“GEGHARD”
SCIENTIFIC ANALYTICAL
FOUNDATION
2024
2024
The contradictions between Iran and Azerbaijan are not merely political. These differences encompass a broader range of issues, among others stemming from Azerbaijan's attempts to appropriate Iran's historical and cultural heritage.
One of the most notable instances of appropriating Iranian heritage is the "azerbaijanization" of Nizami Ganjavi, a classic of Persian poetry.
Nizami Ganjavi's full name is Jamal ad-Din Abu Muhammad Ilyas ibn Yusuf ibn Zaki ibn Muayyad. He is more commonly known by the literary names Hakim Nizami and Nizami Ganjavi.
There is limited information available about Nizami Ganjavi's life. Some sources suggest that his mother was of Kurdish descent and his father came from Central Iran. The only claim of Baku for Ganjavi's supposed "Azerbaijani" identity is based on the fact that he was born and raised in Gandzak (Ganja), a city now in the territory of Azerbaijan. However, Nizami Ganjavi lived in the 12th century, when the concept of an "Azerbaijani" nation did not exist.
In its efforts to create its own history, Azerbaijan began "appropriating" Nizami Ganjavi during the Soviet era, continuing it gaining independence. Baku is not constrained even by the fact that the poet wrote in Persian. Notably, in 2013, Azerbaijan removed Persian inscriptions from Nizami Ganjavi's tomb, replacing them with Azerbaijani translations. This act of cultural appropriation entailed a strong response from Iran.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman announced that this move would not alter the cultural and historical essence of Nizami Ganjavi, while the Director of the Cultural Heritage Organization of Iran sent a letter of protest to UNESCO. “Our request to UNESCO, as the main custodian of cultural affairs in the international arena, is the immediate action to stop this non-cultural practice and restore it to its original form”.
Azerbaijan continues its efforts to "azerbaijanize" Nizami Ganjavi. Due to the efforts of Baku, the statue of Nizami Ganjavi was erected in different cities of the world presenting him as an "Azerbaijani writer." These cities include Rome, Tashkent, Saint Petersburg, Moscow, Beijing, Chisinau, and Cheboksary. The installation of these statues has elicited dissatisfaction from the Iranian side, too.
In 2012, Azerbaijan established the Nizami Ganjavi International Center, which has become a venue for organizing visits by high-ranking foreign delegations.
Continuing this policy, Azerbaijan declared 2021 the year of Nizami Ganjavi. During the same year, Baku filed a complaint with the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, challenging the representation of Nizami Ganjavi in the Persian literature section. Azerbaijan viewed this inclusion as a "distortion of facts."
Azerbaijan has taken its efforts to "Azerbaijanize" Nizami Ganjavi to the point where its representatives attend book exhibitions in Iran and present him as Azerbaijani, countering any corrections made by Iranians. Even at the highest level, Ilham Aliyev has promoted the "azerbaijanization" of the poet.
Iran closely monitors Azerbaijan's efforts and has taken steps to counter Baku's propaganda. As a testament to these efforts, Iran has organized a week-long celebration of Nizami Ganjavi for the past three years, during which a statue of the poet was erected in Tehran.
During the week of honoring Nizami Ganjavi in Iran, various events, including scientific conferences, are held. At one such conference in Urmia in March 2024, the issue of the "azerbaijanization" of Nizami Ganjavi was discussed. Writer Mostafa Gholizadeh, a participant in the conference, pointed out that the Turkic divans attributed to Nizami are fabricated by Azerbaijan, lacking credibility because they are written in a modern language. The conference also raised concerns that, at this pace, Azerbaijan could succeed in "azerbaijanizing" Nizami Ganjavi on the international stage.
Despite Azerbaijan's significant efforts to present Nizami Ganjavi as "Azerbaijani," the fact remains that he was an Iranian poet who wrote exclusively in Persian and often praised Iran in his works. "The whole world is a body, and Iran is a heart," this is how the famous poet expressed his love for Iran.