A scientific session and film presentation named “The Victory Epic of the Forty-Four Days” dedicated to the 5^th anniversary of the Glorious Victory in Karabakh was organized by the Institute of Folklore of ANAS. The event began with the playing of the National Anthem of the Republic of Azerbaijan and a minute of silence in memory of the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the native land.

Opening the session with an introductory speech, academician Teymur Karimli, Deputy Chairman of the Scientific Council of the Department of Humanities of ANAS, spoke about the irreplaceable place that the 44-day Patriotic War occupied in the heroic chronicle of the Azerbaijani people and the echoes that this Victory evoked in national memory, folklore and literature.

Director of the Institute of Folklore of ANAS, Doctor of Sciences in Philology Hikmat Guliyev mentioned that the 44-day Patriotic War, which lasted from September 27 to November 10, 2020, was an important historical event that resulted in Azerbaijan regaining its lands over the past two centuries.

The scientist noted that the great military talent, wise leadership and courage of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief played an important role in achieving this glorious Victory and he especially noted the valor of the victorious Azerbaijani army.

Hikmat Guliyev mentioned that from the perspective of folk art, this victory can be metaphorically called the “The Victory Epic”. He noted that the resonance that those events evoked in epic thinking and collective memory was of particular scientific importance from the point of view of folklore studies.

Then the film “The Victory Epic of the Forty-Four Days” was shown. The Film described the glorious victory of the Patriotic War and the struggle shown by our people, demonstrating the events imprinted in the memory from the point of view of culture and history. The speeches of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the victorious Supreme Commander-In-Chief Ilham Aliyev, the decisive moments of the war, as well as the interviews of reserve officers- Colonel Eldaniz Namazov and Lieutenant Colonel Elshan Gasimov about their battle path in the 44-day Patriotic War further strengthened the emotional impact of the film. The presentation was watched with great interest by the participants of the event.

A number of reports were made within the framework of the Scientific Session. The reports such as “Karabakh folklore: from occupation to Victory” by Doctor of Sciences in Philology, associate professor Matanat Abbasova, “The characteristic of time and place in Karabakh tales” by PhD, associate professor Ilkin Rustamzade, “Karabakh: folklore is also a history – a new stage in folklore collecting” by PhD, associate professor Laman Vagifgizi (Suleymanova), “Concept of time in Karabakh legends” by Zafar Farhadov were made.    

At the end, academician Teymur Karimli mentioned that the Scientific Session was organized at a high level and revealed various aspects of the victory through in-depth scientific analysis of the reports.

At the end of the event, the participants of the 44-day Patriotic War, Colonel Eldaniz Namazov and Lieutenant Colonel Elshan Gasimov were awarded the Honorary Diploma of the Institute of Folklore for their contribution to the production of the film “The Victory Epic of the Forty-Four Days”.