On 4 April Azerbaijan University of Languages (the AUL) hosted a roundtable on “The Literary-artistic Sources of Azerbaijani Multiculturalism” jointly organized by the Department of Azerbaijani Literature and the Scientific-research Laboratory of Azerbaijani Studies.

The Head of the Department of Azerbaijani Literature, Academician Mukhtar Imanov, who opened the ceremony with an introductory speech, stated that multiculturalism is the lifestyle and worldview coming from the centuries in our society, the multicultural lifestyle in Azerbaijan has an old history and traditions. M.Imanov said that universal ideas are advocated in classic Azerbaijani literature with a thousand-year-old history, and added that these ideas have found their reflection in the book “The Literary-artistic Sources of Azerbaijani Multiculturalism”.

The Director of the Institute of Linguistics of the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan, the key researcher of the Scientific-Research laboratory of Azerbaijani Studies, Academician Mohsun Naghisoylu spoke of the advocacy of multicultural values in the epic “The Book of Dede Korkut”, in the works of Khagani Shirvani, Mujiraddin Beylagani, Nizami Ganjavi and other classic writers, “One can encounter multicultural ideas in the examples of Azerbaijani literature in all the periods. These examples are multidimensional and multidirectional; in his works the great Fuzuli always cherished a pleasant attitude towards religions and languages, mentioned the Prophet Jesus and Prophet Moses with great respect”.

The Rector of Azerbaijan University of Languages, Academician Kamal Abdulla stated that the knowledge of world literature helps the nation to understand its own true moral values more closely, “Mohsun Naghisoylu, Mukhtar Imanov, Farid Alakbarli and other scholars have had their merits in the release of the book “The Literary-artistic Sources of Azerbaijani Multiculturalism”, the first publication in the series “The Sources of Azerbaijani Multiculturalism”; thus, this book has turned into the target of philological research. I consider that “The Literary-artistic Sources of Azerbaijani Multiculturalism”, which reflects the image of the Azerbaijani people on principle as in the mirror, is a phenomenon manifesting our country from the best side.”

At the meeting the Associate Professor of the Department of Azerbaijani Literature Nurlana Mustafayeva delivered a lecture on “The Literary-artistic Sources of Azerbaijani Multiculturalism”.