"Azərbaycan marşı"[a] is the national anthemofAzerbaijan. The music was composed by Uzeyir Hajibeyov, and the lyrics were written by poet Ahmad Javad or cultural figure and politician Jamo bey Hajinski. The government officially adopted the anthem in 1920, with the passage of the decree, "On the State Hymn of the Republic of Azerbaijan".[1] In 1992, after the fall of the Soviet Union, Azerbaijan's government officially restored "Azərbaycan Marşı" as the national anthem.[2]
The Azerbaijan government has also officially declared the national anthem to be "the sacred symbol of the Azerbaijan state, its independence and unity."[1]
Since 2006, a fragment of the lyrics is depicted on the obverse of the 5 manat banknote.[3] In 2011, to mark the 20th anniversary of independence, a stamp featuring the lyrics was issued.
In 1919, during the formation of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, the new government announced it was accepting submissions from the public for a national anthem, coat of arms and state seal. A prize of 15,000 rubles would be awarded to the citizen who submitted the winning anthem.[4]
Azerbaijani composer Uzeyir Hajibeyov wrote two marches. In 1919, this work received the first award announced by the government of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic.[5] The second march was the "March of Azerbaijan." According to Turkish musicologist Etem Üngör, "In those years, when Azerbaijan had not yet lost its independence, the march was chanted by military schools before lessons."[6]
In 1989, following several years of changes brought by perestroika, composer Aydin Azimov arranged a modern recording of the anthem by a full symphony and chorus. That fall, "Azərbaycan marşı" was broadcast on television and radios in Azerbaijan, 70 years after it was introduced.[4]
After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, in spring 1992, the leaders of the independent Azerbaijani government proposed that the original anthem should be restored as the anthem of Azerbaijan. The Milli Mejlis (National Assembly) signed it into law on 27 May 1992.[2]
Even though the "Azərbaycan marşı" was originally composed in A minor, the anthem is usually performed in G minor. Other versions also exist, such as those used in the Olympics, in D minor.
Azərbaycan! Azərbaycan!
Ey qəhrəman övladın şanlı Vətəni!
Səndən ötrü can verməyə cümlə hazırız!
Səndən ötrü qan tökməyə cümlə qadiriz!
Üçrəngli bayrağınla məsud yaşa!
Üçrəngli bayrağınla məsud yaşa!
Minlərlə can qurban oldu,
Sinən hərbə meydan oldu!
Hüququndan keçən əsgər,
Hərə bir qəhrəman oldu!
Sən olasan gülüstan,
Sənə hər an can qurban!
Sənə min bir məhəbbət
Sinəmdə tutmuş məkan!
Azerbaijan! Azerbaijan!
Oh you glorious fatherland of the brave child!
We are all together ready to give our lives for you!
We are all together strong to sacrifice our blood for you!
Live blessed with your three-coloured flag!
Live blessed with your three-coloured flag!
Thousands of lives were sacrificed,
Your chest was an arena for battles!
Soldiers gave their life for you,
All of them became heroes!
You shall be a garden full of roses,
Every moment our life can be sacrificed for you!
For you one-thousand-one carresses
are constant in my chest!
Guard your honor,
To held up high your flag,
Guard your honor,
The whole youth is enthused!
Honorable fatherland! Honorable fatherland!
Azerbaijan! Azerbaijan!
Azerbaijan! Azerbaijan!
Azerbaijan! Azerbaijan!
O triumphant fatherland of sons of heroes!
We are all ready to bestow our lives on thee!
We are fain to shed our very own blood for thee!
With the banner of three colors blessed be thou!
With the banner of three colors blessed be thou!
Thousands of lives were sacrificed,
Thy soul a battlefield became,
Of every soldier devoted,
Each one of them heroes became!
Blossom like a rose garden,
My life ever sworn to thee,
A thousand one loves for thee,
In my heart rooted deeply!
To stand on guard for thine honour,
Bearing aloft thy sacred flag;
To stand on guard for thine honour,
Eager be every youthful heir!
Glorious Homeland! Glorious Homeland!
Azerbaijan! Azerbaijan!
Azerbaijan! Azerbaijan!
Regulations for the performance of the national anthem are set forth in the law signed by President Heydar Aliyev in 1996. While a performance of the anthem may include only music, only words, or a combination of both, the anthem must be performed using the official music and words prescribed by law. Once a performance has been recorded, it may be used for any purpose, such as in a radio or television broadcast.[citation needed]
^"Azərbaycan Respublikasinin dövlət himni". Azərbaycan Respublikasinin Prezidenti yaninda Kütləvi Informasiya Vasitələrinin Inkişafina Dövlət Dəstəyi Fondu. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 25 November 2017.
