AZƏRBAYCAN NİZAMİŞÜNASLIĞININ İNKİŞAFINDA ÜMUMMİLLİ LİDER HEYDƏR ƏLİYEVİN XİDMƏTLƏRİ

This article examines the decisive role of Heydar Aliyev, the National Leader of Azerbaijan, in preserving and promoting the literary and cultural heritage of Nizami Ganjavi within the broader context of Soviet ideological constraints and post-independence nation-building. It argues that Aliyev’s strong political will, strategic vision, and national consciousness enabled the institutionalization of Azerbaijani classical literature as a core element of national identity. Particular attention is given to the unprecedented celebration of Nizami Ganjavi’s 840th anniversary during the Soviet period, which marked a significant ideological and cultural breakthrough. The article highlights how Aliyev’s initiatives—ranging from state decrees and preservation of cultural monuments to the promotion of literary scholarship—laid the foundation for modern Nizami studies (Nizami studies) and fostered a new generation of nationally oriented scholars. Furthermore, the study explores the continuity of this cultural policy under Ilham Aliyev, emphasizing the institutional expansion of Nizami’s global recognition through international forums, translations, and commemorative events. The declaration of 2021 as the “Year of Nizami Ganjavi” is interpreted as a culmination of this long-term cultural strategy. The article concludes that the “Heydar Aliyev stage” in Nizami studies represents a pivotal turning point in the nationalization, globalization, and sustainable development of Azerbaijani literary heritage.