The Presidential Library has taken another significant step for the study and preservation of national cultural heritage. The valuable collection titled “Prominent Russian Scholars and Writers on Nizami Ganjavi” (Выдающиеся русские ученые и писатели о Низами Гянджеви / сост., ред., авт. предисл. Р. Алиев.- Баку: Язычы, 1981.- 434 с.), held in the library’s archives, has been digitized and made publicly accessible. This rare publication represents one of the first systematic sources presenting the scientific and literary approaches of distinguished representatives of Russian and Soviet literary studies, as well as Oriental studies, regarding Nizami Ganjavi’s legacy. The collection was first published in Baku in 1981 and was highly regarded by the academic community of its time.

The core portion of the collection consists of seminal scholarly works by Eugene Bertels - corresponding member of the USSR Academy of Sciences, an unforgettable scholar, laureate of the State Prize, and a leading authority on classical Oriental literature - concerning Nizami’s legacy. E. Bertels possessed complete command not only of Turkic, Persian, and Arabic languages, but also numerous European languages including Ancient Greek and Latin. His scholarly activities led to the establishment of a new field called “Nizami Studies” within Russian Orientalism.

Among other articles included in the publication, the study titled “Early Narratives about Majnun and Layli in Arabic Literature” by world-renowned Orientalist, State Prize laureate, and one of the founders of the Soviet school of Arab studies, Academician I.Y. Krachkovsky, deserves special attention. This work provides a broader contextual explanation of the literary sources and background of Nizami’s “Layli and Majnun”.

The collection also includes the comprehensive and seminal study “Nizami and His Study” by Academician A.E. Krymsky. This article analyzes all major sources published before 1940, serving as a rare foundational text that established the scholarly framework for Nizami Studies.

The collection further contains writings, speeches, and literary translations about Nizami by M.O. Makovelsky, N. Tikhonov, A. Fadeev, and P. Antokolsky. Particularly noteworthy is P. Antokolsky’s translation of the “Layli and Majnun” poem, which is regarded as a classic artistic rendition.

The voluminous article “Studies on Nizami” by renowned writer Marietta Shaginyan, included in the collection, is also noteworthy. In this article, the author approaches the creative work of Nizami Ganjavi as an Azerbaijani poet, evaluating him within a universal literary context through philosophical and aesthetic perspectives.

The compiler of the book is the renowned Azerbaijani Orientalist, Professor Rustam Aliyev. The release of the digital version further strengthens the Presidential Library’s role in researching and promoting Nizami’s legacy, while also serving as a valuable resource for scholars working in this field.