Ministry of Education of the Republic of Azerbaijan Baku International Multiculturalism Centre Azerbaijani Multiculturalism Textbook for Higher Education

6.3.2. Azerbaijan – Address of Tolerance

Mehriban Aliyeva, President of the Heydar Aliyev Foun­dation, has always stressed the importance of friendly relations,­ mutual respect and cultural exchange among nations. Noting the rich traditions of tolerance in Azerbaijan, Mehriban Aliyeva said:

‘Azerbaijani society, with its traditional relations of friendship, brotherhood and tolerance, is our historic achievement, and this factor has become the leading norm of our public and political life. A democratic environment has been ensured for the different nations living in our country to preserve their national and spiritual values, religious beliefs and traditions, and to develop their language and culture. Irrespective of language, religion and ethnic identity, all the citizens of Azerbaijan enjoy basic human rights and freedoms. It is a source of pride that Azerbaijan is considered an example of tolerance for world countries and that a good number of states seek to benefit from this experience.’

	Through its work the Heydar Aliyev Foundation contributes
	to the human values of unity and tolerance among different
	ethnic and religious groups. The Foundation’s work has produced
	a considerable response both at home and abroad. One of its
	progressive projects is entitled Azerbaijan – Address of Tolerance.
	As part of this project repair and restoration works have been
	carried out in a number of mosques, churches and synagogues.
	The grave and mausoleum of the Brave Butcher, who earned
	the respect of the people for his charitable work in Ganja in the 7th
	century, were repaired and restored in 2005.
	The 16th century Pir Hasan shrine in Mardakan, near Baku,
	underwent major repairs and restoration work in 2005. The shrine
	is the site of the graves of the historic figures Pir Hasan and Khadija
380	Khanum, daughter of the seventh Shia Imam Musa Kazim. The

mausoleum was reconstructed and the complex was decorated with national designs. Other improvements were made and a park was laid out in the area around the shrine, which is an architectural monument and protected by the state.

The Mohsun Salim Mosque in Bina, near Baku, built in the early 20th century by a local oil field owner, was fully restored in 2006. A new building with a hall for 100 people, ablution rooms, separate rooms for men and women and a meeting room for clergy was built in the yard and fully equipped. The mosque has been included in the list of historical monuments protected by the state.

The Orthodox Church in Baku was repaired and restored in 2007. The church’s suspended ceiling was replaced with decorative glass and the building’s facade was changed.

In September 2008 the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the Roman Catholic Community signed a Memorandum of Understanding. The Memorandum included development and reconstruction projects in certain areas, support for social and religious centres, and a series of activities to promote the cultural development of the various ethnic groups residing in Azerbaijan. As an initial step in this cooperation, the ceiling of the Roman Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception in Baku was decorated with classic ecclesiastical murals and a ceramic panel was mounted on the facade of the church.

The Juma (Friday) Mosque in Buzovna in Khazar District was reconstructed. Construction of the Juma Mosque started in 1896, but was left incomplete in 1900. During the Soviet period it was used as a storehouse and a shop. In December 2006 on the initiative of the President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, Mehriban Aliyeva, a project costing 700,000 manats was developed to reconstruct the mosque. Reconstruction work began in February 2007 and was completed in 2009. On 19 December 2009, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and his spouse Mehriban Aliyeva attended the

Section III

Chapter 6

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Azerbaijani Multiculturalism

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opening ceremony of the mosque, where 500 people can pray at one time.

In 2010-13 a new mosque was built in the town of Qabala on the order of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation. Verses from the Holy Koran are written on the walls and pillars of the mosque, which are also decorated with religious symbols. The mosque has a room for the akhund, a teaching room, a library, meeting rooms, ablution rooms for men and women and ancillary buildings. On 28 February 2013, President Aliyev attended the opening ceremony of the mosque, where 600 people may pray at one time.

Reconstruction works at the Juma Mosque in Shamakhi started in March 2010. The mosque’s 36.4-metre high minarets, entrance and three domes were exquisitely restored. On 17 May 2013, President Aliyev attended the opening of the renewed mosque, where 1,500 people may pray at one time.

In 2012 on the initiative of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation reconstruction of the Heydar Juma Mosque in Mardakan began. On 31 December 2013, Heydar Aliyev Foundation Vice-President Leyla Aliyeva attended the opening of the mosque after the major reconstruction. It has room for 130 people to pray there at one time.

As part of the Azerbaijan – Address of Tolerance project, the Ohr Avner Chabad education centre for Jewish children was built in Baku by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the Ohr Avner Foundation. On 31 May 2007, Heydar Aliyev Foundation President Mehriban Aliyeva attended a ceremony to lay the centre’s foundation stone. On 4 October 2010, President Aliyev and First Vice-President Aliyeva and the President of the Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS and the Ohr Avner International Foundation, Lev Leviev, attended the opening ceremony of the Education Centre. Located in Baku’s Khatai District, the three-storey complex meets all the latest standards. The Centre has 30

classrooms provided with high-end equipment and teaching aids and a 700 sq.m. outdoor stadium with an artificial pitch. Designed for 450 pupils, the centre’s distinguishing feature from other educational institutions is that it teaches the basics of Jewish culture.

Also as part of the Azerbaijan – Address of Tolerance project, the Heydar Aliyev Foundation has arranged significant events abroad and the restoration of various foreign monuments. Among them is the restoration of stained-glass windows in the 14th century Strasbourg Cathedral. Scenes from the lives of the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ are depicted in the stained-glass windows, which were installed in 1320-40. The Heydar Aliyev Foundation provided financial assistance for this work in June 2009.

The Heydar Aliyev Foundation also allocated funds for the restoration of seven churches dating back to the 10th to 12th centuries in the villages of La Fresnaye-au-Sauvage, Saint-Hilaire-la-Gérard, Tanville, Courgeoût, Réveillon and Mâle in Orne Department in France.

The Heydar Aliyev Foundation has also done other significant work:

1.