Students from Curtin University in Australia (formerly known as Curtin Technical University and the Western Australia Technical Institute) have come to Azerbaijan to participate in the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29), and they have also visited the National Museum of Azerbaijani Literature named after Nizami Ganjavi.
The audience, who got acquainted with the exhibition through the museum by junior researcher Nazrin Yusifova, showed immense interest in the heritage of Nizami Ganjavi and Imadaddin Nasimi. They were particularly pleased with information about the firsts in Azerbaijani literature and culture – the poetess Mahsati Ganjavi who lived in the 12th century, Nizami Ganjavi's "Khamsa", the first female diplomat Sara Khatun- the mother of Uzun Hasan-the founder of the Agkhoyunlu state, Tomris Khatun- the ruler of the Massagetae, who was one of the first five female state administrators in the world, Shafiga Akhundova- the first female opera composer in the Muslim East, and the first opera in all Islamic world "Leyli and Majnun" composed by Uzeyir Hajibeyli which was staged in 1908.
The COP29 participants particularly enjoyed Azerbaijan's customs and traditions. Guests interested in the religious holidays of the Azerbaijani people learned that these holidays are celebrated at the state level. One of the most cherished traditions of Azerbaijanis, the henna ceremony performed by brides, also intrigued them, and our Australian visitor Justinia Tereza had henna applied to her hand.
In the end, our guests wrote their endless impressions in the museum's book of reviews and impressions as a keepsake. Hazel Fadzai, a student of architecture from Curtin University in Zimbabwe, expressed her admiration for the subtleties of the building, from its exterior appearance to its interior architecture, noting that the building and every space within it are commendably used in accordance with the museum's mission.