ELKHAN ZAKARIYYA AZIZOV

(1946)

Orientalist

Elkhan Azizov was born on 25 October 1946. In 1964, he finished with distinction a secondary school in Baku. In 1970, as a Lenin stipend holder he graduated with honors from Azerbaijan State University, Faculty of Oriental Studies, Department of Arabic Philology. He worked as a military translator during his student years in Egypt in 1968-1969. In 1970, Elkhan Azizov embarked on postgraduate studies in Arabic literature at the Institute of Near East Nations of the National Academy of Sciences (today the Institute of Oriental Studies named after Z. Bunyadov). In 1974, he got a PhD, and was employed as a teacher, senior lecturer and associate professor at the Department of Arabic Language (today the Department of Arabic Philology), Faculty of Oriental Studies, BSU. From 1978-1982, when he was a senior translator in Kuwait, he translated two books (in Arabic) on fishery resources of the Persian Gulf.

From 1991-1999, Elkhan Azizov, was dean of the Faculty of Oriental Studies. In 2002, he again took this position, having held it ever since. In 2015, he was made a professor. He has authored 60 papers on Arabic language and literature, history and literature of Azerbaijan, Azerbaijani-Arabic literary ties, as well as a number of programs on different bachelor and master disciplines, one monograph and six books. He has addressed scientific conferences in Baku, Tbilisi, Moscow and St Petersburg, and has been part of official delegations visiting Turkey, Iran, Egypt, South Korea and Saudi Arabia.

Professor Azizov has supervised 31 master and two PhD students to completion. In recognition of his longstanding fruitful scientific and pedagogic activity, Elkhan Azizov was decorated with “Leading education worker of the Republic of Azerbaijan” badge in 2006, and received “Merited Teacher” honorary title in 2009.