The Baku Network expert platform has released a new broadcast of the analytical project “Dialogue with Tofig Abbasov”, where the guest was Shirin Malikova, director of the Azerbaijan National Museum of Art and associate professor at the Azerbaijan Academy of Arts.
In the course of the conversation, Shirin Malikova emphasized that art is not just a reflection of the era, but its living imprint fixed in centuries.
“Museums are not just repositories of artifacts. This is a bridge between the past and the future, a center of knowledge, aesthetics, and spiritual development. Our mission is not only to collect and store works of art but also to interpret them, making them accessible to society,” she said.
According to her, cultural values shape the consciousness of a nation and educate generations:
“It is very important that children come in contact with art from an early age. It teaches goodness, beauty, and harmony. People who grow up among great artworks will not shoot at cultural monuments, will not destroy museums, and will not plunder collections. I sincerely believe in this.
Shirin Malikova spoke in detail about the large-scale destruction to which Azerbaijani culture was subjected during the years of Armenian occupation of 20 percent of the country's territory.
“A total of 22 museums were operating in Karabakh before the occupation. Today nothing is left of them—neither buildings nor collections. Thousands of priceless exhibits have either been destroyed or taken to an unknown destination. Some items were saved. For instance, 183 exhibits out of 246 were evacuated from the Carpet Museum in Shusha, a branch of the National Carpet Museum. Meanwhile, 132 exhibits out of more than 1,500 from the house museum of Uzeyir Hajibayli, which had been functioning since 1959, were evacuated. However, the main part of the collections was lost. When we first came to liberated Shusha, we saw a terrible sight: the once-blooming city was in ruins. Monuments, museums, and religious buildings had been destroyed. Symbolically, before people came back to Karabakh, our exhibits returned there. It is like the return of the soul,” Malikova shared.
Referring to Azerbaijan's cultural policy, Shirin Malikova emphasized that the country has always been a model of tolerance and peaceful coexistence of peoples and religions: “Representatives of different confessions and ethnic groups have been living here under the same sky and sun for centuries. Mosques, Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant churches, and synagogues peacefully neighbor us. Antagonism has never existed—Azerbaijan has been a space of dialogue of civilizations for centuries.
She recalled that an Armenian church still operates in the center of Baku, where archives of Armenian manuscripts are carefully kept under state protection.
“Preservation of historical heritage is a principle of our statehood. Azerbaijan not only preserves its culture but also participates in the restoration of world monuments. It is our mission to preserve the past for the sake of the future,” Malikova underlined.
Concluding the conversation, Shirin Malikova expressed hope for sustainable peace in the region:
“Our region is the cradle of ancient civilizations, rich in history, culture, and economic potential. We must build a future based on mutual understanding, respect, and prosperity. I believe that everyone will come to this”.