― 4 декабря 2018 г.

Mevlevi Sama Ceremony and Mugam Concert in Ankara

The 10th anniversary of the inclusion of the Azerbaijani Art of Mugam and of Dervish Ceremonies in the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO has been celebrated with an event held in Ankara with the contribution of TURKSOY.

The event held on December 4th, 2018  in the Concert Hall of the Presidential Symphony Orchestra in cooperation of the International Organization of Turkic Culture TURKSOY with  the Embassy of Azerbaijan in Turkey took place in the presence of TURKSOY Secretary General  Dusen Kasseinov along with the Ambassador of Azerbaijan to  Ankara H. E. Hazar Ibrahim and the Deputy Chairman of the National Commission of Turkey to UNESCO , Ambassador Deniz Çakar,  Ambassadors of Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Bengladesh, Croatia, Estonia, Chili, the Czech Republic and Belarus as well as  representatives of other diplomnatic missions in Ankara, jousnalists and many guests.

In the speech he delivered, Secretary General Dusen Kasseinov stressed that the aim of this event is to promote and experience the rich cultural heritage of Turkic peoples and said:  "We have celebrated the 25th anniversary of TURKSOY in UNESCO Headquarters as well as in Vienna and Bratislava last week. The Legend of Dede Korkut which is the common cultural heritage of the Turkic World has been included in the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity upon submission of a common file by Turkey, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan while we were there. This was a nice coincidence. We do highly praise the heritage left behind by our ancestors and we are doing our best all together to preserve and enrich this heritage. This event which we are holding here today is the best example thereof.” 

The Ambassador of Azerbaijan to  Ankara H. E. Hazar Ibrahim who touched upon the rich cultural heritage of Azerbaijan and its colourful art of "Mugam" which is an essential component of the music and art of Azerbaijan and the Turkic World  extended his gratitude t TURKSOY and the National Commission of Turkey to UNESCO for their contribution to the organization of the event.

The Deputy Chairman of the National Commission of Turkey to UNESCO Mr. Çakar  who also attended the event  said  the Agreement on the Preservation of Intangible Cultural Heritage dated 2003 was signed by Turkey in 2006 and stressed that this agreement is regarded as one of the most important means to ensure the rapprochement of cultures worldwide along with sustainable peace.

The opening speeches were followed by Mevlevi Sama Ceremony of the International Mevlana Foundation. The ceremony was dedicated to the 10th anniversary of  of the inclusion of Dervish Ceremonies and of the Azerbaijani Art of Mugam in the Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of UNESCO.  

The performance of the "Karabakh Mugam Ensemble" featuring the famous Mugam performer of Azerbaijan Mensum Ibrahimov along with Elchin Heshimov (tar), Elnur Ahmedov (kamancha) and Kamran Kerimov (naghara) was strongly appreciated by the amateurs of art in Ankara.

Famous songs of Azerbaijan performed by the ensemble such as “Lachyn”, “Sarı Gelin”, “Aman Ovçu”, “Garabağ” and “Bana Bana Gel” raised great enthusiasm among the audience which clapped to the rhythm of the songs. The encore of the concert which was extremely appreciated by spectators featured the song “Garabağ Şikestesi” which received standing ovations from the audience.

The event went on with the handing over of plaquettes and certificates  and ended with a family photograph taken as a remembrance of the day .