Heydar Aliyev Foundation
Encyclopedia
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...
's First Lady
First Lady
First Lady or First Gentlemanis the unofficial title used in some countries for the spouse of an elected head of state.It is not normally used to refer to the spouse or partner of a prime minister; the husband or wife of the British Prime Minister is usually informally referred to as prime...
Mehriban Aliyeva
Mehriban Aliyeva
Mehriban Arif qizi Aliyeva is the head of Azerbaijan's Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the wife of its current president Ilham Aliyev. The Sunday Times, writing in 2005 about Mrs...
. The foundation is named in honor of Azerbaijan's former leader, the late Heydar Aliyev
Heydar Aliyev
Heydar Alirza oglu Aliyev , also spelled as Heidar Aliev, Geidar Aliev, Haydar Aliyev, Geydar Aliyev was the third President of Azerbaijan for the New Azerbaijan Party from June 1993 to October 2003, when his son Ilham Aliyev succeeded him.From 1969 till 1982, Aliyev was also the leader of Soviet...
, who was the father of Aliyeva's husband, the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev
Ilham Aliyev
Ilham Heydar oglu Aliyev is the President of Azerbaijan since 2003. He also functions as the Chairman of the New Azerbaijan Party and the head of the National Olympic Committee...
.
History
Heydar Aliyev died in 2003, and the foundation was created in 2004. The Sunday TimesThe Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
, writing in 2005 about Mrs. Aliyeva's decision to run for the Azerbaijani parliament, described her as already wielding "considerable influence," and the Heydar Aliyev Foundation as "a powerful and wealthy institution set up to safeguard the late president’s legacy and support a number of educational and charitable projects."
The Foundation's executive director describes its activities as "broad and multi-sided," with projects that "aim to develop education and health systems, culture, promote our country abroad, protect our cultural heritage and improve the well-being of the people."
In Azerbaijan, according to a recent news article, "The HAF builds more schools than Azerbaijan's Ministry of Education, more hospitals than the Ministry of Health, and conducts more cultural events than the Ministry of Culture." It recently funded the Baku Museum of Modern Art
Baku Museum of Modern Art
Baku Museum of Modern Art is a museum of modern art located in Baku, Azerbaijan.-History:The museum was built at the initiative of the First Lady of Azerbaijan, Mehriban Aliyeva and opened on 20 March 2009. It was funded by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, of which the First Lady is head. The...
, intended as a focus for an "eco-cultural zone" that will also include a white-sand beach, a Frank Gehry
Frank Gehry
Frank Owen Gehry, is a Canadian American Pritzker Prize-winning architect based in Los Angeles, California.His buildings, including his private residence, have become tourist attractions...
skyscraper, and a walkway that projects out over the Caspian Sea
Caspian Sea
The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on Earth by area, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. The sea has a surface area of and a volume of...
.
The Heydar Aliyev Foundation has also sponsored several projects in France, helping to finance renovations at the Louvre Museum and the Palace of Versailles
Palace of Versailles
The Palace of Versailles , or simply Versailles, is a royal château in Versailles in the Île-de-France region of France. In French it is the Château de Versailles....
. The foundation gave 40,000 euros ($55,000) to help renovate stained-glass windows in France's Strasbourg Cathedral
Strasbourg Cathedral
Strasbourg Cathedral or the Cathedral of Our Lady of Strasbourg is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Strasbourg, France. Although considerable parts of it are still in Romanesque architecture, it is widely consideredSusan Bernstein: , The Johns Hopkins University Press to be among the finest...
. In 2010, France awarded its Légion d'Honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
to the Foundation's president Mrs. Aliyeva, with French President Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy is the 23rd and current President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. He assumed the office on 16 May 2007 after defeating the Socialist Party candidate Ségolène Royal 10 days earlier....
citing her "outstanding service and loyalty to France."
Other international projects have included rebuilding a school in Pakistan that had been destroyed by an earthquake and organizing events in 2011 in Moscow and St. Petersburg to showcase Azerbaijani art and music.
Musical festivals support
The Heydar Aliyev Foundation actively takes part in organization and holding of musical festivals. For example, "Gabala International Music FestivalGabala International Music Festival
Gabala International Music Festival is an annual festival of classical music held every summer beginning in 2009 in Gabala, Azerbaijan. The festival is organised with the support of Heydar Aliyev Foundation at the initiative of the rector of the Baku Academy of Music Farhad Badalbeyli and conductor...
", "The world of mugham" festival
Mugham Festival
The Mugam Festival or Shusha Festival is an annual cultural and musical festival that is held in Shaki, Azerbaijan. The festival features traditional Azerbaijani music known as mugam....
, "Uzeyir Hajibeyov International Music Festival
Uzeyir Hajibeyov International Music Festival
International Music Festival devoted to Uzeyir Hajibeyov's creativity-is held in September, since 2009, in Azerbaijan. Musical events are held in several cities of Azerbaijan, but main ceremonies take place in Baku....
". The foundation also supports analogous cultural events being held in other countries.