September 19 marks the commemoration day of Aida Imanguliyeva, an eminent orientalist, literary scholar, pedagogue, and translator. During her short yet meaningful life, she made significant contributions to Azerbaijani science, leaving an eternal trace in memory with her brilliant personality and rich heritage.
Sea-news.az reports that the main milestones of the life and scientific activity of Aida Imanguliyeva, the first female Doctor of Sciences and professor in Azerbaijani orientalism, once again recall her rich legacy.
Aida Nasir gizi Imanguliyeva was born on October 10, 1939, in Baku into an intellectual family. In 1957, she graduated with a gold medal from secondary school No. 132 in Baku. From 1957 to 1962, she studied at the Arab Philology Department of the Faculty of Oriental Studies at Azerbaijan State University (now Baku State University). She later continued her education at the Department of History of Literature of the Middle Eastern Peoples of the same university and at the postgraduate program of the Institute of Peoples of Asia of the former USSR Academy of Sciences.
Defending her candidate dissertation in 1966, Aida Imanguliyeva began her career at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Azerbaijan Academy of Sciences. Thanks to her talent and diligence, she rose from a junior researcher to a department head, deputy director for scientific affairs, and later director of the institute.
In 1989, she defended her doctoral dissertation in Tbilisi and shortly thereafter received the academic title of professor.
Aida Imanguliyeva was the author of three fundamental monographs — “Mikhail Naimy and the ‘Pen League'”, “Khalil Gibran”, and “Coryphaei of the New Arabic Literature” — as well as over 70 scientific articles. She also served as an editor of several scholarly works written in the field of Eastern philology. She chaired the defense council for the specialty “Literatures of the Peoples of Asian and African Countries” at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Azerbaijan AS, representing Azerbaijani orientalist science in the former USSR and beyond.
Among the orientalists who highly appreciated the scientist’s activities were Academician Aleksandr Kudelin of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Professor Anna Dolinina of St. Petersburg University, and Professors Isaak Filshinsky, Valeria Kirpichenko, and Irina Bilyk of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the former USSR AS.
In her scientific and organizational activities, Aida Imanguliyeva paid special attention to the training of highly qualified Arabist personnel. More than 10 candidate dissertations were defended in a short period within the Department of Arab Philology under her leadership.
She was a member of the Presidium of the All-Union Society of Orientalists and the All-Union Coordination Council for the Study of Eastern Literatures. Engaging in pedagogical activities for many years, she delivered lectures on Arab philology at Azerbaijan State University.
Professor Aida Imanguliyeva is known as the first Azerbaijani scholar to systematically research East-West literary relations and interaction. Her works examine the synthesis of Western and Eastern cultural traditions, the development of creative style, and the formation of a new artistic style. These studies created an important scientific foundation for the study of modern Arabic and overall Eastern literatures.
The scientist’s activities were not limited to research alone. She translated stories by Mikhail Naimy, Mahmud al-Zahir, Muhammad Dib, Sahib Jamal, Suheyl Idris, and Majid Zayyib Ghanima into the Azerbaijani language, striving to preserve the poetic spirit, meaning, and content of the works.
Aida Imanguliyeva also lives on in the memory of her students as an unforgettable teacher. Those who knew her recall with special respect her kindness, generosity, and selfless assistance to people. She helped her students with the preparation and publication of their diploma works and other matters, and even assisted people in need by acquiring hard-to-find medicines.
Alongside her extensive scientific career, Aida Imanguliyeva also lived an exemplary family life. Her elder daughter, Nargiz Pashayeva, is the rector of the Moscow State University Baku Branch and a vice-president of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences. Her other daughter, Mehriban Aliyeva, is the First Vice-President of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the president of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation.
The memory of Aida Imanguliyeva lives on in the hearts of those who knew her. Her works continue to be read and researched today, remaining a scientific reference source for the new generation of scholars. With her rich scientific heritage and care shown to people, Aida Imanguliyeva occupies a unique place in the history of Azerbaijani science and culture.
