“Day of Azerbaijan” was held within the frames of Gyeongju Silk Road Culture Festival.

The concert program named “Day of Azerbaijan” was organized within Gyeongju Silk Road Festival in Gyeongbuk province of the Republic of Korea. The first day of national days, organized with the support of the World Tourism Organization, which is the specialized agency of the UN, included to the festival program, which aims to rebuild, improve historically existed cultural relations nowadays between the two countries located in ancient Silk Road, as well as to contribute to peace process in the world with cultural exchange, was devoted to Azerbaijan. Choi Young-shik, mayor of Gyeongju, speaking at the opening ceremony of the concert, noted that Azerbaijan, located in the middle of the ancient Silk Road, had joined the West and East. He highlighted that Azerbaijan is a country with its peculiar rich culture and stressed the importance of event in terms of the opportunity to become acquainted with this culture. Ambassador of our country to the Republic of Korea, Ramzi Teymurov argued that relations established during the ancient Silk Road period has now developed in a new form and spoke about the important role of cultural cooperation in this direction. Head doctor of Oriental Medicine Hospital in Baku, Ms. Zarifa Guliyeva read a congratulatory letter from Ruhangiz Heydarova, the chairman of SEBA (Seoul-Baku) Azerbaijan-Korean Cultural Exchange Association. Then the stage was given to the art masters. Dancers, pianists and soloists, saz performers presented our national music in front of Korean art lovers in the “Day of Azerbaijan”, held with the organizational support of Azerbaijani Culture Foundation and SEBA (Seoul-Baku) Azerbaijan-Korean Cultural Exchange Association, with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Embassy of Azerbaijan in Seoul. “Jangi”, “Nalbaki”, “Karabakh Yallisi”, “Igidlar” folk dances, “Gizlarin Ragsi” from “Koroglu” opera of Uzeyir Hajibeyli, “Odlar Yurdu” (Eldar Mansurov) and “Gobustan” (Javanshir Guliyev) dances were performed by the members of Azerbaijan State Dance Ensemble in the program. “Bana bana gal” (Jahangir Jahangirov), “Bari bakh” and “Yaylighim” folk songs and “Karabakh shikastasi” were performed by Ancient Musical Instruments Ensemble under artistic direction of honored artist Munis Sharifov, including soloists - honored artists Teyyub Aslanov and Nuriyya Huseynova. Moreover, soloists Honored Artist Anar Huseynli and Latifa Soyuoz, Naiba Shahmammadova (piano) performed Gulchohra and Asgar duo from “Arshin mal alan” operetta of Uzeyir Hajibeyli, “Sari Galin” folk song, “Khalg Heydar soyleyejek” song. Saz performers from Gabala Nuraddin Khanlarov and Zeynab Khanlarova made Korean audience acquainted with saz art, which is one of the oldest genres of national music. “Day of Azerbaijan” ended with “Azerbaijan” song of Muslim Magomayev. The local media was deeply interested in the concert, which was very attentively watched by the audience. Note that apart from “Day of Azerbaijan”, our arts masters will take part in the cultural program twice a day during one week.