Mugham, one of the most ancient musical genres of the Orient, has fascinated researchers for centuries and remains today an important subject of analysis in the study of world musical culture. This art form, a treasured heritage of the Azerbaijani people, has survived through difficult historical stages, yet has been preserved, nurtured, and passed down from generation to generation. In independent Azerbaijan, national mugham performance has entered a new stage of development and is now conquering the world.
According to “Tehsil365”, August 26 is celebrated as the International Day of Azerbaijani Mugham and the Music of Silk Road Countries. This decision, made in 2010 by the City Hall of Niagara, Canada, together with the organizers of the annual International Niagara Music Festival, once again affirms that mugham—our national treasure—has become part of universal music. For mugham lovers and those who have devoted their lives to preserving and promoting this art, this date is among the most cherished of holidays.
Azerbaijani mugham, deeply ingrained in our soul and memory like a mother’s lullaby, is also a jewel of the world’s musical heritage. In the performances of our renowned singers, it transcends language and nationality, inspiring listeners to contemplate divine origins and eternal truths of life and death, while awakening feelings of love, joy, and sorrow.
In the modern history of Azerbaijani mugham, the initiatives led by the First Lady of Azerbaijan and President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, Mehriban Aliyeva, have played an exceptional role. Thanks to these efforts, in recent years mugham performance has received comprehensive support from multiple perspectives, entering what can truly be called a renaissance. UNESCO’s inclusion of mugham and the art of tar performance in the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity affirms their value not only as part of our national identity, but as an inseparable treasure of all humankind.
The organization of the “Mugham World” International Mugham Festivals, competitions, concerts, and symposiums; the release of the “Karabakh Singers” album; the publication of the Mugham journal and the Mugham Encyclopedia; as well as the preparation of the multimedia collection “Azerbaijani Mugham” consisting of eight discs—are all vivid examples of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation’s attention to this field.
Mugham, as an ancient heritage of the Azerbaijani people, has become a spiritual wealth shared by wide audiences. Since the early 20th century, this unique treasure of oral and spiritual culture has entered the world stage. In 1971, UNESCO included the vinyl record Azerbaijani Music, released in the series Anthology of Oriental Music, into its 50-album collection Anthology of World Traditional Music. In 1975, Azerbaijani mughams were again issued by UNESCO under the series Musical Sources. Mugham has resonated in Andrei Tarkovsky’s globally acclaimed film Stalker, and even in outer space—when in 1977, a recording of Azerbaijani mugham was sent into the cosmos aboard a NASA spacecraft.
As one of the oldest Eastern musical genres, mugham has always drawn the attention of musicologists and art enthusiasts worldwide. It has become a key object of study in exploring ancient and medieval Eastern musical culture and folklore.
For Azerbaijani composers, mugham has long been a source of inspiration, standing at the foundation of many national musical achievements. The great Uzeyir Hajibeyli based his opera Leyli and Majnun on mugham, while Fikrat Amirov created the symphonic mughams Shur and Kurd-Ovshari, thus pioneering the symphonic mugham genre in world music. The works of Niyazi, Gara Garayev, Soltan Hajibeyov, Jovdat Hajiyev, Agshin Alizadeh, Arif Melikov, Firangiz Alizadeh, and other outstanding composers merge the artistic principles of mugham with the most modern composition techniques. Meanwhile, Vagif Mustafazadeh introduced mugham into jazz.
The gatherings of Xarrat Qulu in Shusha, Mir Mohsun Navvab, Mahmud Agha in Shamakhi, and Mashadi Malik Mansurov in Baku, as well as the great artists who emerged from these centers, all confirm that mugham is truly the “mother tongue” of our national music. As early as 1922, the curriculum of the first European-style music school in Baku included the teaching of mugham. Even today, this art continues to inspire our painters, sculptors, poets, and film directors.
For all these reasons, August 26 has been established as the International Day of Azerbaijani Mugham and the Music of Silk Road Countries.
Mehriban Aliyeva, who has breathed new life into Azerbaijani mugham, expressed her thoughts on this priceless heritage as follows:
“We Azerbaijanis are all justly proud of our native mugham. For every Azerbaijani, mugham carries a special meaning. Situated at the crossroads of civilizations, on the Great Silk Road between East and West, Azerbaijan has shaped its culture over centuries. Although at times we lived under different empires, our religion, national values, language, and culture preserved us as one people, as one nation. Mugham, one of the most precious jewels of our rich history and culture, is our national treasure. It embodies the finest qualities of the Azerbaijani people—love for the land, patriotism, national dignity, hospitality, kindness, compassion, and emotional richness. At the heart of mugham lies a philosophy of beauty and love.”
With the support of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, numerous international and national music projects, festivals, and competitions are organized in Azerbaijan. Among these successful initiatives are the “Mugham” Television Competitions, launched in 2005 at the initiative of Mehriban Aliyeva. These contests have played a vital role in revealing the creative potential of young performers, preserving folk music for future generations, and promoting Azerbaijani mugham on the international stage.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the “Mugham” Television Competition. Participants perform ghazals by classical and modern Azerbaijani poets in different mugham modes, along with folk songs, tasnifs, and rhythmic mughams. Each meeting becomes a new beginning for them. The ninth edition of the competition, launched in May, concluded on August 25 in the city of Lachin, where the winners were awarded.
Each such event turns into a true celebration. A remarkable aspect that captures the attention of world musicians is that mugham elements are present in nearly all major international music events held in Azerbaijan. In short, today Azerbaijani mugham has the power to captivate the hearts and souls of people worldwide—regardless of language, religion, race, or nationality.
And now, the sound of our mugham—cherished by generations, admired across the world, and capable of speaking in every language—once again echoes through our ancestral lands of Karabakh.