareness among the Malaysian public of the rich cultural heritage of Azerbaijan.

The Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan in a statement said that the event, held at one of Malaysia’s prestigious institutions in the field of cultural heritage, was also to raise awareness about the systematic destruction of cultural heritage sites belonging to the Azerbaijani people in the territories liberated from Armenian occupation.

Organised by the embassy, the event was attended by scientists, representatives of  non-governmental organisations (NGOs),  journalists, management and members of the Badan Warisan Malaysia and the public, among others.

Irfan Davudov, the Ambassador of the Republic of Azerbaijan to Malaysia, in his opening speech spoke about the deep historical roots, rich cultural heritage,  ethnic and religious tolerance and the geographical and spiritual role of the Azerbaijani people at the intersection of cultures.

The statement mentioned that the ambassador also spoke in detail about the damage caused to the cultural heritage of Azerbaijan as a result of the 30-year occupation of Azerbaijan’s territories.

 E. Salmanov, Counsellor of the embassy, made a presentation entitled “Cultural Heritage of Azerbaijan”, which talked about Azerbaijan history and its cultural values, government’s activities in protecting cultural and religious monuments, violation of relevant international norms during the years of occupation, the revival of Azerbaijan's liberated territories and measures implemented for the restoration of cultural heritage, among others. 

A video about Shusha, the Cultural Capital of Azerbaijan, produced by the Ministry of Culture of Azerbaijan, was also shown, as well as an exhibition of pictures of various cultural, historical and religious monuments of Azerbaijan.

The ambassador further said that throughout the occupation, more than 700 historical monuments, 22 museums (with 100,000 exhibits), 927 libraries (with 4.6 million books, including many rare manuscripts), 58 archeological sites, 26 fortresses and other objects of cultural heritage were destroyed or plundered.

Davudov also said that geographically, modern Azerbaijan, which is located on the border of the European and Asian continents, found a place at the crossroads of various civilisations – Achaemenid-Sasanian, Roman-Byzantine, Scythian-Caspian and the Turkish-Oghuz cultures. 

He said this was the reason Azerbaijan has deep cultural and historical roots and that its favourable geographical location and rich nature have made this area a large settlement since ancient times.

“Today, Azerbaijan stands out for its ethnographic and religious diversity. Along with Azerbaijani Turks, ethnic groups such as Tatars, Talish, Kurds, Molokans, Ingiloi, Sakhurs, Avars, Lezgis, Khinalyks, Budugs, and Griz, live together. This culture is reflected in domestic life, historical-religious-cultural monuments, music, crafts, cuisine and various ceremonies,” the ambassador explained. 

He said throughout history, each ethnic group living in this territory has left its own traces.

“Today, we consider all of them, regardless of their origin, to be part of our common history and culture, and the government of Azerbaijan takes all necessary measures to protect and preserve them. We see our cultural and religious diversity as our richness. We recognise that ethnic and religious tolerance is one of the essential factors of development,” Davudov said. 

-- BERNAMA