Aida Imanguliyeva: Short, but bright life

By Azernews

By Amina Nazarli

Life is quite an uneasy road to pass, you either got mixed with millions or manage to stay in the hearts of people after death. 

Active orientalist-scientist Aida Imanguliyeva was among those who could live a short but bright life, going down into history as a prominent figure. She was the one to stay in hearts after the death. 

She lived a short, but meaningful life. A glamorous feminine beauty well enriched with smart inner world made her really a perfect woman. 

Azerbaijan's first female Ph.D and the first professor on Arabian literature was a world famous scholar. Aida Imanguliyeva, who was taking an active part in the scientific and public-political life of the Institute of Oriental Studies, was appointed the deputy director for scientific issues in 1988 due to her hard work and activity.

Today the name of Aida Imanguliyeva is among the names of prominent national scientists, known far beyond the borders of the country. 

Despite her relatively short life, this genius woman left behind a rich legacy, significantly enriching and developing with her own basic research not only the national, but also global Orientalism.

This modest and beautiful woman was an author of three monographs and more than 70 scientific essays. She could describe a brilliant synthesis of the Eastern and Western cultures, development of creative methods and new literature tendencies. This fundamental approach later became a big ground for future studies of both Arabic and new Eastern literature.

Half of her 53-year old short life she dedicated to the development of Azerbaijani science, greatly contributing to the Science of Oriental studies. Those who knew the scientist and her students love her deep scientific knowledge and spiritual beauty.

Aida Imanguliyeva was not only an Oriental specialist but also a philosophy researcher, who managed to reveal the interaction between civilizations, to identify common and distinctive features of Western and Eastern modes of thought, and to bring to focus these aspects in the national philosophy and literature.

She was very loyal to her life mission with her excellent organizational and leadership activity along with her scientific activities. She was protecting and developing Azerbaijani national self-consciousness within the atmosphere and national regime she lived in.

The talented young scientist defended her Ph.D. thesis successfully to obtain a scientific degree of a candidate of Philological Sciences in Moscow, in March 1967. Afterwards, she continued her scientific work at Near and Middle Eastern Nations Institute of the Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan. First, she worked as a senior scientific employee in "Arabic literary" group and since 1972 she became the head of the group. In 1976, she began working as the head of the "Arabic Philology" department newly established within the institute. While she was leading that department, 10 orientalists defended their Ph.D. theses under her guidance, and were rewarded with the scientific degree of a candidate of Philological Sciences.

Above all her scientific activities was a mission of a mother that she carried on. Aida Imanguliyeva was paying much attention to upbringing her lovely daughters Nargiz and Mehriban and was taking care of them.

Noteworthy, Aida Imanguliyeva’s works retain their scientific value nowadays, frequently becoming a topic of study and source not only in Azerbaijan, but also the whole West and East.

On the birthday anniversary, great scholar Aida Imanguliyeva was commemorated by the scientists and public figures, who paid a tribute to her tomb in Baku.