THE ISSUE OF ETHNIC IDENTITY IN NIZAMI GANJAVI'S POEM "LEYLI AND MAJNUN"

Abstract

Nizami Ganjavi is one of the figures of the classical literature of Azerbaijan, who was attached to his homeland and Turkish national spirit with all his soul and blood. The sense of attachment to national values, national identity, and ancestry dominated the spirit of the poet's entire creativity. In the article, Nizami's approaches to the issue of ethnic identity in the poem "Leyli and Majnun" and the reasons why the Turkish identity was promoted to the leading position were exa- mined and analyzed. Nizami wrote the poem "Leyli and Majnun" on the order of Shirvanshah Akhsita. In the article, why Akhsita put the poet's demands against Nizami's national thought, the reasons why Nizami was angry with Akhsita's demand, etc. has been investigated. It has been clarified what goals are at the bottom of the phrases "Torki, Torkane soxhen, Torki-sifati" used by Akhsita. Dahi Nizami used folklore elements in his creations to highlight the issue of Turkish ethnic identity by appealing to Turkish epic folklore traditions. The poet wrote and created in Persian according to the demand of the time. However, the most important point is that Nizami thought in Turkish and wrote in Persian. Despite the demands of the ban imposed by the poet Aksitan, in the poem "Leyli and Majnun" the immortal Nizami managed to turn the Turkish national spirit and Turkish ethnic identity into the main line of his poem.