Abulfaz Garayev Mursal oglu is an Azerbaijani

Azerbaijani people

The Azerbaijanis are a Turkic-speaking people living mainly in northwestern Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan, as well as in the neighbourhood states, Georgia, Russia and formerly Armenia. Commonly referred to as Azeris or Azerbaijani Turks , they also live in a wider area from the Caucasus to...

 politician, currently serving as Minister of Ministry of Culture and Tourism

Ministry of Culture and Tourism (Azerbaijan)

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Azerbaijan Republic is a governmental agency within the Cabinet of Azerbaijan in charge of regulation of the activities in and development of tourism in Azerbaijan and promotion of Azerbaijani culture...

.

Early life

Garayev was born on November 13, 1956 in Baku

Baku

Baku , sometimes spelled as Baki or Bakou, is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city consists of two principal...

, Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...

. He graduated from the Azerbaijan University of Languages

Azerbaijan University of Languages

Azerbaijan University of Languages is a public university located in Baku, Azerbaijan. The student body consists of approximately 4000 undergraduates and 900 graduate students...

 in 1978. From 1978 until 1980, he worked as the teacher of English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

 in a secondary school in Saatly Rayon. In 1980-1989, he held various positions within the Azerbaijan Communist Party

Azerbaijan Communist Party

The Azerbaijan Communist Party was the ruling political party in the Azerbaijan SSR, making it effectively a branch of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union...

. In 1992, he completed a course at the North-West Academy of Public Administration

North-West Academy of Public Administration

North-West Academy of Public Administration is a state higher educational institution situated in the center of St. Petersburg, Russia.The Academy carries out training, retraining and improvement of professional skills of the public employees in St. Petersburg and Northwest region of Russian...

 in Russia. In 1992 through 1993, Garayev worked as a professor at the Azerbaijani Academy of Public Administration. In 1993-1994, he held several managerial positions at Improtex Commerce.

Political career

From 1994 to 2001, Garayev was Minister of Youth and Sports of Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...

. He was briefly appointed as Minister of Youth, Sports and Tourism in a cabinet reshuffle in 2001 and later was appointed as Minister of Culture and Tourism in 2006.