International Mugham Centre in Baku. Its Creation and Activities

Mugham is one of the main genres of Azerbaijani music. In 2005, at the initiative of the President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, Mehriban Aliyeva, a decision was made to hold a “round table” meeting with the participation of prominent mugham figures. During the discussions, it was decided to create an International Mugham Center in Baku. The establishment of the International Mugham Center was approved by the Decree of the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev in 2005. The inclusion of mugham in the UNESCO list of masterpieces of the oral and intangible cultural heritage of humanity in 2008 also confirmed the need to create a separate international center specializing in events to proclaim this genre.