Azernews.Az

By Nazrin Gadimova

The director of Smithsonian Institute's Asian Cultural History Program Paul Michael Taylor has sent a letter to the Nizami Ganjavi International Center on the occasion of the 4,000th anniversary of Ganja, Azerbaijan`s second largest city.

"On behalf of the Smithsonian Institution's Asian Cultural History Program, I am writing to join in congratulating the Nizami Ganjavi International Center on the occasion," Taylor wrote in his letter.

"Ganja is a beautiful and ancient city, whose name appears with admiration in Greek and Roman documents and... whose many accomplishments include the flowering of literature and philosophy there during Medieval times (particularly with the works of Nizami Ganjavi). The city's greatness continued into modern times when it was the location for the founding in 1918 of the first Azerbaijan Republic, an early beacon of democracy. In fact there is more in Ganja to celebrate beyond these 4,000 years of history, because a careful examination of locally found artifacts now housed in Ganja's archaeology museum indicates that the area now occupied by this city had an even earlier human habitation. With sincere congratulations and best wishes to all those who are now celebrating this important anniversary year."

Ganja will celebrate its 4000th anniversary in September. Until recently it had been thought that Ganja is about 2500 years old. But researches by the U.S.-based Smithsonian Institution revealed that Ganja is 4,000 years old and that the most ancient part of the city is Zurnabad.

Earlier, UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova has sent a message to Nizami Ganjavi International Center on the occasion of the Ganja anniversary.

A monument of ancient culture, the native land of great Azerbaijani poet Nizami Ganjavi, Ganja, is located at the north-eastern foot of the Lesser Caucasus Mountains, in one of the most beautiful corners of Azerbaijan. It has been significant to the political, economic and cultural life of the country since time immemorial. Medieval Ganja was known as an important center of craft and trade throughout the Near and Middle East.

The fact that Ganja, which is known as a regional center, is located at the crossroads of the Baku-Tbilisi caravan route, has allowed it to estab­lish trade links with large trade centers of the East beyond the Caucasus. In a nutshell, Ganja is a must-see destination to discover Azerbaijan.