2021 marks the 880th anniversary of the birth of the genius Azerbaijani poet and philosopher Nizami Ganjavi. The year of 2021 was declared “Year of Nizami Ganjavi” in the Republic of Azerbaijan by the Order of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev dated 5 January 2021. This year is also the 885th anniversary of the establishment of Azerbaijani Atabeks state that played a vital role in the development of Azerbaijani statehood. Given the above-mentioned issues, the ANAS National Museum of History of Azerbaijan organizes the exhibition “Nizami and Azerbaijani Atabeks state”. 

The purpose of the exhibition is to demonstrate Nizami Ganjavi and the life of the state he lived in with historical exhibits. The Head of Department of Scientific Exposition and Organization of Exhibitions Sabuhi Ahmadov stated that 250 exhibits in total had been selected to be displayed at the exhibition. Historical exhibits being preserved in the Funds of Archaeology, Ethnography, Auxiliary historical materials, Numismatics, Weapons and Banners, Special Fund, and Library of the Museum were used at the exhibition. The exhibits concerning the 12th- early 13th centuries were discovered in the Azerbaijani cities of Ganja, Beylagan, Barda, Mingachevir, Shabran, Nakhchivan. Some exhibits will be presented to visitors for the first time. For example, among displayed exhibits, the book “Sheikh Nizami. His autobiography” (“Şeyx Nizami. Tərcümeyi-halı”) by Mirza Muhammad Akhundov written in old alphabet and published in Ganja in 1909 is of special interest.