Witness of eight centuries: the magnificence of Ajami art

Abstract

The article deals with architect Ajami Abubakir oglu Nakhchivani’s work, whose 900th anniversary is celebrated, who brought the architecture of Nakhchivan to the peak of medieval architecture. His work was associated with the city of Nakhchivan, the capital of the powerful Atabegs State, which occupies a special place in the history of Azerbaijani statehood and was one of the centers of culture, science, trade and art of the Middle East. Ajami Nakhchivani’s work was a striking manifestation of the rise of Azerbaijani cultural and social thought in the 12th century. The mausoleums of Yusif ibn Kuseyir and Momina Khatun, which are among the magnificent monuments that have survived to our time in the city of Nakhchivan and the product of Ajami’s genius, occupy a worthy place among the masterpieces of the Islamic world. The architect was also the author of the Atabegs’ Palace complex, the Juma Mosque and the complex’s entrance portal with a twin minaret. Ajami’s brilliant legacy served as a model and had a strong influence on the architecture of Azerbaijan and the Middle East countries in the following centuries.