Analysis of Nizami Ganjavi’s creativity in the context of Renaissance aesthetics: based on the research of Azada Rustamova

Abstract

 This article explores the interpretation of Nizami Ganjavi’s literary heritage as a Renaissance phenomenon within the scholarly and theoretical legacy of the prominent literary scholar Azada Rustamova. The primary objective of the study is to uncover the essence of Rustamova’s concept of Nizami studies and to examine how Renaissance thought and humanistic perspectives are reflected in her approach to Nizami’s oeuvre. The author demonstrates that Azada Rustamova evaluated Nizami’s legacy not only as an artisticaesthetic phenomenon but also as a socio-philosophical and cultural-Renaissance manifestation. She presented Nizami Ganjavi as a bearer of humanistic ideals, intellectual awakening, and moral perfection within the context of medieval Azerbaijani thought. Rustamova systematically analyzed Nizami’s Khamsa within the framework of Renaissance aesthetics. She identified and examined, on a scholarly basis, key features of Renaissance aesthetics in Nizami’s epic thinking and literary system – such as the focus on human individuality, the emphasis on secular sciences, and the harmony of beauty and reason. According to Azada Rustamova, Nizami’s work resonates with the moral and spiritual ideals of the Renaissance period, and in this regard, his art represents a Renaissance stage in the development of Eastern culture.