Mingachevir Museum celebrates grand opening

By Vusala Abbasova - AzerNews 

The opening ceremony for the new building of the Mingachevir History Museum was held recently in Mingachevir, according to the Azerbaijan Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

Museum reconstruction has been provided by the Ministry, which carried out the museum’s renovation and exhibition installations before the opening.

Museum Director Nofer Mammadaliyev informed ceremony attendees of the history of the museum and its ongoing exhibits and activities.

Attending the ceremoby, Culture and Tourism Minister Abulfaz Garayev and Ilham Ismayilov, the deputy head of the Executive Power of Mingachevir, noted the importance of the 1^stEuropean Games held recently in Baku, at the ceremony.

The competitions were held not only in Baku, but also in Mingachevir, where the rowing event took place. The Games served as a positive promotion of the country throughout the world.

Both officials mentioned that, due to the 1^st European Games, Azerbaijan has demonstrated its hospitality and great achievements in the spheres of sports, culture, and tourism to the world.

Mingachevir is an ancient city and has favorable buildings that attract both local and foreign tourists. The Museum itself is a valuable addition to the tourism sector of the country.

The Mingachevir Museum began operating in 1968, having only 50 exhibit items. The museum now has a whopping 15,000s items that are on display.

Mingachevir is the fourth largest city in Azerbaijan by population. The city has modern buildings with a unique style of architecture, including a large new mosque.

The city sits alongside the Kura River and features good restaurants and teahouses of particular interest to travellers. An artificial lake with small beach is not far from the city.

The Olympic rowing base, KUR, is located on the bank of the Kura. Leading athletes of the Soviet Union have prepared for competitions here in the past. Tourists can visit an acting Olympic Sports Centre with a pool and tennis court.

Despite the fact that Mingachevir is a young city, archeological excavations that took place here have shown that the earliest human settlements here date back to the VI century BC – III century BC.