“We informed the scientific community about the launch of a large project. Well-known scientists and specialists from Baku State University and Azerbaijan's National Academy of Sciences attended the event. It is gratifying that Professor Edmund Herzig from Oxford University and comparative literature scholar Elio Brancaforte have joined this project,” said Nargiz Pashayeva, Rector of the Baku Branch of Lomonosov Moscow State University, sharing her impressions about the presentation of the Nizami Ganjavi Manuscripts Union Catalogue and Database project.
Emphasizing Professor Edmund Herzig’s vital role, she noted that he authored the project and got it approved at the Oxford Nizami Ganjavi Center in 2022.
“The project has got up and running. This grand project requires significant responsibility and has a broad scope,” Pashayeva remarked.
Academician Nargiz Pashayeva underscored that this is Oxford University's project, with the main goal of preparing a unified catalog of Nizami Ganjavi manuscripts.
“Until now, there was no unified catalog of Nizami Ganjavi’s manuscripts. For 600 years, Nizami’s manuscripts have been rewritten and kept in libraries and private collections, but there was no unified database. The creation of such a database requires great responsibility and determination. We have launched it, and we hope to implement it. Oxford University has been operating for 800 years, and we have been cooperating since 2013,” Pashayeva stated.
As the head of the project from Azerbaijan, academician Pashayeva noted that a remarkable team was formed to implement the project, including employees of the Manuscripts Institute of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences. “This team is led by our famous scientist Nasib Goyushov. Azerbaijan invited him as a research scientist. Professor Mir-Ansari from the Center for the Great Islamic Encyclopedia in Iran is also carrying out major work. The members of the research group are involved in studying the ancient manuscripts and preparing them for the unified catalog,” the Rector emphasized.
The academician stated that as part of the project, Professor Mir-Ansari also delivered lectures in Persian language and codicology to six students of the Faculty of Oriental Studies at Baku State University.
“Reading and assessing manuscripts require perfect knowledge. Trainings were held for the employees of the Manuscripts Institute, as there is a new approach to the cataloguing system. There are questions regarding the reading, rewriting, editing, and classifying the manuscripts. At times, historical errors were made, and some manuscripts were catalogued under incorrect addresses. This project requires great patience, detailed research, and deep professional knowledge. I am confident that this project will be successfully implemented. The catalogue prepared within the project will be published in Persian in Iran, Azerbaijani in Baku, and English in London,” Nargiz Pashayeva added.
