March 10, 2026
National Theater Day
The 153rd anniversary of the establishment of the professional national theater of Azerbaijan was celebrated with the organization of the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Union of Theater Figures of Azerbaijan and the Academic National Drama Theater.
This significant date is officially celebrated annually by the Decree of the President of the country, Mr. Ilham Aliyev, dated March 1, 2013, “On the Establishment of the “National Theater Day” in the Republic of Azerbaijan”.
In addition to Azerbaijan, the art holiday was attended by theater figures from Turkey and Kazakhstan, as well as heads and representatives of leading organizations in this field. As part of the event, the Minister of Culture, Mr. Adil Karimli, met with theater representatives from Azerbaijan and fraternal countries.
At the solemn event held on the occasion of the National Theater Day, a congratulatory message from the Minister of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan was read, theater representatives from Turkic-speaking countries performed, theater figures who had successfully performed in the past theater season and reached their jubilee years were awarded, a video clip about the theater's activities and an exhibition reflecting Azerbaijan's relations with Turkic-speaking countries were presented.
The State Dance Ensemble, People's Artists Gulyanag Mammadova and Samir Jafarov performed at the event. Also, a scene from Uzeyir Hajibeyli's play "Arshin mal alan" was performed by actors from Kazakhstan. The second part of the event featured the performance "SLOW: A Man Racing Against Time" (directed by Bahruz Vagifoglu), written by Parviz Seyidli, winner of the "From Victory to Pen" play competition, jointly organized by the Ministry of Culture and the Union of Theater Workers, and about the life, military path and conquests of one of the greatest conquerors of mankind - Amir Teymur, on the theme of national identity.
