Mammad Araz

Mammad Araz (Mammad Ibrahimov) was born in the village of Nurs, Shahbuz. He studied at the Geography Faculty of the Azerbaijan State Pedagogical Institute (1950-1954), and at the Higher Literature Courses under the Writers' Union in Moscow (1959-1961). He participated in the classes of the literary circle organized by the writer Ismayil Shikhli (1951).

He began his career as a teacher at a secondary school in his native village (1955-1956). He was a commissioner in the Main Press Department under the Council of Ministers of Azerbaijan (1957), an editor at the "Maarif" publishing house (1961), head of the fiction editorial office at the Azerbaijan State Publishing House (1963), executive secretary of the "Ulduz" magazine (1967), deputy editor-in-chief of the "Literature and Art" newspaper (1970), and deputy editor-in-chief of the Azerbaijan State Publishing House (1973). From 1974 until the end of his life, he was the editor-in-chief of the magazine "Azerbaijani Natirati". He headed the poetry section of the Azerbaijan Writers' Union (1971-1981).

He began his literary work with the poem "My Lights", published in the magazine "Ingilab ve medenyyet" (Revolution and Culture) (1952). His creativity was imbued with love for the homeland and the fire of the homeland. He is the author of such books as "Song of Love", "Father of Three Sons", "Araz flows", "Caravan of Life", "The World is Yours, the World is Mine", "Voice Engraved on the Rocks".

He was awarded the Order of "Independence" (1995). The "Mammad Araz" award has been established in his name (since 1993). Honored Cultural Worker (1978), Honored Art Worker (1984), Laureate of the State Prize (1988), People's Poet (1991) Mammad Araz died in 2004 and was buried in the Alley of Honor.