BSU celebrates the 100th anniversary of Professor Alesker Mammadov

19/12/2019

Baku State University (BSU) hosted the Republican Scientific Conference “Actual Problems of Oriental Studies”, dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the founder of Arabic studies in Azerbaijan, Honored Scientist, Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, Professor Alesker Mammadov.

Rector Elchin Babayev, opening the plenary session of the event, spoke about the life and work of the famous Arab scholar. He emphasized that Alesker Mammadov, who was fluent in Arabic, Persian, German, English, French and Russian, worked as a translator during the Nuremberg trials in 1945-1946. Elchin Babaev noted that Alesker Mammadov, who linked his fate from 1947 to the end of his life with BSU, founded the Arabic studies school in 1957, opening the department of Arabic language and literature. The rector outlined the scientist’s method of teaching Arabic as an extraordinary skill and spoke about the innovations that he brought to the teaching of this language.

A film about the life and work of Professor Alesker Mammadov was shown at the meeting.

Then the reports were made by the dean of the Faculty of Oriental Studies Elkhan Azizov, director of the National Museum of History of ANAS, academician Naila Velikhanli, professor of the Department of Arabic Philology Aida Gasimova.

Rector of the Azerbaijan University of Tourism and Management Ilham Madatov, professor of the Institute of Literature of ANAS Imamverdi Hamidov, academician Nargiz Akhundova and screenwriter Rafiga Masud shared their memories of Professor Alesker Mammadov.

The daughter of the scientist Shiarafat Mammadov, speaking on behalf of his family, thanked the administration of the Belarusian State University and the Faculty of Oriental Studies of the university for the respect and honor shown to the memory of her father.

The conference continued in breakout sessions; 134 reports will be heard in two days.