Nizami Ganjavi National Azerbaijani Literature Museum

Nizami Ganjavi National Museum of Azerbaijani Literature is a museum operating under the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences (ANAS) in the capital of Azerbaijan, Baku, offering the most comprehensive representation of classical and modern Azerbaijani literature. The museum is regarded as one of Azerbaijan’s key cultural spaces due to its rich collections and aesthetic architecture.

^{Exterior of the Museum (Photo: Duygu Şahinler)}

In 1939, it was decided to establish a museum in honor of the 800th anniversary of the great poet Nizami Ganjavi, and restoration of the current building began. However, due to World War II, its opening was delayed, and the museum was finally opened to the public on 14 May 1945 with a collection focused on Nizami-era Azerbaijani literature. In 1947, the museum expanded its scope and was reorganized in 1967 to encompass all of Azerbaijani literature.

The museum building has distinctive architectural features. Originally constructed in 1850 as a single-story kervansaray, the structure underwent various renovations and in 1915 was redesigned with a second floor by Engineer A. Nikitin. In 1939, during its conversion into a museum, two additional floors were added according to the designs of Sadig Dadashov and Mikayil Huseynov, bringing the total to four stories.

The exterior façade is adorned with tiles, busts, and statues of six major literary figures: Fuzuli, Molla Panah Vagif, Mirza F. Akhundov, Natevan, Jalil Mammadguluzadeh, and Jafar Jabbarly. The museum is located on Çeşme Square, near the Inner City Gate.

^{(Photo: Duygu Şahinler)}

Between 2004 and 2009, the museum underwent restoration and modernization and was reopened on 14 March 2009 with a message from Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. This renovation introduced contemporary museum practices: guided tours were replaced with digital information systems, the number of exhibition halls was increased, and technological infrastructure was strengthened. Today, the museum displays over 100,000 items across 35 main and 15 auxiliary halls.

^{Bookstore located beneath the Literature Museum (Photo: Duygu Şahinler)}

The museum features the lives, works, and personal belongings of approximately 4,000 Azerbaijani poets and writers from the origins of Azerbaijani literature to the present. The collection is enriched with rare manuscripts, stone-printed books, paintings, miniatures, statues, and busts, and is presented visually and thematically within the museum. One of the museum’s notable features is a dedicated section honoring nationalist and freedom-seeking poets who were persecuted during the Soviet era for their ideas.

The museum also functions as a museum of fine arts. Works related to literature were created by renowned Azerbaijani painters (Sadig Sherifzadeh, Rustam Mustafayev, Tahir Salahov, etc.), sculptors (Fuad Abdurrahmanov, Ömer Eldarov, etc.), miniaturists, and carpet masters (Latif Kerimov, etc.). These works represent the convergence of literature with visual aesthetics.

The Nizami Ganjavi National Museum of Azerbaijani Literature under ANAS also operates as a scientific and publishing center. Each year, it publishes scholarly works under five headings:

Risale (Scientific Studies)

Qaynaq (Sources)

Şerq (Translations)

Hezine (Catalogs)

Meclis (Ceremonies)

The museum has several important branches outside Baku. Notable among them are the Aran Regional Center in Kürdəmir, the Sergey Yesenin Azerbaijani-Russian Literary Relations Center in Mərdəkan, and the Karabakh Department. The Hurşidbanu Natevan section, originally located in Shusha, was relocated to Baku following the Armenian occupation.

The museum has taken on the mission of teaching Azerbaijani literature, especially to younger generations. Students, accompanied by their teachers, visit the museum to gain comprehensive knowledge of literary and cultural history. Additionally, large screens at Fevvarələr Square continuously deliver audiovisual information to the public.

The Nizami Ganjavi National Museum of Azerbaijani Literature is a museum of words that narrates the thousands-of-years history of Azerbaijani literature. Today, visitors explore the museum with guided tours, and photography by visitors is not permitted.