On the 4^th of May, 2026 the next meeting of the Department of South Azerbaijani Folklore of the Institute of Folklore was held. The meeting was attended by the Institute’s Deputy Director, PhD in Philology, Associate Professor Afaq Ramazanova. During the meeting the extensive discussions were held on the collection, research, transliteration and preparation for publication of South Azerbaijani folklore materials.

Opening the meeting with introductory remarks, Head of the Department, Doctor of Sciences in Philology, Associate Professor Matanat Abbasova, mentioned that South Azerbaijani folklore was an inseparable part of the national and cultural memory. She noted that the systematic collection of this heritage, its inclusion in academic circulation and its transmission to future generations were among the priority directions.

Senior researcher of the Department of South Azerbaijani Folklore, Lala Shabanova, spoke about the work carried out on copying the audio files of the epic “Asli and Kerem”. She noted that this process was not only technical, but also requires scientific accuracy.

Speaking about the book project “Children’s Songs and Games in the Folklore Environment of South Azerbaijan” Lala Shabanova provided detailed information about the structural characteristics, functional essence and place of children’s games within the folklore environment. In her speech, Saadat Ibrahimli also analyzed the poetic features, genre diversity and educational significance of children’s songs, emphasizing the importance of collecting and preserving these examples.

Senior researcher of the Department of South Azerbaijani Folklore, Sabuhi Badalov, informed the participants about the transliteration process of the book “The Tale of Our Village” by Ahmad Salahli noting that adapting the texts into a form accessible to modern readers required particular attention and precision. Researcher of the department, Ilaha Gurbanova, spoke about the transliteration of Zohra Vafai’s works and their place in the folklore environment, emphasizing the scholarly importance of the author’s activity.

At the end of the meeting the future tasks were determined and the importance of continuing efforts toward broader research and promotion of South Azerbaijani folklore was mentioned.